FutureLearn

Finance Data Analysis: Better Business Through Financial Management Course - Coventry University

Unlock the financial and organisational potential of a business with balanced scorecards and other strategic analysis tools.

Discover how data and financial information can be used to boost business

One of the primary challenges for any business is to make investment decisions that provide yield rates in excess of the cost of financing those investments. How can financial data be used to help a company and its employees to make sound decisions that will supercharge the business?

This ExpertTrack will show you how firms can create value through expert investment decisions and financial strategies.

You’ll have the chance to explore tools for assessing financial performance and the economic condition of an organisation, using the financial reports of real-world organisations. You’ll also be introduced to the key concepts of managerial accounting and explore how to identify relevant costs for short and long-term decision making.

Decypher financial reports from around your organisation

A strong understanding of your financial status is essential to running an effective and profitable organisation. You’ll have the chance to learn how to review statements of income, financial position, and further analysis. You can also get to grips with ratio analysis, liquidity ratios, and break-even analysis to be able to manipulate the core numbers from your reports.

Make sound capital investments in your organisation

Recognising good investment opportunities – and avoiding the bad ones – is a crucial business skill.

You’ll learn how to review capital investment details, calculate the different rates of return, and make informed decisions on the right investments to make.

FAQs:

Will this ExpertTrack cover what ROI (return on investment) is used for?

Yes. Return on investment (ROI) is a widely used financial metric that measures the likelihood of gaining profit on an investment. You’ll learn about this metric in relation to evaluating the return potential of a standalone or several investments.

Will I learn how to read a balance sheet?

Yes. You’ll build your understanding of what’s on a balance sheet, how it relates to business interests, and how to use the data within it for business decision making.

Key skills you will learn

• Industry analysis
• Liquidity and efficiency ratios
• Break-even analysis
• Investment decision making
• Working with financial statements, income statements, and cash flow statements
• Analysing company performance
• Investor ratios
• Capital investment
• ROI
• Financial data analysis
• Finance management
• Cost-profit analysis

ExpertTrack course overview

• Financial Statements Unlocked: How to Understand Corporate Finance and Financial Management
  Learn how to make better, more informed business decisions with an in-depth understanding of financial accounting information.
• How to Master Financial Statements: Financial Ratio Analysis and Interpretation
  Learn how to assess the health of a business with financial ratios, exploring profitability ratios, and fixed asset turnover.
• Break-Even Analysis Unlocked: How to Understand the Profit and Loss Statement
  Find out how to predict business profitability, the break-even point and the margin of safety with powerful financial tools.
• How to Make Better Capital Investment Decisions and Recognise Investment Opportunities
  Master the techniques of investment appraisals and long-term financial decision-making – from present value to compound interest.
• Divisional Performance Measurement: How to Achieve Operational Excellence
  Learn how to enhance the performance of divisional structures with the right operational and financial performance measures.

How ExpertTracks work

Join an ExpertTrack to master new skills in your chosen specialist area. Work through a series of topic-focused courses at your own pace, and pass the final assessment to earn a digital certificate award that proves your expertise.

World-class learning with

Coventry University

Coventry secured gold in the UK Government’s 2017 Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) and is the University of the Year for Student Experience in The Times & The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2019.

Start learning today - free 7-day trial

After your free trial you can:

• Pay $39 per month to keep learning online
• Have complete control over your subscription; you can cancel any time
• Work at your own pace and set your own deadlines at every stage
• Only pay while you’re learning; the subscription will cancel automatically when you finish
• Complete online assessments to test your knowledge and prove your skills
• Earn digital course certificates and a final award that you can share online, with potential employers, and your professional network
• Keep access to the content of courses you complete even after your subscription ends