Business Finance for Non-Finance Personnel

A new section of each course starts monthly. If enrolling in a series of two or more courses, please be sure to space the start date for each course at least two months apart.

All courses run for six weeks, with a two-week grace period at the end. Two lessons are released each week for the six-week duration of the course. You do not have to be present when lessons are released. You will have access to all lessons until the course ends. However, the interactive discussion area that accompanies each lesson will automatically close two weeks after the lesson is released. As such, we strongly recommend that you complete each lesson within two weeks of its release.

The final exam will be released on the same day as the last lesson. Once the final exam has been released, you will have two weeks to complete all of your course work, including the final exam.

Lesson 1
In this first lesson, you'll learn the difference between financial knowledge and business acumen in a way that's easy to understand. You'll also be introduced to a few basic financial strategies and explore what business finance can do for you, your company, and your personal finances.

Lesson 2
To gain a strong foundation in business finance, you need understand the basic business model, its components, and how they fit into the larger organization. You'll see how finances flow through the business and begin to master basic financial terminology. At the end of this lesson, you'll be able to apply what you've learned to your personal household and finances.

Lesson 3
Do you know what ROI refers to? What's a Sales Forecast, and why is it so important? In this lesson, you'll learn these terms and many more. You'll also gain an understanding of financial forces, which provide a foundation for developing financial strategies and driving profit. You'll wrap up the lesson with a look at a very real example of the impact of unplanned expenses on the bottom line.

Lesson 4
Financial statements can be one of the most mysterious parts of business finance. As you'll see, however, all you need is basic information about what is reported and why to make sense of the three basic financial statements. With this lesson under your belt, you'll be ready to take on the next crucial step in mastering business finance: recording and tracking the annual finances on these statements.

Lesson 5
In this lesson, you'll gain a broader understanding of the first of the financial statements we'll be considering: the Income Statement. You'll visit the hypothetical company Bouncy Balls Incorporated (BBI), and examine its annual statement to comprehend what all these numbers mean. You'll also learn what's recorded on the Income Statement and how to analyze it using financial ratios to gain some valuable perspective on how BBI is doing.

Lesson 6
Still working with the fictitious company BBI, you'll explore what information is included in the Balance Sheet, how it differs from the other financial statements, and how to analyze it using financial ratios.  You'll continue your work to determine BBI's financial position and see where changes in business strategy may be needed.

Lesson 7
You'll finish your introduction to the basic financial statements as you review the Statement of Cash Flows. You'll see how financial personnel use this statement as you continue your tour of BBI. As you work through the Statement of Cash Flows, you'll start to put all of the information together to improve your understanding of BBI's financial position.

Lesson 8
In this lesson, you'll listen in at a roundtable meeting of executives at BBI as they discuss the company's financial statements. The meeting offers a great opportunity for you to get an insider's look into how executives develop another component of a company's financial filings—the Management's Discussion & Analysis (MD&A). As you learn to interpret this filing, you'll gain valuable insights into how you can understand the "story behind the numbers" for any company.

Lesson 9
Now you're going to put all of the financial knowledge you've gained during this course to work as you consider some strategies for improving BBI's financial condition. You'll explore how executives bring their financial knowledge in line with business needs to make solid business decisions that will have a positive impact on the company financials.

Lesson 10
In this lesson, you'll tackle a key issue in business: cost cutting. Expenses are such a huge part of business. Here, you'll see how to use your new knowledge of financial reporting and your business acumen skills to develop strategies that have a positive impact on a company's bottom line.

Lesson 11
Continuing your exploration of financial strategy, you'll use the decision-making process to examine the inventory situation at BBI and develop strategies to increase supply and production efficiencies. You'll also see how to develop strategies to improve the BBI cash position so that more things can be done to increase the bottom line.

Lesson 12
Now that you've gone through various strategies to increase sales, decrease expenses, and better manage company assets, it's time to see how to complete an overall strategic analysis of an organization. You'll increase your ability to think "big picture" and see how to take advantage of opportunities in your workplace and personal life. This lesson focuses on using an analytical process called SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) to develop strategies to move your business and your personal financial life in a positive direction. You'll also explore a process for successfully implementing the strategies you develop.