Thinking Strategically for Accountants

Thinking Strategically for Accountants has been designed for accounting and finance professionals who want to develop their strategic thinking skills. The course enables learners to deal with uncertainty, question the status quo and use a combination of creative and analytical skills. With activities and scenarios based in the finance world, this course will show learners why strategy is important to finance professionals, and offer tips to help them to think strategically within the organisation.

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Target audience
Accounting and finance professionals in practice and in industry

Learning outcomes

Strategy and you

What is strategy?
Why is strategy important?
How is strategy different from planning?
What is strategic thinking?
Who needs to think strategically?
How will thinking strategically improve my performance?
When should I think strategically?
Can thinking strategically be a bad thing?

Thinking differently

How is thinking strategically different to what I do the rest of the
time?
What skills do I need to be able to think strategically?
What is creative thinking?
How do I research and analyse information?
How do I make decisions?
How do I communicate strategy?
How do I handle uncertainty and change?
Where can I find inspiration?

Theory and process

What is the right way to do strategy?
What strategic theory should I be aware of?
What processes do organisations typically go through to develop
strategy?
What processes do organisations typically go through to
implement strategy?
How do I keep up with new developments?

Tools and techniques

Why should I use strategic tools?
How do I create a SWOT analysis?
What internal factors should I consider?
What external factors should I consider?
How do I plan for the future?
How can I measure success?
What other tools might I need to know about?

Making it happen

How does theory work in practice?
How do I fit into the strategic process?
How can I contribute to my organisation’s strategy?
What makes a good strategy work?
How do I monitor and evaluate what I’ve been doing?
What other factors do I need to take into account?
What do I do if I don’t agree with the strategy?
When should strategy change?