Entrepreneurs and successful managers do not only have to apply entrepreneurial thinking in their daily business but also have to understand the financial relations within a company in order to achieve long-term success for their companies.

The Applied Finance: Skills & Tools course is a worldwide unique course that aims to make students start loving financial analysis. It helps participants to improve rapidly and extremely quickly their finance skills and develop a good understanding of financial statements of well-known companies.

Participants work on P&L statements, Balance Sheets, Cash Flows, Key Performance, Ratios and Financial Reports of real industrial firms and their connection to strategy, business operations and corporate results. This worldwide unique course sharpens finance know-how of participants and equip them with the skills to understand important financial KPIs of industrial companies and their performance.

The total learning hours for this Module amount to 150. These are distributed across the following categories:

• Total Contact Hours: 30
• Self-Study Hours: 30
• Supervised Placement and Practice Hours: 15
• Assessment Hours: 75

This Module carries a value of 6 ECTS.

Module-Specific Learner Skills:

At the end of the module/unit the learner will be able to

Integrate theory, research findings and practice for real-world problem solving.

• Develop a practical and solid understanding of financial statements.
• Learn which are the most important financial KPIs of companies.
• Learn how to analyze companies’ financial reports based on these KPIs and evaluate companies’ performance.
• Understand basic functions of stock markets.

 

Competences:

At the end of the module/unit the learner will have acquired the responsibility and autonomy to:

Manages people and projects and demonstrates the ability to respond to the fast-changing business environment.

• Be responsible for financial analysis and reporting.
• Carry out budgeting and financial planning autonomously.
• Demonstrate accountability for managing financial risks

 

Knowledge:

At the end of the module/unit the learner will have been exposed to the following:

Integrate forward-thinking concepts, standards, and managerial decision-making tools in the functional areas of management.

• Critically analyze the basic functions of stock markets and their role in financial systems.
• Evaluate the financial relationships within a company and their impact on overall business performance.
• Interpret and critically assess the financial statements (Profit & Loss statements, Balance Sheets, Cash Flows) of well-known companies based on important Key Performance Ratios.
• Evaluate the role of Key Performance Ratios in measuring and improving business performance.
• Critically evaluate the connection between financial data and a company’s strategy, business operations, and corporate results.

 

Skills:

At the end of the module/unit the learner will have acquired the following skills:

• Financial analysis and reporting skills.
• Financial budgeting and forecasting proficiency.
• Risk management and financial planning abilities.
• Investment evaluation and decision-making skills.
• Solve problems analytically and strategically.
• Develop critical thinking and decision-making abilities to assess and address complex financial and business scenarios effectively.

Module 1

Financial Statements-Balance Sheet

• What is the Balance Sheet?
• Learn the components of the Balance Sheet.
• Current Assets.
• Non-Current Assets.
• Current Liabilities.
• Non-Current Liabilities.
• Learn what is included in each component of the Balance Sheet.
• Understand the value of Balance Sheet.
• Case Study

 

Module 2

Financial Statements-Profit & Loss Statement

• What is the Profit t and Loss Statement?
• Understand the P&L Statement.
• Learn the components of P&L Statement.
• Cost Of Sales.
• Gross Profit.
• Profit after Functional Costs.
• Operating Profit (EBIT).
• Net Profit or Loss before Tax (EBT).
• Net Profit or Loss after Tax.
• Cost of Sales Accounting Method.
• Total Cost Accounting Method.
• What is Depreciation?
• Calculate Depreciation with the Straight-Line Method.
• Case Study.

 

Module 3

Cash Flow Statement and Key Performance Indicators.

• What is the Cash Flow Statement?
• Analyze and understand the value of the Cash Flow Statement.
• Define and analyze the components of the Cash Flow Statement.
• Which transactions influence the Cash Flow Statement?
• Define and calculate the Free Cash Flow.
• Understand the value of the Free Cash Flow.
• What are the Key Performance Indicators?
• How to calculate the Key Performance Indicators.
• Case Study: Apply Key Performance Indicators.

 

Module 4

How to Evaluate a Company.

• Practice Approach - Understand the Financial Statements.
• Apply KPIs.
• Analyze the Corner of Business success.
• Case Study
• Analysis of Key Figures

 

Module 5

The Functions and the Stakeholders of Stock Markets

• The Purpose of Stock Markets.
• The Functions of Stock Markets.
• Learn stocks, shares, and related terminology.
• How is the Share price fixed?
• Analyze the factors that influence the Share price.
• Present two main Investment Strategies.
• Understand the differences between Strategies.
• The Do´s and Don’ts of a Smart Investor.

 

The digital learning tools that are being used during the programme are the following:

• Learning Management System (LMS).
• Real-time lectures that are recorded.
• Zoom platform.
• Power Point for Creating - Presenting Learning Materials.
• Interactive Case Studies.
• Hands-On Financial Modeling:
• Group Projects to analyze companies' financial health.
• Simulation Exercises

Assessment Τype	Weight
Online Exam/Knowledge Check	100%
Total	100%

Passing grade                                                                                                                                                                     60%