Finance and Accounting for the Non-Financial Manager

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Dates Location Tuition
Oct 13, 2008 - Oct 17, 2008 Philadelphia $9,250
Feb 23, 2009 - Feb 27, 2009 Philadelphia $9,250

Knowing how to read financial statements will be invaluable throughout your career, in analyzing business opportunities, assessing financial risks, and communicating your ideas to others.

Finance and Accounting for the Non-Financial Manager teaches how financial data is generated and reported, as well as how it is used for decision making, analysis, and valuation. The course begins by describing the accounting process, the creation of financial statements, the role of the auditor, and the basics of income tax. It examines specific accounting methods and demonstrates how these choices affect earnings. Once you gain an ability to read financial statements in depth, you will be better able to spot trends and study your company and its competition with a keener eye.

Finance and Accounting for the Non-Financial Manager provides three evening integration sessions, which help you understand more completely the concepts and techniques discussed during the day’s classes. More importantly, they show you exactly how these concepts and techniques are applicable in real business situations.

Tuition for Philadelphia programs includes lodging and meals. Prices are subject to change. Program Consultants are available to provide more information on course specifics and discuss how this program might meet your needs. Please contact them by telephone at +1 215.898.1776 or by e-mail.


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The program teaches the core concepts of finance and accounting in a straightforward and easy-to-understand manner, including terminology and principles, financial statements, distinction between income and cash flow, and valuation. You will learn how financial data is used to make business decisions and to evaluate a firm's performance.

A primary objective of this course is to make its content applicable to your own business or managerial circumstances. You are taught to relate the numbers of finance and accounting to business reality and to assess whether financial reports depict that reality faithfully. Since we believe learning is enhanced by real applications, case studies are used daily. They are prepared by small groups of participants, then discussed by the class as a whole.

Finance and Accounting for the Non-Financial Manager combines the best of theory and practice presented by professors from Wharton's Accounting Department. Faculty members offer insights drawn from their immersion in the field as researchers, teachers, and consultants, with applications through a series of case discussions during the class.

Session Topics for the finance and accounting program

  • Accounting Terminology and Underlying Concepts
  • The Role of Various Financial Statements
  • Distinguishing Income From Cash Flow
  • The Accounting Process
  • The Quality of Earnings
  • Financial Decision Making
  • Analysis of Financial Reports
  • Approaches to Valuation

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Program Logistics

Program does not officially begin until Monday morning, but hotel accommodations will be provided on Sunday evening. Program will conclude with lunch on Friday.

Finance and Accounting for the Non-Financial Manager is well suited to anyone who is new to financial concepts and techniques and to any executive who wishes to update his or her knowledge of basic finance and accounting. It is particularly applicable to individuals whose backgrounds are in creative, scientific, or technical fields. This fundamentals course attracts the most diverse group of attendees of any Executive Education course at Wharton. Past participants have included vice presidents, regional directors, general managers, directors, and partners from a wide range of industries.

We encourage companies to send cross-functional teams of executives to leverage the application and value of the program. Additional group benefits are available when four or more participants attend a program.

Become a more discerning reader of financial information, and gain a practical understanding of how financial data is used to make business decisions and evaluate performance. You will:

  • Learn to read and assess financial statements.
  • Understand how the numbers are generated and manipulated.
  • Gain exposure to diverse financial approaches, including methods of valuation and ways to use hedging and derivatives to reduces risk exposure.

Robert W. Holthausen, PhD ROBERT W. HOLTHAUSEN, PhD
Academic Director
Chairperson, Accounting Department
The Nomura Securities Company Professor
Professor of Accounting and Finance and Management
The Wharton School

Professor Holthausen's research is in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, investment management, and valuation. His research has studied the effects of management compensation and governance structures on firm performance, the effects of information on volume and prices, corporate restructuring and valuation, the effects of large block sales on common stock prices, and numerous other topics. His research has appeared in such journals as the Accounting Review, the Journal of Accounting Research, the Journal of Accounting and Economics, the Journal of Finance, and the Journal of Financial Economics. Professor Holthausen’s consulting work focuses on areas such as performing valuation analysis and developing fundamental trading rules for equity portfolio management. He has teaching experience at the undergraduate, MBA, and PhD levels and has won teaching awards from both the undergraduate and MBA students at Wharton, including the David J. Hauck Award for undergraduate teaching, awarded to one tenured faculty member per year.
undefined BRIAN BUSHEE, PhD
Associate Professor of Accounting
The Wharton School

Brian J. Bushee is an Associate Professor of Accounting at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Before joining Wharton in 2000, he was an Assistant Professor at the Harvard Business School and a Visiting Assistant Professor at the University of Chicago. He has also worked as a Senior Credit Analyst for CoreStates Financial Corp. and as a National Office Researcher for Coopers and Lybrand LLP. He received his PhD from the University of Michigan and AB from Duke University. His research focuses on the impact of information intermediaries—such as institutional investors, sell-side analysts, and the business press—on corporate disclosure decisions and on the stock market pricing of information. He serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Accounting Research, Accounting Review, and Review of Accounting Studies. Brian currently teaches an MBA elective called Problems in Financial Reporting and has taught the MBA introductory financial accounting course at Wharton, Harvard, and Chicago. He also teaches in the Wharton Seminar for Business Journalists.
undefined CHRISTOPHER ITTNER, PhD
Ernst & Young Professor of Accounting
The Wharton School

Professor Ittner’s research includes performance measurement, cost management practices, and the valuation of intangible assets. His work on the association between customer satisfaction measures and financial performance received the American Accounting Association’s Notable Contribution to Management Accounting Literature Award. Prior to receiving his doctorate, Dr. Ittner was a manufacturing consultant with Deloitte, Haskins & Sells. His consulting clients have included Bell South, Guardsmark, Ernst & Young, General Motors, and Lockheed, among others.
Richard Lambert, PhD RICHARD A. LAMBERT, PhD
Miller-Sherrerd Professor
Professor of Accounting
The Wharton School

Richard Lambert teaches a wide range of courses in the areas of financial reporting, cost and management accounting, and compensation and performance measurement. He is a recipient of the Helen Kardon Moss Anvil Award for Teaching Excellence at Wharton. Professor Lambert’s research examines a variety of issues in financial reporting, performance measurement, and compensation plan design. In particular, he has done extensive research into accounting-based and stock-based forms of compensation, including stock option plans. He is a member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Accounting Research and The Review of Accounting Studies.
undefined ROBERT E. VERRECCHIA, PhD
Elizabeth F. Putzel Professor
Professor of Accounting
The Wharton School


"By the end of the week, I was having in-depth discussions about finance that I never would have believed possible prior to this course."
— VP/General Sales Manager, Computer Manufacturer

"As a sales and marketing professional moving into a P&L management role, it was crucial for me to understand the financial implications of my decisions to our company and our customers. This class has provided me with confidence to ask more questions and as a result make better decisions! Thank you!"
— Director, Soft Drink Manufacturer

"The instructors were knowledgeable and passionate about their material. The presentations/lectures were delivered in an excellent manner by financial analysts who are experts in this field."
— Customer Director, Manufacturer

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