Understanding Company Accounts - Beginners

Examine the accounting procedures. 
Study the notes. 
Talk to people in the same business. 

Room B307B, City University London, Northampton Square, EC1V 0HB
16 March 2013 - 17 March 2013

With Raj Bairoliya, UK's leading forensic accountant

Cost for each two-day course:
Full price: £300
NUJ member: £225
Book for both beginners and advanced courses for a £100 discount of the total fees (full: £500, NUJ: £350).

Please note: These courses are built on the principles of managment schools and requires a minimum number of delegates for it to work as attendees are split into groups to analyse case studies.  The courses are for practising journalists or NGO researchers only. Acceptance on the course is at the trainers discretion, if you have any doubts as to your eligibility please contact us.

Course Outline

This two-day intensive course will show you how to understand company accounts and get beyond the corporate PR spin. The emphasis will be on teaching practical skills rather than a series of lectures. The objective of this course is to ensure that all participants feel comfortable with a set of accounts and know where and how to look for relevant information.

The only pre-requisites for this course are numeracy and an interest in financial matters as the theory will be taught on the first day and applied to real life examples on the second day.

 

Venue details
Room B307B (Level 3B - 3rd floor), City University London,
Northampton Square, London, EC1V 0HB.
Please use the main Northampton Square entrance.
 
Day One
The first day will cover the theory and explain how to understand the profit and loss, balance sheet and cash flow statements plus those all important accounting policies such as revenue recognition – the key to unpicking many suspect accounts – and which notes to the accounts to focus on and why.
 

09.30-10.30 Motivation to massage earnings.
10.30-11.15 Profit and loss account

Coffee break: 10-15 mins

11.30-12.30 Balance sheet
12.30-13.30 Funds flow statement

Lunch: 1 hour

14.30-15.30 Notes

Coffee break 10-15 mins

15.45-17.00 Putting it all together, Interactive session building up a sample set of accounts or case study questions
17.00-17.30 Questions

Day Two
A simulated profit and loss account will be used to show the interaction between this and the balance sheet. The second day will give the opportunity to apply the knowledge from the first day to three - four case studies, where participants will work in small teams and identify pertinent issues. There will be plenty of opportunity for questions and discussion. The case studies will be sent out to participants shortly before the course.
9.30-10.00 Coffee
 
10.00-11.15 Case Study 1
 
Coffee break 10-15 mins
 
11.30-13.00 Case Study 2
 
Lunch: 1 hour 
 
14.00-15.15 Case Study 3
 
Coffee break 10-15 mins
 
15.30-17.00 Case Study 4