Unleash your potential

Accounting and Finance for Non-Financial Managers

Master the tools for making smart financial decisions

Overview

Through this highly successful program, managers with little or no financial training or experience can learn to use the language, tools, and techniques of accounting and finance. Complex principles are presented in practical, understandable terms and in a friendly, supportive environment. You will return to your organization with the confidence to analyze financial information and participate fully in making business decisions. This program offers an excellent foundation in accounting and finance for non finance managers.

Key Benefits and Takeaways

  • Read and analyze financial reports to assess customer, competitor, supplier, and company performance
  • Use break-even analysis to make better investment decisions
  • Maximize shareholder value
  • Understand and evaluate financing strategies
  • Apply the principles of activity-based costing, target costing and open-book management
  • Prepare and present business cases
  • Use critical numbers and the scorecard to create a high performance organization

This program is designed for managers at all levels, including those in technical and non-financial areas, who are seeking to make better business decisions by understanding financial information. This diversity is one of the program’s strengths – it builds on the experiences of participants from all types of companies, not-for-profit organizations, and government services, making it one of the most practical accounting and finance courses in Canada.

The registration fee includes facilitation by our highly rated faculty members, course materials, results-oriented exercises, meal service (continental breakfast, lunch, and breaks) *, and a certificate of completion from the McGill Executive Institute. To successfully complete the course and receive your certificate of completion, you will need to attend all sessions and complete the pre-work for each session.

*Meal service is included for in-person programs only.

Topics covered in the Accounting and Finance for Non-Financial Managers course

  • Define accounting and finance terms
  • Follow the complete accounting cycle, from recording transactions to reporting results
  • Interpret balance sheets, income statements, and cash flow statements
  • Read annual reports
  • Learn generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP)
  • Identify key limitations of financial reporting
  • Understand the rationale and pitfalls of cost allocations and cost-plus pricing
  • Use activity-based costing, activity-based management, and target-costing
  • Apply the cost-volume-profit model to business decisions
  • Identify and manage structural cost drivers and life-cycle costs
  • Evaluate the contracting-out option
  • Define and use performance metrics and the balanced scorecard
  • Apply the principles of open book management
  • Understand budget preparation and interpret results of financial reporting
  • Calculate and understand financial ratios
  • Learn about financial and operating leverage
  • Appreciate the role of the auditor
  • Employ strategic evaluation tools
  • Determine limitations of financial analysis
  • Connect financial information to other strategic measures
  • Financial and strategic evaluation
  • Recommendations and presentation

Course Leaders

headshot of Philippe Levy

Philippe Levy

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Philippe Levy

Philippe Levy, CA, teaches a variety of accounting and finance courses at McGill and is the recipient of several Distinguished Teaching Awards by the Desautels Faculty of Management and the Order of Chartered Professional Accountants in Quebec. His professional experience is well-rounded, as he is a former Vice President of a public company, a practicing Chartered Accountant and a business advisor. He provides consulting services relating to mergers and acquisitions, as well as business planning; he is also called upon to provide expert testimony in criminal and civil lawsuits. Mr. Levy provides custom business and executive programs in Canada, Europe and Asia, with clients ranging from small to large corporations and governmental agencies.

headshot of Julia Scott

Julia Scott

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Julia Scott

Julia Scott (FCPA, FCA, CFA, MBA) is a faculty member in Accounting and previously served as Director of the CA and CPA graduate programs at the Desautels Faculty of Management. She is a Chartered Financial Analyst and an active member of the CFA Institute. An industry leader in financial accounting and business analysis, Julia’s goal in the executive education programs is to make accounting concepts accessible to all levels of management. Prior to joining McGill, Julia worked for the TD Bank in Toronto and earned her Chartered Accountant designation from Ernst & Young (Clarkson Gordon).

 

Online Information Session: Strategy and Decision Making Portfolio

 March 5, 2025 ⁠–⁠ 12:00 pm ET

The Strategy and Decision Making portfolio is essential for company and executive growth. Join our learned advisors as they explore our Strategy and Decision Making portfolio of courses including "Accounting and Finance for Non-Financial Managers".