Many nonfinancial managers share the view that finance is not for them. They see their jobs as managing people or managing projects. But as a manager, that's only a part of the job. Planning and control are essential aspects of a manager's role. And finance is an essential part of both. The manager who avoids the financial dimension of their role is a manager who is standing still.

The reality is that today's managers need finance to perform their job effectively. A manager who shies away from financial concepts has as much development potential as a trainee pilot with a fear of heights. Managers must embrace financial knowledge and learn to utilize financial methods if they are to realize their full potential.

Managers need finance to . . .

• Analyze their company's annual statements
• Prove that a new purchase is justified
• Evaluate proposed investments
• Present and gain approval for a credible budget
• Control a budget to reflect changing business conditions

Above all, managers need a knowledge of finance to "talk the talk" with financial personnel and senior management. Finance is the language of business, and to communicate knowledgeably as a business manager you must use financial concepts and buzzwords with ease and confidence.

PrimeFinance™ For Nonfinancial Managers

This curriculum is not an accounting manual; it cuts through the detail to what managers - not accountants - need to know. It begins by explaining the basic conventions that can make accounts appear so unfathomable. Have you ever wondered why expenditures often take weeks to show up in operating reports? Or why a sale is recorded in June even though the cheque doesn't arrive until August? Here you will find all the answers you need in clear and simple terms.

The bulk of the first module on measuring financial performance is concerned with unlocking the secrets of the financial statements. Understanding how statements are prepared is one matter but how can you use the information in them to your advantage? You will learn to apply key ratios to financial statements to guide future managerial decision-making.

Budgeting is a word that can strike terror into the hearts of managers as they associate it with deadlines, late nights, justifying results, and answering difficult questions from bosses and financial personnel. The key to keeping a budget on track is flexibility. In the second module on planning and controlling budgets, you will learn how to flex a budget to reflect actual performance and how to take corrective action when necessary. Questions such as "Why didn't you meet the sales target?" and "Why are costs so high?" will never again seem so daunting.

Ambitious business managers and more senior project managers will want to influence the future of their company by getting more actively involved in the investment decision-making process. The final module on investment appraisal provides you with the tools necessary to do just that. It will teach you how to propose and evaluate new investment projects by learning all you need to know about capital budgeting processes, short-term project evaluation and long-term project appraisal techniques.

Finally, the curriculum is laced with challenging workplace exercises that enable you to apply all that you have learned about finance to real-life companies and situations.

And because we see PrimeFinance™ as a next step development program for both project managers and business managers, this month’s e-Store offers include not only PrimeFinance™ but also PrimeProject Management™ Fundamentals, PrimeProject Management™ Professional, and PrimeManager™! 

The eLearning System includes a Preassessment (or PrimePath™) feature that allows learners to conduct an initial assessment of their knowledge in a given area, and which then constructs a personalized learning plan based on competencies demonstrated in the assessment. In the eLearning System, the results are reflected in the learner's personalized learning page.

In these special, stand-alone versions of the Preassessment, we offer you the chance to try them out for free. At the end of the test, we have added a simple 'Print' page that shows how you did in each course!

To try out the Preassessments, click on the product name below:

Do you have a date by which all employees have to complete their training? Add this date to the system and have our automated Mentoring prompt your learners to completion.

Do you want to run reports to see who has started or completed their training? We'll set your learners up in groups and allow manager(s) to run these and other reports any time.

Do you need special database extracts to interface with your HR Management systems? We can do this too!

Are your employees distributed over various sites? Training is entirely over the Internet, with no Instructor-Led Training (ILT) requirement. If you would like to introduce an element of blended training (mix of ILT and eLearning), we can advise on how you might do this using the traditional approach, and also through the use of our Virtual Class technology!

eLearning can be an extremely cost-effective way of addressing the training requirements of your company. For a custom quote, and to arrange access to the eLearning System™ to review our training products, please contact us at pricing@primelearning.com