About the Program
Finance Essentials: From Numbers to Financial Decisions is an intensive introductory course designed for students with no prior background in accounting or finance. Moving beyond the intimidating technical jargon and complex equations often associated with the field, this course adopts a purely managerial lens, prioritizing the interpretation of data over the mechanical preparation of reports. We begin at the very roots of the corporate ecosystem, exploring how organizations interact with financial markets and why robust accounting systems are vital for transparency. Students will deconstruct the four major financial statements to understand their use in real-world scenarios, ultimately connecting these “numbers” to the three core pillars of corporate finance: investment, financing, and dividend decisions. Through an interactive environment filled with mini-cases and practical examples, students will learn to navigate the bridge between accounting data and basic company valuation, gaining the fluency needed to understand the strategic decisions made by global CFOs.
Course Objectives
- Analyze the corporate ecosystem and the critical role of the accounting system as the primary language for communicating a firm’s performance to financial markets.
- Understand the content, structure, and utility of the four major financial statements, with a specific emphasis on how they interconnect to provide a complete picture of a business.
- Interpret financial statements to accurately evaluate a company’s operational health, liquidity, and overall financial position from a manager’s perspective.
- Evaluate the three major decisions of corporate finance—investment, financing, and dividends-by analyzing their direct impact on the structure of the balance sheet.
- Apply fundamental valuation principles and the time value of money to estimate the intrinsic worth of a firm, moving beyond simple book values.
- Bridge the gap between technical accounting data and strategic decision-making to understand how CFOs utilize financial information to create long-term value.
Faculty
Prof. Muhammed Suhail PS
Assistant Professor- FinanceProf. Muhammed Suhail PS is Assistant Professor - Finance at FLAME University. Prof. Muhammed Suhail PS holds a Doctorate Degree in Finance from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras. He holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration (Finance) from Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kerela. He has completed his Bachelor’s Degree in Commerce from Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala. Prof. Muhammed Suhail PS has worked at E&Y, Kochi, for one year and as an intern in the Accounts at Apollo Tyres Ltd. prior to his doctoral journey. In addition to his industry experience, he has been an active teaching assistant at IIT Madras across various programs. He also served as an instructional designer and faculty member on a part-time basis for online teaching platforms like Learnwise and Prepwise, where he designed instructional content and taught courses on finance and accounting to a diverse set of students. His research work has been widely recognized, with publications in esteemed book chapters, journals, and presentations at international conferences. Notable works include studies on identifying signals of financial distress, financial reporting and corporate governance quality of financially distressed firms. His research interests include financial distress, Insolvency and bankruptcy, corporate governance, earnings management, and financial reporting.