When it comes to numbers, there is always more than meets the eye. In operational finance, you will learn how to read the “story” that the balance sheet and income statement tells about the company’s operations. The insights you gain from this “financial story” will then become a tool for short-term decision-making at the top management level relating to current assets, current liabilities and the management of working capital. Finally, by the end of the course you will understand the financial consequences of managerial decisions on operations, marketing, etc.
Offered By
IESE Business SchoolAbout this Course
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Approx. 14 hours to complete
English
Subtitles: Chinese (Traditional), Arabic, French, Portuguese (European), Italian, Vietnamese, German, Russian, English, Spanish
Skills you will gain
- Dupont Analysis
- Management Accounting
- Business Analysis
- Finance
Flexible deadlines
Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.
Shareable Certificate
Earn a Certificate upon completion
100% online
Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.
Approx. 14 hours to complete
English
Subtitles: Chinese (Traditional), Arabic, French, Portuguese (European), Italian, Vietnamese, German, Russian, English, Spanish
Offered by
IESE Business School
For over fifty years, IESE, the graduate business school of the University of Navarra, has been at the forefront of management education, developing and inspiring business leaders who strive to make a deep, positive and lasting impact on the people, companies and society they serve.
Syllabus - What you will learn from this course
4 hours to complete
Course Overview & Week 1
Welcome to Operational Finance: Finance for Managers. In this course you will learn the basics of operational finance to help you make sound financial decision or to run a robust business! Before you get started with this week's video content, please have a look at the course syllabus. In this first week, we'll discuss what operational finance is all about by looking at a business case. What do the numbers on the Balance Sheet and P&L Statement tell us about its performance and future prospects? If you were a bank, would you approve a half million euro loan for this business? Why or why not? Course objective: To get an overview of operational finance and the types of analyses necessary to develop solid financing decisions.
4 hours to complete
16 videos (Total 82 min), 6 readings, 1 quiz
3 hours to complete
Week 2: Operational Ratios and Forecasting
In week 1, we looked at Polypanel’s Balance Sheet and P&L Statement. In the Balance Sheet, we noted that receivables increased from €188,000 in 2004 to €649,000 in 2007. We left off with the question: Is this difference due to an increase in sales or delays in payments from customers?
3 hours to complete
14 videos (Total 72 min), 4 readings, 1 quiz
3 hours to complete
Week 3: Diagnosis and Action Plan
By now you have a pretty good grasp of the Polypanel case and the main issues that could impact future financing. This week, it’s time to roll up our sleeves and work out a diagnosis for these issues. We’ll discuss Need of Funds for Operations (NFO) and Working Capital (WC), two concepts that will help us better understand the company’s problems. Finally, with a solid diagnosis we can develop an action plan that will lead to sustainable growth. Objectives: By the end of the session you will have a framework for diagnosing a company’s financial health. You’ll also gain insights into how to develop an action plan to address its problems.
3 hours to complete
13 videos (Total 77 min), 3 readings, 1 quiz
4 hours to complete
Week 4: Negative NFO and DuPont Analysis
In this final week, we will introduce the final pieces of the puzzle to give you a complete overview of operational finance. We’ll discuss tools like sensitivity analysis that will help you consider the potential outcome of a decision given different variables. In this session we will also look at other crucial concerns for the firm and its shareholders like sustainable growth and ROE (Return On Equity) plus revisit NFO (Need of Funds for Operations) and other topics. Objectives: By the end of this session, you should have a complete overview of the key aspects of operational finance. You will also understand what tools financial professionals use in order to make decisions to strengthen a company’s position.
4 hours to complete
16 videos (Total 86 min), 3 readings, 2 quizzes
Reviews
- 5 stars86.33%
- 4 stars11.60%
- 3 stars1.33%
- 2 stars0.36%
- 1 star0.36%
TOP REVIEWS FROM FINANCE FOR MANAGERS
by ACMay 26, 2019
Fantastic course, such a well laid out structure, Miguel sir explained with such enthusiasm, especially the case with Working Capital as to why it's not an asset. An excellent course!!!
by RCApr 13, 2022
I think this an excellent Course with a blend of Theory and Pratice. Thanks Coursera and IESE Staff for this opportunity to give us access to knowledge.
by EHOct 16, 2016
This course was engaging and interesting, and helped form a thorough understanding of analyzing finances and interpreting financial statements.
by SSApr 13, 2017
Excellent course, Very highly recommend it! This is my first course in Coursera and what a surprise, it was great! Well explained, concise and the professor is excellent. This class is A+
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