8 Internal Controls courses in Belfast

Fraud should not happen, but it does. It can happen at the highest to lowest levels in an organisation. Recent surveys show that incidents of fraud are not decreasing. Fraud costs companies money and, perhaps even more importantly, reputational damage. The losers are not just the shareholders, suppliers, customers, etc, but society as a whole. This programme shows why frauds happen, how organisations put themselves at risk and what they can do to prevent it. This programme will help directors and others understand: The motives for committing fraud Directors' responsibilities for identifying and reporting fraud What types of frauds there are How frauds are perpetrated How they can be prevented How regulators deal with fraud Above all, the principal objective of this programme is to help make your organisation as secure as possible from the threat of fraud. 1 Motives for committing fraud - drivers of fraud Session objective: to understand why people might commit fraud Drivers of fraudulent behaviourAmbitionGreedTheftConceit? And more! 2 Accounting mechanisms that allow fraud Session objective: to review the elements of the accounting, internal control and management processes that allow creative accounting Income or liability? Asset or expense? Coding errors and misclassification Netting off and grossing up Off-balance sheet items 3 Structures that allow fraud Session objective: to consider company and trading structures that allow frauds to be perpetrated Group structures Trading structures Tax havens Importing and exporting 4 Interpretations and other non-compliance that allow fraud Session objective: to look at how creative interpretations of law and accounting practice may permit fraud The place of accounting standards Accounting policies Trading methods The place of auditing standards 5 Money laundering Session objective: to review what constitutes money laundering Types of money laundering Identifying laundering Preventing laundering 6 Preventing fraud - proper management structures Session objective: to review the place of proper corporate governance Corporate governance Company management structure Audit committees The place of internal audit 7 Preventing fraud - proper accounting Session objective: to review best accounting and auditing practice Accounting standards Internal accounting policies Adequacy of internal controls Internal audit 8 Preventing fraud - regulation Session objective: to look at how regulators aim to prevent fraud The regulatory environment Financial services regulation 9 Conclusion Course review Open forum Close 10 Course summary - developing your own cost action plan Group and individual action plans will be prepared with a view to participants identifying their cost risks areas and the techniques which can be immediately applied to improve costing and reduce costs

No-one in business will succeed if they are not financially literate - and no business will succeed without financially-literate people. This is the ideal programme for managers and others who don't have a financial qualification or background but who nonetheless need a greater understanding of the financial management disciplines essential to your organisation. This course will give the participants a sound understanding of financial reports, measures and techniques to make them even more effective in their roles. It will enable participants to: Overcome the barrier of the accountants' strange language Deal confidently with financial colleagues Improve their understanding of your organisation's finance function Radically improve their planning and budgeting skills Be much more aware of the impact of their decisions on the profitability of your organisation Enhance their role in the organisation Boost their confidence and career development 1 Review of the principal financial statements What each statement containsOutlineDetail Not just what the statements contain but what they mean Balance sheets and P&L accounts (income statements) Cash flow statements Detailed terminology and interpretation Types of fixed asset - tangible, etc. Working capital, equity, gearing 2 The 'rules' - Accounting Standards, concepts and conventions Fundamental or 'bedrock' accounting concepts Detailed accounting concepts and conventions What depreciation means The importance of stock, inventory and work in progress values Accounting policies that most affect reporting and results The importance of accounting standards and IFRS 3 Where the figures come from Accounting records Assets / liabilities, Income / expenditure General / nominal ledgers Need for internal controls 'Sarbox' and related issues 4 Managing the budget process Have clear objectives, remit, responsibilities and time schedule The business plan Links with corporate strategy The budget cycle Links with company culture Budgeting methods'New' budgetingZero-based budgets Reviewing budgets Responding to the figures The need for appropriate accounting and reporting systems 5 What are costs? How to account for them Cost definitions Full / absorption costing Overheads - overhead allocation or absorption Activity based costing Marginal costing / break-even - use in planning 6 Who does what? A review of what different types of accountant do Financial accounting Management accounting Treasury function Activities and terms 7 How the statements can be interpreted What published accounts contain Analytical review (ratio analysis) Return on capital employed, margins and profitability Making assets work - asset turnover Fixed assets, debtor, stock turnover Responding to figures EBIT, EBITEDIA, eps and other analysts' measure 8 Other key issues Creative accounting Accounting for groups Intangible assets - brand names Company valuations Fixed assets / leased assets / off-balance sheet finance

