Strategic Financial Management 

Unit Reference Number

L/616/2727

Unit Title

Strategic Financial Management

Unit Level

7

Number of Credits

20

Total Qualification Time (TQT)

200 Hours

Guided Learning Hours (GLH)

100 Hours

Mandatory / Optional

Optional

Sector Subject Area (SSA)

15.3 Business Management

Unit Grading Structure

Pass / Fail

Learning Outcomes – the learner will:

Assessment Criteria – the learner can:

Indicative content

1. Be able to apply the tools and techniques of cost accounting.

1.1 Critically analyse the concepts, features and importance of cost accounting in an organisation.

1.2 Apply tools of costing design and costing systems to an organisation.

1.3 Recommend improvements to the costing and pricing systems of an organisation.

• Introduction to financial and managerial accounting its purposes and financial strategy formulation.
• Cost systems: Cost classifications in terms of object; function, product/service and behaviour; opportunity cost, recording and analysing costs; job costing; batch costing; process costing; contract costing; standard costing; variance calculations; variance analysis and management by exception.
• Costing methods: absorption, marginal costing, activity-based costing (ABC); use in calculating costs and pricing policy and their relationship to cost controls and pricing.
• Cost control of systems: cost centre; profit centres; investment centres; accountable management; planning and control methods.
• Financial statements: estimates and assumptions relating to the profit and loss account; balance sheet and cash flow statement.
• Financial ratios analysis, interpretation, decisions and limitations: employment of financial ratios internally and externally; financial profiles of organisations; calculation of key ratios reflecting business liquidity; efficiency and profitability.
• Budgets: types; flexible and fixed budgets; zero- based budgeting, budgeting process from subsidiary/functional to master budget; relationship of budget to cost and quality control, resource utilisation and profitability.
• Budgets monitoring and evaluations: budgeted and actual figures, accounting for and investigating different kind of variances in budgetary controls; corrective action; human behavioural issues relating to budgeting.
• Sources of financial resources; types of funds: short term and long terms, sourcing funds internally and externally; venture capitalists, leverages; risk, cost and control issues with types of funding; techniques of selecting appropriate sources of funds for different projects – comparison of costs, risk and controls.
• Managing working capitals and appraisal of investment options: capital and revenue expenditure, risk, cost and controls; cash flow statements; time value of money; different methods of project appraisal like accounting rate of return; payback period and cash flows; discounted cash flow – net present value and internal rate of return; and allowance for inflation in money and real rates of discount, taxation and project appraisal.
• Impacts of information and communication technology; global financial management; using excel sheets in financial analysis, MIS and financial resource plaining and control.

2. Be able to critically analyse the financial performance of businesses.

2.1 Analyse financial statements to assess the financial position of an organisation.

2.2 Recommend organisational decisions based on evaluation of financial statements using financial ratios.

2.3 Propose managerial recommendations on the strategic portfolio of an organisation based on financial analysis.

3. Be able to evaluate the budgetary processes of organisations.

3.1 Evaluate budgetary targets for an organisation.

3.2 Develop a master budget for an organisation.

3.3 Critically evaluate budget and budgetary processes in an organisation.

4. Be able to recommend effective long term and short- term sources of funding.

4.1 Assess the need for short-term working capital and long- term funds for an organisation.

4.2 Appraise appropriate sources of short term and funds for an organisation.

4.3 Justify choices of sources of funds using a range of criteria related to cost and risk.

5.  Be able to critically appraise investment options.

5.1 Apply financial appraisal methods to analyse competing investment projects in different kinds of organisations.

5.2 Justify strategic investment decision for an organisation using relevant financial information.

5.3 Critically analyse strategic investment decisions using information.