– by Noluthando Makhaza
Significant business decisions are often determined by evaluating the overall financial state of the company. Decisions regarding salaries, purchasing/supply chain management, marketing and advertising, sales, as well as the share value/price are the responsibility of management as strategic business judgements need to be made on a daily basis. With the intention to enhance financial literacy and create a better understanding in finance related matters, we recently hosted a group of delegates from SA Shipyards for the Finance for Non-Financial Managers (FNFM) programme. This three-day customised programme was attended by employees from various departments within SA Shipyards, including Human Resources, Legal and the Operations departments.
The programme was facilitated by the knowledgeable Mrs Navitha Sewpersadh who is a qualified Chartered Accountant and also an academic, lecturing Financial Accounting to the PGDA/Honours class, as well as supervising research at UKZN. Over the three days Navitha taught the fundamentals of Finance and focused on the following modules: Financing & Forms of Business; Investment Appraisal Decisions; Cost Accounting; Relationship between strategy and Budget; Objectives of Financial Accounting and Financial Management; as well as Financial Statements and Ratio Analysis. During each module Navitha incorporated a few class exercises, making sure that delegates understood the various concepts so that they may be able to apply it on their return to the workplace. “I was very impressed with this group, especially during class exercises – they showed great interest in the topics and their feedback demonstrated how well they were grasping each topic” – said Navitha.
This FNFM programme was customised and specifically designed in order to meet the needs of the SA Shipyards employees. We trust that the delegates found the programme to be beneficial to their respective roles at work and that, going forward, they will make more improved and informed strategic financial decisions which will take SA Shipyards to new heights.
If you would also like UKZN Extended Learning to customise a programme to cater for your company’s training needs, please contact Mrs. Venouasha Bahadur:
T: +27 31 260 8870
