Foundations of Finance for Business

Position yourself to make more confident business and financial decisions with our Business Finance for Non-Finance Personnel course. Gain a solid understanding of financial information and basic operations to positively impact your company's bottom line and advance your career. Using practical explanations and real-life examples, this course will show you how money flows through a typical business, how to develop successful business strategies, and how to use financial statements to make better business decisions. Whether you're an employee, sales executive, supervisor, or manager, this course will help you understand basic financial information and use it to make decisions that will positively affect your company's financial situation.

Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course, you will be able to:

1. Differentiate between financial knowledge and business acumen.

2. Describe how finances flow through a business and master basic financial terminology.

3. Analyze financial forces to develop strategies that drive profit.

4. Interpret and utilize three key financial statements: Income Statement, Balance Sheet, and Statement of Cash Flows.

5. Apply financial knowledge to make informed business decisions.

6. Implement cost-cutting measures using financial reporting and business acumen skills.

7. Develop strategies to increase supply and production efficiencies.

8. Use SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) to improve business and personal financial decisions.

Outline

• Business Finance Basics

• The Business Model and Financial Flow

• Financial Terminology and Concepts

• Financial Statements

• The Income Statement

• The Balance Sheet

• The Statement of Cash Flows

• Management’s Discussion and Analysis (MD&A)

• Business and Financial Strategy – The Process

• Cutting Expenses to Boost the Bottom Line

• Inventory and Cash Strategies

• SWOT Analysis and Strategy Implementation

External Partnership
In an effort to broaden our course offerings, Syracuse University has partnered with leaders in their respective fields to provide learning opportunities for our students. This course is brought to you through our partnership with ed2go. Once you have completed the checkout process, you should expect to be contacted by a ed2go representative within 1-3 business days with information on how to access your course material and getting started. They will be your main point of contact while you are going through the coursework. Feel free to reach out to Syracuse University if you have any questions at microcredential@syr.edu or 315.443.2588.