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Description

Corporate Finance: Reading Financial Statements, Analysing Profitability and Appraising Projects

Build a financial analysis toolkit you can apply to a live file as soon as you return to the office

  • 2 days — 14 h
  • In-person or virtual
  • Intermediate
  • Up to 6 participants

Financial decisions are often taken with indicators carried over out of habit. Profitability is confused with margin, and working capital requirements are only measured once cash becomes tight. Investment files are compared without a consistent method.

Over two days, this programme reviews the main financial analysis tools and the conditions under which each one is valid. Participants revisit the reading of financial statements, then move on to profitability analysis and the operating cycle. The programme closes with the appraisal of an investment project and the notion of cost of capital.

Learning objectives

  • Restate financial statements so that they can be properly analysed
  • Analyse how results are formed and the different levels of profitability
  • Measure working capital requirements and their effect on cash
  • Appraise an investment project using discounted cash flows
  • Identify the components of the cost of capital and how they inform a decision

What makes this programme different

Every tool is applied immediately to the accounts of a real company provided at the start of the session
An investment project is appraised end to end and then stress-tested for sensitivity
The limitations of each indicator are made explicit to avoid unsupported conclusions

Programme

1Reading and Restating Financial Statements

Making accounts comparable before commenting on them

  • Moving from the statutory statement of financial position to an analytical one
  • Restating leases and off-balance-sheet commitments under IFRS
  • Intermediate performance indicators and cash generated from operations
  • Limitations of comparisons across different business sectors

2Profitability and Financial Structure

Separating what comes from operations and what comes from financing

  • Return on capital employed and return on equity
  • Financial leverage and the conditions under which it turns against you
  • Analysis of the debt structure and the related ratios
  • Reading profitability and risk together

3Operating Cycle and Cash

Where profit and cash part company

  • Calculating working capital requirements and their components
  • Analysis of receivable days
  • payable days and inventory turnover
  • Statement of cash flows and reading operating cash flows
  • Spotting situations where growth consumes cash

4Appraising an Investment

Comparing projects on a common basis

  • Building the forecast cash flows of a project
  • Net present value
  • internal rate of return and payback period
  • Components of the cost of capital and the debt-equity trade-off
  • Sensitivity analysis on the key assumptions

Who is it for

Finance managers · management controllers · experienced accountants and managers involved in investment decisions.

Prerequisites

Familiarity with the structure of the statement of financial position and the income statement.

Dates & locations

36 scheduled dates between November 2026 and December 2027. Seats are confirmed in the order enquiries are received.

November 2026

December 2026

January 2027

February 2027

March 2027

April 2027

May 2027

June 2027

September 2027

October 2027

November 2027

December 2027

None of these dates suit you? We open additional sessions on request, and any programme can be run privately for your team.

Practical details

Before the programme
Online positioning questionnaire. Your development objectives are shared with the trainer, who tailors the practical case studies to your context.
Teaching methods
Theoretical input, workshops and practical case studies. Digital course materials and method sheets provided.
Assessment
Multiple-choice tests and role-play exercises. Assessment of learning at the start and end of the programme, with immediate and 60-day follow-up evaluations.
After the programme
One year of access to the e-learning platform. Self-assessment of the skills acquired and a 30-day follow-up session with your trainer.
How to register
Registration online or on the basis of a quotation.
Lead time
11 working days after confirmation of registration.
Accessibility
Accessible to people of determination. Contact our accessibility coordinator to design a suitable solution: contact@mpf-academy.ae
Start dates
Rolling intake: in addition to the scheduled sessions, this programme can start on request.