Strategic Planning, Effective Budgeting and Cost Control

Description

Course Overview

Financial literacy is no longer optional for anyone involved in strategic decision-making. Whether you are a finance professional seeking to broaden your strategic contribution, or a senior executive looking to sharpen your understanding of the numbers, the ability to read, analyse and challenge financial information is essential. This four-day programme bridges the gap between financial analysis and strategic thinking — helping participants understand not just what the numbers say, but what they mean for the decisions that matter.

The programme moves from strategic context and financial statements through to cost analysis, capital investment appraisal and risk management. Each day builds on the last, with real-world case studies — including Enron, Tesco, Ryanair, Microsoft and Nike — and live exercises using actual company data. Participants leave with a structured framework for influencing decisions, evaluating investment opportunities and managing financial risk in a complex and uncertain environment.

METHODOLOGY

This programme is delivered through live group instruction with a strong emphasis on participant engagement. Each conceptual module is followed by practical application — including group exercises, real company case studies, budgeting and forecasting workshops, and structured discussion. Delegates work through actual financial data to build and challenge plans, identify variances and develop management commentary. The pace is designed to be rigorous but accessible, with the trainer drawing on extensive experience across international finance functions to bring the content to life.

PREREQUISITES

Delegates should have a working knowledge of financial statements and basic accounting concepts. Prior experience in a
finance, planning or management role is beneficial but not essential. The programme is designed for professionals with at least two to three years of relevant experience who are looking to deepen their understanding of planning and control. A good level of spoken and written English is required (minimum B2 under the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages).

Who Should Attend?

This course will be of most value to:
This course is suitable for mid to senior executives, directors and managers responsible and/or accountable for strategic planning, budgeting and cost control in organisations across the private and public sectors. It is also valuable for finance business partners, FP&A professionals and finance managers seeking to strengthen their contribution to the planning process.

What you will learn

Learning Objectives

By the end of this programme, delegates will be able to:

• Link strategic management concepts — including vision, mission and corporate governance — to financial planning and decision-making
• Read, interpret and analyse the three key financial statements — balance sheet, income statement and cash flow — to assess business performance and financing requirements
• Calculate and apply the cost of equity, cost of debt and WACC to evaluate capital structure and investment decisions
• Analyse cost behaviour, apply CVP and break-even analysis, and use activity-based costing to support better pricing and resource decisions
• Evaluate capital investment projects using ARR, payback, NPV, IRR, MIRR and equivalent annual cost, and select the most appropriate method
• Link strategic objectives to a balanced scorecard and use KPIs to drive accountability and performance
• Identify, quantify and manage financial risk — including interest rate and foreign exchange risk — using hedging instruments and risk management frameworks