What do engineers and project managers need to know of finance? 'Nothing - leave it to the accountants!' No, no, no! Engineers must be conversant with the terminology and statements that accountants use. Technical expertise in projects, service delivery, production or other areas can only really be harnessed if the managers understand the accounting and reporting that drives businesses. This course gives the necessary understanding to project, production and technical managers. It develops their skills in understanding financial and management accounting. Accountants may not always like it but a major part of their work is to be the 'servants of business' and to gather, compile and present your figures. So you must understand the figures - they belong to you, your processes or projects. There are many reasons for maintaining accurate accounts. This course focuses on the strategic issues (those over-used words) - what figures reveal about the drivers of business and what they reveal about the day-to-day issues that accountants bother you with. The course will enhance your understanding of finance and of the accounting issues which affect your projects, production and technical areas of business. This course will help you: Understand the business world in figures - make sense of what the accountants are telling you Appreciate what drives business - and how this affects your role in your part of the business Relate your activities to the success of the business - through figures Gain the skills to advance in management - financial awareness is a 'must have' if you are to progress in your career 1 What do accountants do? The finance function, types of accountant, financial v management accounting and the treasury function Understanding the role of the finance function and how the information you provide may be used 2 The basic financial statements Balance sheets and income statements (P&L accounts) What they are, what they contain and above all what they can reveal - how to read them The accounting process - from transactions to financial statements What underpins the statements - accounting systems and internal controls 3 Why be in business - from a financial perspective The driving forces behind financial information Performance measures - profitability, asset utilisation, sales and throughput, managing capital expenditure 4 Accounting rules - accounting standards Accounting concepts and the accounting rules: accruals, 'going concern' - substance over form and other 'desirable qualities' Accruals - why the timing of a transaction is so important to the finance function Depreciation and amortisation - the concepts and practice Accounting standards - the role of International Financial Reporting Standards 5 Cash The importance of cash flow - working capital management Cash flow statements - monitoring overall cash flows Raising cash - levels of borrowing, gearing Spending cash - an outline of capital expenditure appraisal 6 Budgeting Why budget? - good and bad practice Determining why budgets play a key role and should not be simply an annual ritual Justifying your budgets - the link between the strategic plan and day-to-day budgeting - alignment of company culture Budgets as motivators - the importance of the right culture Techniques to improve budgeting - whether day-to-day or capital budgeting 7 Costing The type and detail of costing very much depends on your business - eg, manufacturing piston rings is quite different from the construction of a power plant Issues with overhead allocation Accounting for R&D 8 Reading financial statements Annual financial statements - why they are produced, what's in them and what you should look for Learning what a set of accounts reveals about a company's current situation, profitability and future prospects 9 Performance measurement - analytical reviews and ratio analysis ROI/ROCE Profitability, margins and cost control Sales - asset turnover Efficiency (asset / stock turnover, debtor / creditor days) 'City' measures Investment (interest / dividend cover, earnings per share, dividend yield)

Overview Internal control, as defined by accounting and auditing, is a process for assuring an organization's objectives in operational effectiveness and efficiency, reliable financial reporting, and compliance with laws, regulations and policies. It is very important for the organisation to have a smooth flow of accounting as it plays a very important role in the development of the organisation. Financial Managers or any person who deals with Accounts need to see that the company accounts are very updated and are free from any risks that can become a problem during the time of Auditing.  This course will feed you with all the skills required to have a good Internal Management process it is important to analyse Risk Management to see if the process is working efficiently and measures the effectiveness of controls put in place to alleviate risks. 

Overview This training course is structured around the ISO 31000:2009 framework, principles and processes. It will also demonstrate how to develop internal control mechanisms and explain how to measure risk in terms of probability and potential impact, at the same time as ensuring that the organisation complies with increasingly strict international standards of corporate governance.

