Agriculture News

May 25, 2016

Program to help non-financial managers think like CFOs

Agribiz logo Logo for Purdue University's Agribusiness Finance for Non-Financial Managers program. (Purdue Department of Agricultural Economics graphic) Download image

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Purdue University's Agribusiness Finance for Non-Financial Managers program will offer deeper understanding of financial management responsibilities and how they fit into broader organizational goals.

The workshop-style program, which runs July 26-29, is designed specifically to help mid- to upper-level managers who don't work in finance gain a better understanding of business from a financial standpoint. It will be at the Beck Agricultural Center, 4540 U.S. 52, West Lafayette.

Purdue faculty experts Michael Boehlje, distinguished professor of agricultural economics, and Michael Gunderson, associate director of the Center for Food and Agricultural Business, will present the program alongside Jaclyn Kropp, assistant professor of food and resource economics at the University of Florida.

Michael Gunderson Michael Gunderson
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"The goal isn't for these managers to do the accounting but to use accounting statements strategically and understand the relationships between accounting statements and what they do in their everyday jobs," said Gunderson, also an associate professor of agricultural economics specializing in finance. "We want to build financial vocabulary and help participants understand how chief financial officers think so that they can have improved conversations. That way, these managers can be more persuasive when they have good ideas that could positively impact financial outcomes."

Program topics include thinking like a CFO, financial statements, financial evaluation, financial concepts-profitability analysis and financial management-practical tools for examining profitability.

Participants will understand how their daily decisions affect company profitability, learn to use financial statements to make more informed decisions, apply practical financial tools for examining profitability and discuss the current financial market and its impact on agribusinesses.

"Ultimately, what we want is for non-financial managers - whether they work in sales and marketing, human resources, strategy, operations or something else entirely - to understand how the decisions they make in their roles filter through the financial statements and influence the success of their organizations," Gunderson said.

The program early-bird rate is $2,145 per person registered through June 2. After that, the normal rate is $2,295 per person. Learn more and register at http://agribusiness.purdue.edu/ag-finance

Writer: Jennifer Stewart-Burton, 765-496-6032, jsstewar@purdue.edu 

Sources: Michael Gunderson, 765-496-2010, mgunders@purdue.edu

Betty Jones-Bliss, associate director of the Center for Food and Agricultural Business, 217-549-2883, bettyso@purdue.edu

Agricultural Communications: (765) 494-2722;
Keith Robinson, robins89@purdue.edu
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