Introduction:

Finance and accounting are essential for office administrators and secretaries involved in managing records, preparing reports, and supporting executive decisions. These functions help align day to day activities with institutional financial procedures and documentation standards. This training program introduces the structure of accounting systems, financial statements, cost classifications, and budget coordination frameworks. It supports participants in navigating institutional finance using defined tools, concepts, and reporting methods.

Program Objectives:

At the end of this program, participants will be able to:

• Identify the core components of accounting and finance in an organizational context.

• Explore key financial statements to support administrative coordination.

• Analyze financial performance using structured evaluation techniques.

• Differentiate cost categories and assess basic costing structures.

• Identify the role of budgeting in operational and strategic alignment.

Targeted Audience:

• Secretaries.

• Office Administrators.

• Personal Assistants and Executive Assistants.

• Administrative Professionals and Support Staff.

• Production and Marketing Professionals.

Program Outline:

Unit 1:

Introduction to Finance and Accounting:

• Functional role of accounting and finance in organizational operations.

• Sources of long term and short term business financing.

• Structural differences between financial and managerial accounting.

• Components of double entry bookkeeping systems.

• Classification of transactions related to purchases, sales, and payments.

Unit 2:

The Financial Statements:

• Elements and structure of income statements and balance sheets.

• Distinction between capital expenditure and operating expenditure.

• Interpretation of working capital, net worth, and cash flows.

• Role of financial reports in external and internal communication.

• Alignment of stakeholder perspectives with financial statement review.

Unit 3:

Basic Evaluation of Financial Statements:

• Purpose and scope of financial performance evaluation.

• Information needs of various financial and non-financial stakeholders.

• Techniques for common sizing and comparative analysis.

• Ratio analysis frameworks, including liquidity, solvency, and profitability.

• Interpretation of financial indicators in performance monitoring.

Unit 4:

Introduction to Costing Systems:

• Classifications of cost, including direct, indirect, fixed, and variable.

• Structural breakdown of overheads and cost allocation.

• Overview of inventory valuation techniques, including FIFO, LIFO, and AVCO.

• Concepts of breakeven point and margin of safety.

• Role of categorized cost structures in institutional financial planning.

Unit 5:

Budgets:

• Budgeting as a coordination tool between strategy and operations.

• Key characteristics of effective budgeting frameworks.

• Forecasting methods and their use in planning cycles.

• Roles of variance analysis in identifying performance gaps.

• Administrative contribution to budget communication and tracking.