Management of Risk (M_o_R®) Foundation: In-House Training This M_o_R® Foundation course prepares learners to demonstrate knowledge and comprehension of the four elements of the M_o_R framework: Principles, Approach, Processes, Embedding and Reviewing and how these elements support corporate governance. The M_o_R Foundation Course is also a prerequisite for the M_o_R Practitioner qualification. What you will Learn At the end of the M_o_R Foundation course, participants will gain competencies in and be able to: Describe the key characteristics of risk and the benefits of risk management List the eight M_o_R Principles List and describe the use of the key M_o_R Approach documents Create Probability and Impact scales Define and distinguish between risks and issues Create a Risk Register Create a Stakeholder map Identify the key roles in risk management Use the key techniques and describe specialisms in risk management Undertake the M_o_R Foundation examination Introduction Introduction to the M_o_R course What is a risk? What is risk management? Why is risk management so important? Basic risk definitions The development of knowledge about risk management Corporate governance and internal control Where and when should risk management be applied? M_o_R Principles The purpose of M_o_R principles Aligns with objectives Fits the context Engages stakeholders Provides clear guidance Informs decision-making Facilitates continual improvement Creates a supportive culture Achieves measurable value Risk management maturity models M_o_R Approach Relationship between the documents Risk management policy Risk management process guide Risk management strategy Risk register Issue register Risk response plan Risk improvement plan Risk communications plan M_o_R Process Common process barriers Identify contexts Identify the risks Assess estimate Assess evaluate Plan Implement Communication throughout the process M_o_R Perspectives Strategic perspective Program perspective Project perspective Operational perspective Risk Specialisms Business continuity management Incident and crisis management Health and Safety management Financial risk management Environmental risk management Reputational risk management Contract risk management

Management of Risk (M_o_R®) Practitioner: In-House Training The M_o_R® Practitioner course has been designed to provide learners with the opportunity to practice the practical application of the M_o_R method and covers the twelve M_o_R principles: Approach, Process and the basic techniques essential to managing risks using the M_o_R guidance. The purpose of the M_o_R Practitioner qualification is to confirm that the learner has achieved sufficient understanding of how to apply and tailor M_o_R in a scenario situation. What you will Learn At the end of the M_o_R Practitioner course, learners will gain competencies in: M_o_R framework (principles, approach based on risk documentation, process steps, and embedding and reviewing M_o_R principles Outline of M_o_R approach documents (including policy, process guide, and risk communications plan) Risk identification, assessment, and control Embedding and reviewing M_o_R M_o_R organizational perspectives (strategic, program, project, operational) Benefits The M_o_R Practitioner course offers a wide-ranging set of guidelines that will help in the management of risk in a project or program environment. It will help prepare learners for the M_o_R Practitioner Exam. They will feel more confident in approaching risk management after attending the course and will be aware of the use of different techniques that can assist in this task, including: Improved basis for effective strategy formation Reduced time spent fire-fighting and fewer unwelcome surprises Increased likelihood of successful change initiative outcomes Closer internal focus on doing the right things properly Increase in efficient use of resources waste and fraud Better management of contingency resources M_o_R roles and responsibilities M_o_R health check M_o_R maturity model Risk specialisms (including business continuity management) Introduction Introduction to the course What is a risk? What is risk management? Why is risk management so important? Basic risk definitions The development of knowledge about risk management Corporate governance and internal control Where and when should risk management be applied? M_o_R Principles The purpose of M_o_R principles Aligns with objectives Fits the context Engages stakeholders Provides clear guidance Informs decision-making Facilitates continual improvement Creates a supportive culture Achieves measurable value Risk management maturity models M_o_R Approach Relationship between the documents Risk management policy Risk management process guide Risk management strategy Risk register Issue register Risk response plan Risk improvement plan Risk communications plan M_o_R Process Common process barriers Identify - contexts Identify - the risks Assess - estimate Assess - evaluate Plan Implement Communication throughout the process M_o_R Perspectives Strategic perspective Programme perspective Project perspective Operational perspective Risk Specialisms Business continuity management Incident and crisis management Health and Safety management Financial risk management Environmental risk management Reputational risk management Contract risk management

Pushy boardroom bullies... battling agendas... conflicts of interest. Here are the most common drivers of trouble in the boardroom, and tools for making things right.