Interactive course deciphers financial strategy

Citation

(1999), "Interactive course deciphers financial strategy", Journal of European Industrial Training, Vol. 23 No. 7. https://doi.org/10.1108/jeit.1999.00323gad.002

Interactive course deciphers financial strategy

Interactive course deciphers financial strategy

Keywords: CD-ROM, Training, Managers

Financial strategy and the role of finance in changing organizations are brought to life in an inter-active CD-ROM training course from PriceWaterhouseCoopers and Xebec McGraw-Hill.

Aimed at senior executives, fast track managers and professional business advisers, Financial Strategy describes how an organization's strategic emphasis, management style and financial priorities change as it moves through four stages: start-up, growth, maturity, and decline.

The course covers the most effective types of finance, people, systems and controls at each stage and demonstrates the necessary tools and techniques for making effective decisions about products, customers and competitors. It highlights the significance of balancing risk with reward and shows how to satisfy the needs of the business as well as the expectations of investors.

Financial Strategy has three parts, each divided into stand-alone modules. Part 1 introduces the relevant financial tools and models, provides an overview of the key concepts and applies them to a real-life case study based on Eurocamp plc, a UK travel company.

Part 2 combines a series of dramatized case studies highlighting various clients of Colt & Winchester, a fictional firm of financial consultants. Using video sequences featuring Simon Callow and Helena Bonham Carter, these show how financial strategies need to change at different stages of organizational development. Part 2 also covers accounting for competitive strategy, the financial issues and implications of product/market development and growth by acquisition.

In Parts 1 and 2, student tutorials are followed by summaries and practice exercises on the main financial challenges.

Part 3 of the course provides an opportunity for students to apply their learning to a real-life case study, by reviewing the financial strategy of Moore Corporation, a Canadian information-handling company which employs 22,000 people in 58 countries.

Students "interview" two of Moore's senior finance executives by choosing the questions they want to ask from a series of pre-recorded options. The questions cover Moore's approach to financial strategy and attitude to issues such as the product life cycle and customer, product and competitor information. Students then complete an analysis of Moore's strengths and weaknesses, and the opportunities and threats it faces.

Financial Strategy provides around seven hours of training on two CD-ROM disks. It comes with a workbook, practice tools, a "survival guide", case study materials and installation details. Students can use either the main menu or an "activity-based" access facility which is designed to help people with different learning styles and knowledge levels to get the best out of the course.

Financial Strategy is priced at £250 for a single user licence; £2,000 for ten single-user licences (ten programs) and £2,500 for a learning centre licence (unlimited use of one program).

It completes a series of multimedia CD-ROM training courses, called Business in Sight. These have been adapted by Xebec McGraw-Hill from the original interactive video versions produced and developed by Price-WaterhouseCoopers, in association with top business school experts. The three other courses in the series- Marketing, Business Stategy and Operations- also provide a mix of academic theory and real-world application. A complementary course, Account Ability, developed by PriceWaterhouse-Coopers and Xebec McGraw-Hill is also available.

For details of the Business in Sight courses, call Xebec McGraw-Hill on 0800 585889. Or contact them at Wellington House, Bath Road, Woodchester, Stroud, Glos GL5 5EY. Internet: http://www.xebec-online.com