Accounting Essentials

One day

Course Description
To run a business, numbers must be taken into account and factored into everyday decision-making, both major and minor. Understanding the numbers associated with day-to-day operations is no longer just the domain of the finance and accounting departments--everyone from lower-level staff to senior managers should learn the fundamentals of the cost of the organization's product or service, the price strategies involved, and the impact that short- and long-term decisions have on the bottom line. ACCOUNTING ESSENTIALS is an introductory course that teaches the basics of finance, accounting, and economic strategies in an easy-to-follow, easy-to-understand format complete with glossaries, diagrams, and self-tests. A companion book to this course is THE ACCOUNTING CYCLE, a book by Jay Jacquet. This course is especially for non-financial managers or new business owners, and can be used in an academic setting. It is an indispensable primer for learning and understanding accounting fundamentals, such as cash and accrual accounting, basic recordkeeping, ledger and journal entries, and financial statement preparation.

Course Outline
Part 1: Getting the 'Right' Numbers

• Qualitative vs. Quantitative Decision-Making
• Standards
• Effective and Efficient Decisions
• Constraints

Part 2: Review of the Financial Statements

• The Balance Sheet and Income Statement
• Statement of Cash Flow
• What the Financial Statements Do Not Tell You

Part 3: Making Money

• Maximizing Profit or Minimizing Cost
• Thinking in Units
• Defining Cost

Part 4: Identifying Costs and Their Behaviors

• Fixed, Variable, and Mixed Costs
• Relevant Range
• Cost Per Unit
• Cost Categories on the Income Statement
• Discerning Variable Costs
• Discerning Mixed Costs

Part 5: Controlling Costs

• Contribution Margin on the Income Statement
• Activity-Based Costing
• Non-Value-Added Activity

Part 6: Am I Breaking Even?

• The Cost-Volume-Profit Graph
• The Contribution Margin Approach to Break-Even
• Calculating 'What If' Profit
• Margin of Safety

Part 7: Operating Leverage

• Defining Operating Leverage
• Operating Leverage and the Bottom Line

Part 8: Influences on Pricing

• Pricing in Line with the Competition
• Trade-Offs Between Price and Demand
• Elasticity of Demand Illustrated
• Market and Cost Influences on Pricing
• Qualitative Factors in Relation to Price

Part 9: Making the Numbers Work for You

• Responsible Decision-Making
• Quality Management

Basics of Budgeting

One day

Course Description
The title of this course says it all. Virtually every aspect of budgeting from preparing income statements and company expense reports, to developing your own personal plan. Understanding the basics of budgeting will help your career and the organization you manage.

Course Outline
Part 1: Basic Information

• Why Bother? Reasons Companies Plan
• The Planning Cycle
• The Basic Equation
• Four Necessary Ways to Present Every Plan
• Planning Philosophies

Part 2: Effective Planning in Your Organization

• A Plan is a Social Document
• Standards of Precision
• Line and Level of Control
• The Information Frontier
• Rules for Jungle Fighters

Part 3: How to Build Plans Efficiently

• Work Plans, Deliverables and Resources
• The Secret of the Five-Minute Budget
• A Resource Checklist

Part 4: How to Build a Strategic Plan

• How Long and Who Does It?
• The Mission Statement
• Analyzing the External Environment
• Analyzing Internal Capabilities
• Putting It All Together
• Example of a Strategic Plan

Part 5: Annual Operating Plan Preliminaries

• Drafting Annual Goals
• Organizational Planning
• Creating a Fiscal Calendar
• Fiscal Managers
• Accounting System Tune-Up

Part 6: How to Budget Sales

• A Five-Step Approach to Sales History
• Assumptions: Improving Your Vision of the Future
• Projections: Building a Chain of Inference
• Example of Sales Budget from Market Share
• Example of a Sales Budget from History

Part 7: How to Budge Cost of Sales

• Different Approaches
• Examples of an Analytical Approach

Part 8: How to Budget Labor Expense

• Policy Before Planning
• Appropriate Levels of Detail
• Payroll Calculations
• Handling Increases
• Labor Planning Tips
• Example of a Labor Budget

Part 9: How to Budget Other Expenses

• Typical Approaches
• Examples of Budgets

Part 10: How to Budget Depreciation Expense

• Depreciation Expense Is Complex
• Minimum Information You Will Need
• Quick Estimates of Depreciation Expense
• Example of a Depreciation Budget

Part 11: Balance Sheet and Cash Plans

• Balance Sheet and Cash Flow Overview
• An Aside to Computer Users
• Example of a Balance Sheet Budget

Part 12: Budget Reviews (from Both Sides)

• How to Conduct Budget Reviews
• How to Chair/participate in a Budget Review

Part 13: Planning and Executing a Budget Process

• General Advice

Part 14: How to Create an Adjusted Plan

• What Is an Adjusted Plan?
• Adjusted Plans and Wiggle Room
• Managing Adjusted Plans

Part 15: Forecasting and Controlling Results

• Creating Forecasts
• Using Plans to Improve Business Control

Financial Analysis

One day

Course Description
This course provides more advanced, useful information on topics such as forecasting, budgeting techniques, corporate statements, and the use of common stock and debts for capitalization. Ideal for middle managers, small business owners, and entrepreneurs.

