Handbook

The course provides a broad introduction to how accounting contributes to an organisation. You will examine how accounting can help managers measure and analyse their organisation's economic performance, to improve resource allocation, and build accountability for performance through effective governance.

The users of accounting information are typically classified as either external (such as investors or lenders) or internal (such as operational managers). Different users have different information needs. This course deals with the needs of these two main user groups and how senior managers can more effectively use accounting data to connect with them.

The course explores accounting techniques and terminology, to equip you with sufficient conceptual and practical skills to make you confident in your ability to understand and communicate complex financial strategies.

You will also examine the design and operation of accounting systems. As a result, the course integrates ideas and concepts from accounting with a range of other disciplines and reveals how the effective use of financial information provided by such systems can improve organisational decision-making. You will also examine how firms use non-financial information such as environmental, social and governance (ESG) to communicate their performance and strategies.

It is assumed that participants have little prior knowledge of accounting and financial management.