CFO Series: Tactics to Improve Bottom Line: 1st Improve ROI

Overview

What do investors want? They actively pursue three key strategies; 1) improve profit (most over used strategy), 2) reduce investment (an under used strategy), and 3) reduce risk (a much-neglected strategy). In this the first of three sessions, see 1) above, we will explore successful strategies to improve pricing, increase volume, and reduce risk. We will discuss proven techniques to help your organization thrive.

Prerequisites

At least six (6) months of professional financial statement analysis experience, or at least six (6) credit hours of corporate finance classwork at an accredited university.

Objectives

• Determine the issues that drive the bottom line
• Identify ways to make improvement happen
• Determine pricing for profitability, cost control and increasing throughput

Highlights

• Introduction to the three levers - Income, Asset Utilization, and Risk.
  1. Cost control
     • Waste elimination
     • Lean, Total Quality Management, and Six Sigma.
     • Simplification - A case study in how complexity is an insidious profit killer.
     • Activity based costing.
     • Understanding what drives cost and how to control cost.
     • Accounting practices that are antithetical to good cost control.
     • Getting the message across and generating action.
     • Where are the good ideas buried?
  2. Increasing volume
     • How effective is your advertising and promotion?
     • What is your unique selling proposition?
     • Are you stifling innovation?
  3. Pricing
     • Pricing for value not cost recovery.
     • Understanding competition.
     • Looking for the 'blue ocean' opportunity.