Course Outline
Part 1: Reviewing the Basics

• A Quick Refresher
• The Balance Sheet Equation
• Glossary of Balance Sheet Terms
• The Income Statement
• Glossary of Income Statement Terms
• Ratios and Percentages
• Review

Part 2: Corporate Financial Statements

• The Consolidated Statement
• Your Company’s Consolidated Statement
• Analysis
• Glossary of Additional Terms
• The Income Statement
• Your Company’s Income Statement
• Changes in Financial Position
• Your Company’s Changes in Balance Sheet Accounts
• Analysis
• The Cash Flow Statement
• Your Company’s Cash Flow Statement
• The Statement of Retained Earnings
• Checklist

Part 3: Asset Management

• Management of Current Assets
• Managing Receivables Policy
• JOG Corporation Notes
• Projected Analysis for Your Company
• Calculations
• Inventory Valuation Methods
• Valuing Your Company’s Inventory
• Depreciation
• Review

Part 4: New Ratios

• Ratios Help Make Decisions
• Capital Stock/Market Ratios
• Limitations of Ratio Use
• Review

Part 5: The Interaction of Ratios

• How Ratios Affect Each Other
• The Makeup of Ratios
• Checklist

Part 6: Financial Planning

• Financial Planning
• Break-Even Analysis
• Margin of Safety
• Leverage
• Financial Leverage
• Drawbacks to Using Break-Even Analysis
• Decision-Tree Analysis
• Example of Decision-Tree Analysis
• Cost-Benefit Analysis
• Review

Part 7: Reading an Annual Report

• How to Read an Annual Report
• Checklist

The Accounting Cycle

One day

Course Description
This course maps out the accounting cycle: balance sheets, income statements, ledger transactions, trial balances, and closing entries. Ideal for beginners, this course explains single-entry and double-entry accounting and cash versus accrual accounting.

Course Outline
Part 1: Overview of the Accounting Cycle

• The Accounting Cycle
• Steps in the Accounting Cycle
• Temporary and Permanent Accounts

Part 2: Cash or Accrual Accounting?

• Cash or Accrual Accounting?

Part 3: Basic Recordkeeping Systems

• Setting Up the Books
• The Chart of Accounts
• Key Word Recognition
• Single-Entry Recordkeeping
• Double-Entry Recordkeeping
• A Few Recordkeeping Techniques

Part 4: Ledger and Journal

• The Ledger
• The Trial Balance
• The Journal

Part 5: Adjusting Entries

• General Rules for Adjusting Entries
• Adjusting Entries
• Adjusting Current Assets
• Adjusting Current Liabilities
• Adjusting Accrued Expense
• Adjusting Accrued Revenue

Part 6: Closing Entries

• Closing Entries--An Overview
• Temporary and Permanent Accounts
• The Four Basic Entries to Closing Accounts
• The Post-Closing Trial Balance

Part 7: The Balance Sheet and Income Statement

• Preparation of the Financial Statements
• The Balance Sheet and Income Statements
• The Balance Sheet
• The Income Statement
• Sample Income Statement and Balance Sheet

Part 8: Special Consideration: Inventory

• The Basic Difference of a Merchandise Company
• Decisions About Inventory
• Comparison of Inventory Flow Methods

Part 9: Business Decisions

Understanding Financial Statements

One day

Course Description
Everything you always wanted to know about those confusing financial statements but were too embarrassed to ask! This friendly primer of basic business finances takes you step-by-step through all the fundamentals -- from balance sheets to profit and loss statements -- and translates them into meaningful, usable information. A beginner's bible!

Course Outline
Part 1: Basics of Financial Statements

• What Are Financial Statements and Who Uses Them?
• The Balance Sheet
• Glossary of Balance Sheet Terms
• Sample Balance Sheets
• Why Net Worth Is Not Always the Same as Market Value
• The Income Statement
• Sample Income Statement
• Glossary of Income Statement Terms
• Why Income Does Not Always Equal Cash
• The Cash Flow Statement
• Sample Cash Flow Statement
• Glossary of Cash Flow Terms
• Summary of Part 1

Part 2: Understanding Ratios and Percentages

• Using Ratios Without Fear
• How Ratios Are Developed
• Five Basic Rules for Ratios
• Summary of Part 2

Part 3: Four Types of Ratios

• Introduction to Ratios
• Glossary for Ratio Analysis
• Ratio 1: Liquidity Ratios
• Current Ratio
• Turnover of Cash Ratio
• Debt to Equity Ratio
• Summary of Liquidity Ratios
• Ratio 2: Profitability Ratios
• Rate of Return on Sales Ratio
• Rate of Return on Assets Ratio (ROA)
• Rate of Return on Investment Ratio (ROI)
• Summary of Profitability Ratios
• Ratio 3: Efficiency Ratios
• Average Collection Period Ratio
• Inventory Turnover Ratio
• Fixed Asset Turnover Ratio
• Summary of Efficiency Ratios
• Ratio 4: Market Ratios
• Earnings Per Share
• Price/Earning Ratio (P/E)
• Dividend Yield

Part 4: How to Perform a Ratio Analysis

• Introduction
• What Is Significant?
• Ratio Review Chart
• Afterword
• Summary of Part 4

Part 5: How to Perform an Expense Analysis

• Is Anything Good About Expenses?
• Examining Your Expenses
• Increase the Return on Expenses
• Summary of Part 5

Part 6: How to Control Your Business

• How to Proceed
• Trend Analysis
• Cash Position Charting
• Development of a Target Statement
• Accounts Receivable Aging Schedule
• Summary of Part 6