Strategy and Finance

What does this programme cover?
The ability to understand strategy and interpret it using financial analysis is a pre-requisite for any manager seeking a senior role in business.

Are you confident with your own professional discipline, but less so when faced with strategic or financial issues?

Strategy and Finance is a highly interactive programme designed to solve this problem. Its objective is to make you comfortable with strategic and financial issues so that you can make better informed decisions.

You will be able to deliver strategic initiatives having understood the financial implications and you will be able to take financial decisions having considered the impact on strategy.

What will I learn?

• How to analyse financial information
• How to apply strategic thinking in the context of financial implications
• How to take financial decisions that are aligned with your strategic objectives
• How to communicate both strategic and financial information
• How to enhance the quality of your analytical thinking.

Who's it for?
Your ambition is to further your career to board level. You may have a strong functional background but you need confidence in framing business problems in strategic and financial terms.

This is an advanced programme for directors either at the division or subdivision level of a large company or on the board of a smaller company.

How will my company or organisation benefit?
Ultimately your sound grasp of strategy and finance, both theory and practice, will mean you are able to better contribute to improved decision-making. This will positively influence the success of your business.

Programme Content

• Analysing the attractiveness of an industry as a basis for sensible target setting
• Assessing the competitive position of an individual business and targeting areas for improvement
• Evaluating the degree of fit between a business unit and its corporate parent
• Understanding the company's basic financial statements
• Interpreting a set of company accounts
• Carrying out a systematic financial analysis to assess the underlying performance of a company
• Using analytical techniques to determine whether reported financial performance is likely to be sustainable
• Using discounted cash flow techniques to determine whether a company is generating value for its shareholders
• Understanding and applying the concept of shareholder value creation
• Applying models and frameworks to assess the value of different strategies, having regard to risk
• Valuing businesses using a variety of techniques
• Assessing and proposing an appropriate financial strategy for a company
• Using the tools of the programme to evaluate both a business strategy and a proposed technique

Programme Structure

Pre-programme - you will be asked to provide a profile requesting info on your company and why you have been nominated for the course.

Programme - the course is five days, combining theory with interactive debate and case studies.

Post-programme - you automatically become a member of the Ashridge Alumni for the current year, enabling you to keep in touch with latest thinking.

What makes this programme different?

• The combination of both strategy and finance
• The set of tools that managers can use when back at work
• The experience of the faculty who have been managers themselves