MBA Essentials:
Enhancing Organizational Performance

Fundamental Business Skills

• Interpreting accounting concepts and reports
• Applying financial analysis techniques
• Leveraging customer and market behaviours
• Structuring productive business operations and processes
• Managing people effectively
• Formulating a competitive business strategy

Measuring Business Performance with Accounting

The key components of managerial and cost accounting

• Decoding the various types of accounts
• Deciphering balance sheet accounts: assets, liabilities and net worth

Working with managerial accounting tools

• Analyzing balance sheets to determine business strengths
• Interpreting profit and loss statements
• Assessing cash flow statements

The impact of cost accounting practices

• Actual vs. standard costs
• Employing costing techniques
• Applying the concepts of activity-based costing

Applying Finance Tools and Techniques

Optimizing capital management

• Managing the two key cash drivers: receivables and payables
• Applying working capital effectively

Leveraging analysis tools

• Selecting appropriate tools and measures
• Driving solid management decisions

Financial management

• Budgeting, forecasting and reporting tools
• Balancing equity and debt in all economic cycles

Targeting Markets and Customers

Developing an effective marketing plan

• The roles of marketing
• Distinguishing marketing and merchandising

Differentiating market and buyer behaviour

• Tuning in to customer needs
• Segmenting your market space
• Marketing terminology and techniques

Your marketing toolkit

• Applying the five Ps of marketing
• The "how tos" of effective brand management
• Leveraging the product life cycle

Running the Business

Maximizing an organization's effectiveness

• Factors driving organizational structure
• Improving selection of new employees

Applying critical business practices

• Reducing waste with "lean" and related techniques
• Incorporating the best of Six Sigma

Delivering Results through People

Managing results and expectations

• The actual responsibilities of management
• Balancing managerial roles: interpersonal, informational and decisional

Navigating the levels of management

• Shifting perspectives from level to level
• Changing behaviours

Creating an effective environment

• Fostering emotional intelligence
• Resolving tensions, disruptions and conflict

Developing Winning Business and Product Strategies

Building a sustainable plan

• Best practices of effective planning processes
• Assessing opportunities: matrices and SWOT analysis
• Key forces and factors driving strategies
• Identifying and developing strategic options
• Balancing short-term results against long-term sustainability
• Avoiding the pitfalls of once great organizations

Moving from plan to action

• Product portfolio management
• Formulating a business vision
• Applying eight key steps for managing change