Introduction

This 2-day practical Finance course will equip participants with the relevant skill sets to make the correct financial decisions that would enhance and not destroy Shareholder Value. The course will provide commercial insights into the critical twin objectives of Cash Flow and Market Value that drives the valuation of any business.

The course will be designed in two parts. The first part looks at the starting point of the decision making process, that is, the companys performance to-date based on Financial Statement Analysis. This part of the course will use published audited financial statements and performs through case study analysis, a comprehensive review of the Companys performance based on key financial ratios. Two questions addressing fundamental and timing issues will be discussed, namely: Should we invest in a Capital Project? and When should we invest in the Project?

The second part of the Course will take the conclusions reached from the analysis of the companys financials and apply them to three business finance decisions, namely the Investment downstream decision, the Financing upstream decision and the Working Capital decision. We will look at these three decisions in the context of the Companys projected cash flows and market values. This part of the Course concludes by giving participants with clear understanding that in business, Shareholder Value can be created on both the Investment and Financing sides of the Balance Sheet.

In this course, participants will be able to apply these newly acquired skill sets to case studies that will follow as the conclusion of every topic.

Benefits to You

·         Differentiate key concepts of Profitability/Accounting Profits & historical Book Value with Liquidity/Future Cash Flows & Market Value;

·         Understand the relevance of Accounting Profit and Returns to the ultimate Goal of a Company; and

·         Understand the significance of Company Performance and Shareholder Value.

Programme Outline

·         Assessing Company Performance with Financial Statement Analysis

·         Financial Planning as the Strategic Bridge connecting Company Performance to Shareholder Value

·         The Investment Decision – Identifying opportunities and understanding the risks

·         The Financing Decision – Debt vs. Equity vs. Hybrids

·         The Working Capital Decision - How to optimize a firm’s short-term assets & liabilities.

Who Must Attend

Executives, managers and analysts across the corporate finance & investment management who are interested to gain a practical understanding of the elements that impact corporate financial performance and increase shareholder value.

Programme Leader

This programme will be conducted by:

Mervyn Lim has more than 20 years experience holding various finance and senior management positions in companies listed on the SGX-ST. Mr. Lim has served as Chief Financial Officer in public listed companies such as MPH Limited and FJ Benjamin Holdings Ltd. He has extensive experience in treasury management, tax planning and managing all financial aspects of a publicly listed group. He is currently the Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer for an industrial minerals Group, with operating mines in Far North Queensland, Australia.

Mr. Lim holds a Bachelor of Accountancy from the National University of Singapore and a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Brunel in the United Kingdom. He is a certified public accountant and is a Fellow of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Singapore. He is also a member of the Singapore Institute of Management and has been an Associate Lecturer with SIM for 23 years. He currently lectures part time in several of the SIM’s International Programs.

In August 2010, Mr. Lim was awarded The Long Service Medal, PBS by His Excellency, The President of the Republic of Singapore in recognition of his contributions to the Nation.