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Making the Right Decisions from Financial Statements

Companies prepare financial statements every year or quarter. If you are one of the stakeholders, what will be your key areas of concerns? Are you able to spot a company on the verge of financial distress? If you have seen a financial statement, do you know the significance of the figures? This course seeks to give participants a conceptual understanding of how these figures are arrived at by looking at the accounting concepts, standards and principles. It also highlights how you can use financial statements to make the right business decisions.

Objective

By the end of the workshop, you will be able to:
1. Understand the basic accounting concepts and principles
2. Read and interpret the key financial statements
3. Identify the limitations/shortcomings of financial statements
4. Understand and apply the key financial ratios
5. Apply the financial concepts correctly to handle different business scenarios

Outline

1. Understand the basic accounting concepts and principles

• Definition of Assets, Liabilities, Capital, Income and Expenses
• Accounting conventions and principles
• Applicable accounting standards

2. Read and interpret the key financial statements

• Balance Sheet
• Profit and Loss Account
• Statement of Cash Flows
• Notes to the Accounts

3. Identify the limitations/shortcomings of financial statements

• Are all the figures accurate and reliable?
• Can you use all the information for your key decisions?

4. Understand and apply the key financial ratios

• Liquidity ratios
• Profitability ratios
• Solvency ratios
• Efficiency ratios

5. Apply the financial concepts correctly to handle different business scenarios

• Case studies

Who should attend

Directors, Leaders, Managers, executives and anyone who need to make business decisions from financial information

Methodology

1. Lecture
2. Case studies
3. Group discussion and group presentation
4. Video clips
5. Reflection

Testimonials

Testimonials (gathered from comments given by participants for finance courses conducted in 2018)

"Trainer was able to explain a dry and complex topic in a simple, easy to understand manner."

"Interactive exchanges between groups"

"Complicated topic which was well summarised into a condensed and easy version for participants"

"Engaging instructor"

"The speaker was engaging and actively inviting participation from the audience"

Profile of Koh Gim Liong

Trainer & Consultant
CA (Singapore), CFA Chartholder
Associate Adult Educator (Institute of Adult Learning)
Member, CFA Society Singapore


Koh Gim Liong has worked in the civil service and private sector for more than 10 years before his career switch to training. His experience is diversified and covers training, financial advisory, project management, ERP implementation, business process re-engineering, auditing, financial and operations management.

He began his career as an auditor in an international accounting firm before joining the public sector as an accountant in the Accountant-General’s Department, Ministry of Finance. Subsequently, he was posted to the Singapore Police Force and put in charge of the finance operations and implementation of key financial initiatives. At the Ministry of Education, he was managing the budget and evaluating budget proposals. Gim Liong also worked in a listed financial institution where he led the team responsible for accounting (covering operations, acquisitions and investment products).

In the area of training, Gim Liong has facilitated more than 1,000 workshops with learners from more than 10 countries Over the past 18 years, he has been sharing his knowledge and experience in areas like financial advisory, accounting, investing, budgeting, procurement, outsourcing as well as the governance and policy-related framework in the Singapore public sector. He has extensive experience in managing learners with diverse cultures and backgrounds, given his interactions with participants from countries in ASEAN, Middle East, India, Pakistan, Russia, China, Bhutan, etc. Outside Singapore, he has conducted programmes in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam, Nauru, Palestine, Jordan and Qatar. On professional courses, he has taught CFA Level 1 Preparatory Programme and Financial Accounting (both English and Mandarin) and Management Accounting. With deep experience in the curation and development of blended courses (e-Learning with classroom/virtual training), he has contributed to the development of several new milestone programmes for public officers and also partnered with an established training service provider on the successful rollout of a Singapore Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) programme on budgeting.

Gim Liong graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Accountancy (Hons) (Nanyang Technological University). He is a Chartered Accountant of Singapore and Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) holder. His passion for learning has also led to him obtaining certificates in insurance and investments (awarded by the Singapore College of Insurance), Advanced Certificate in Training and Assessment (Facilitated Learning) (ACTA), Enneagram and Neuro Linguistic Programming. In recognition of his significant experience and contribution in training delivery, Gim Liong has received the Associate Excellence Award from Civil Service College in 2018 and 2022 and is currently an Associate Adult Educator (Institute of Adult Learning).