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10 Reasons Why Every Manager Should take a Finance Course

Great Leadership By Dan

We just finished a “ Finance and Accounting for the Non-Financial Manager ” program this week for a large client. The audience was mostly engineers – program and project managers, the ones in charge of designing and making complex stuff. You’ll be able to hold your own in management and board meetings.

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When It Pays to Think Like a Finance Manager

Harvard Business Review

If you want approval for a new project — purchasing new equipment or computer systems, applying for a patent, building a new store — chances are you need your company’s finance department on board. To get the green light, it helps to understand how finance people think. Finance & Accounting Tool.

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How to Improve Your Finance Skills (Even If You Hate Numbers)

Harvard Business Review

If you’re not a numbers person, finance is daunting. But having a grasp of terms like EBITDA and net present value are important no matter where you sit on the org chart. Stop avoiding finance because you’re afraid of numbers. Think of it this way, “Finance is the way businesses keep score.

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A Refresher on Payback Method

Harvard Business Review

There are a variety of ways to calculate a return on investment (ROI) — net present value , internal rate of return , breakeven — but the simplest is payback period. A Refresher on Net Present Value. Finance & Accounting Article. Further Reading.

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Why We Need to Update Financial Reporting for the Digital Era

Harvard Business Review

Business students have traditionally considered net present value, payback period, and hurdle rates as necessary tools to determine which project to select. This notion, that risk is a desirable feature, can seem like sacrilege to anyone who’s taken an introductory finance course.

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A Refresher on Internal Rate of Return

Harvard Business Review

There are a variety of methods you can use to calculate ROI — net present value , payback, breakeven — and internal rate of return , or IRR. According to Knight, it’s commonly used by financial analysts in conjunction with net present value, or NPV. A Refresher on Net Present Value.

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The Most Common Mistake People Make In Calculating ROI

Harvard Business Review

Analyzing ROI isn’t always as simple as it sounds and there’s one mistake that many managers make: confusing cash and profit. Sure, you may know this already, but people who haven’t studied finance often find this statement confusing. Finance & Accounting Tool. Financial analysis Project management'

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