Finance for Better Business
Driving Performance Towards Success
Improving your financial competence is crucial in advancing your career and achieving business success. In the dynamic and ever-evolving business world, the ability to interpret and utilize financial and non-financial information for strategic and operational decision-making is more important than ever.
Join us for an intensive three-day Finance for Better Business program that delves into the core principles and applications of finance and accounting. It is designed to equip you with a robust understanding of scrutinizing financial statements, interpreting key financial metrics, and making astute business and investment choices based on this understanding. This program will cover contexts from both production and service organizations.
The program covers various finance and accounting topics, including financial literacy, business case analysis, and performance management. We also cover planning and managing investments, risk mitigation, and value creation, providing practical tools and techniques to apply in your work roles.
Start
Fee:
Career Advancement: Elevate your professional success with our focused three-day program, mastering essential finance and accounting knowledge and skills for more intelligent decision-making, especially for non-business graduates.
Real-World Tools: Gain hands-on skills to analyze financial data and apply these insights to drive strategic business growth, ready for immediate implementation in your role.
Strategic Decision-Making: Enhance your ability to make informed, risk-aware decisions that lead your organization to success and safeguard against poor investment choices or outcomes.
Benefits
This program empowers organizations to secure a competitive edge by enhancing financial decision-making capabilities, reducing financial risks, and developing performance management competencies.
For
This program is specifically designed for professionals in the production and service industries, who have or are expected to assume financial responsibilities. It's ideal for those seeking to develop and strengthen their ability to make sound business and investment decisions. Engaging in this program will help professionals build their financial expertise in a way that supports their career progression, providing them with essential skills needed in an increasingly complex business world.
In today's dynamic and swiftly changing business landscape, a profound grasp of financial management and investment analysis is more than a skill—it's necessary for professionals aiming to thrive competitively. The target audience for this program often confronts critical challenges in managing cash flow, budgeting, and making pivotal investment decisions. These areas are not just routine aspects of their roles but are key determinants of their businesses' long-term financial health and sustainability. Our program addresses these challenges head-on, equipping professionals with the knowledge and tools to navigate these complexities confidently and strategically.
Contents and Schedule
The three-day program encompasses three key modules:
- Strategic Use of Financial Information, focusing on financial statement analysis and business understanding
- Business Case / Investment Analysis, which delves into the time value of money and capital budgeting
- Performance Management, where the focus is on aligning business strategy with financial and non-financial performance metrics.
Each module will equip participants with essential skills for effective financial decision-making and business strategy implementation.
This program incorporates concise pre- and post-class readings and practical assignments alongside the three intensive training days of engaging discussions, hands-on exercises, and reflective sessions. These additional elements reinforce the learning experience, making the covered topics more tangible and directly relevant from the learners' perspective. This blended approach ensures a deeper understanding and application of the concepts discussed, bridging theory with real-world practice.
Schedule
Strategic Use of Financial Information
Schedule
November 3, 2025
Location
Aalto University, Espoo, Finland
On the first day of our program, we delve into analyzing a company's financial performance through the lens of financial statements. This comprehensive analysis begins with an in-depth understanding of the business's nature, followed by a thorough examination of financial statements and the reporting cycle. Participants will learn how to extract and interpret vital information from these financial statements, which is crucial for informed decision-making.
- Exploring the Nature of Business: Focusing on Stakeholder Satisfaction
- Comprehensive Overview of Financial Statements
- Techniques for Effective Financial Statement Analysis
- Deciphering Profitability through Costing Perspectives
Instructor:
David Derichs, Aalto University School of Business
Business Case and Investment Analysis
Schedule
November 10, 2025
Location
Aalto University, Espoo, Finland
On the second day, our focus shifts to the foundational concepts of business case analysis, emphasizing the critical aspect of the time value of money. Participants will delve into the logic of business case analysis through the lens of capital budgeting. This includes a deep dive into various capital budgeting concepts essential for making informed financial decisions.
- Understanding the Time Value of Money: A Foundational Concept in Business Case Analysis
- Exploring the Logic of Business Case Analysis via Capital Budgeting
- Comprehensive Insight into Capital Budgeting Concepts
- Addressing Risk and Uncertainty in Capital Budgeting: Concepts and Practical Tools
Instructor:
David Derichs, Aalto University School of Business
Performance Management
Schedule
November 17, 2025
Location
Aalto University, Espoo, Finland
On the third day, our program pivots to the crucial topic of performance management. This segment begins with an introduction to performance management, setting the stage for a deeper exploration into how this discipline intersects with business strategy and operations.
- Introducing Performance Management: Foundations and Importance
- Strategy Implementation: Aligning Goals and Performance
- Financial Performance Management: Metrics, Analysis and Alignment
- Non-Financial Performance Management: Beyond the Financial Figures
Instructor:
David Derichs, Aalto University School of Business
Instructor
David Derichs
Dr. Derichs is Senior University Lecturer at Aalto University School of Business, Department of Accounting.
He is currently engaged in one early-stage startups as senior advisor and draws on more than eight years of international strategy consulting experience at RB (formerly Roland Berger Strategy Consultants).
In his current position as Senior University Lecturer, Dr. Derichs’ research focuses on Performance Measurement and Management, Digitalization of the Finance Function, Cost Accounting, Financial Planning, Lifewide Learning, and Healthcare Productivity related topics. He teaches Financial Management, Performance Management, Cost Accounting, Financial Planning, Information Systems, and Financial Accounting related topics at all levels of the university education cycle (BSc, MSc, MBA, PhD, Lifewide Learning). Recently, he established an international reputation for educational innovation (esp. VR cases) and received three prices for educational development – most notably the Entrepreneurship Facilitator of the year awarded by Kauppalehti and Liikemies Foundation.
As a management/strategy consultant at RB, Dr. Derichs worked on investor support, restructuring and strategic reorientation related engagements across Europe and Asia in a large variety of contexts, including Engineered Products, Healthcare, Platform Businesses, Consumer Goods, Media, and Banking.
David Derichs holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Aalto University and an MSc in Accounting and Finance from the London School of Economics (LSE).
Program Fee and Registration
Program Fee
The fee for the Finance for Better Business program is € 2,900 (+ VAT).