Certification: Financial Management and Leadership

Economic Environment and Risk Management

Economic Environment

This module is designed to help participants develop a strong economic intuition about the set of macroeconomic and microeconomic factors that affect the behavior of society, markets, and consequently, businesses. Participants will develop skills in analyzing macroeconomic data at both the national and international levels, as well as evaluating economic sectors and their prospects in a globalized economy.

Risk Management

This module aims to practically demonstrate all types of risks in an integrated manner. Internal and external stakeholders increasingly value companies that consider the management of all corporate risks that could affect the achievement of objectives and strategy as an essential element within managerial administration.

Module: Financial Analysis and Short-Term Finance

Financial Analysis

This module focuses on understanding the scope, functions, and objectives of financial management, as well as the understanding and use of accounting as a business management tool. Simultaneously, it develops the ability to analyze accounting and financial information to generate a diagnosis that adequately supports managerial decisions in the field of financial management.

Short-Term Finance

Managing short-term finances is one of the fundamental pillars of financial management. The application of its instruments facilitates liquidity availability, mitigates risk, and contributes to greater profitability. In this module, participants will deepen their knowledge of cash flow management and cash management techniques, credit management to clients, and the management of short-term liabilities in the company. The tools acquired will enable participants to make better decisions that they face daily in their professional practice and improve their performance.

Module: Project Evaluation and Capital Structure

Financial Evaluation of Projects

Capital is a scarce and vital resource for any company or organization. In this module, the best investment opportunities are evaluated, the profitability of ongoing or pipeline projects is anticipated, and the results obtained from completed projects are tracked. The concepts discussed throughout this module are perhaps the most relevant in modern corporate finance and are applied in multiple strategic decision-making scenarios.

Financing and Capital Structure

This module describes and discusses the different sources of corporate financing, both in the intermediation and disintermediation fields, with a review of international possibilities and includes the main financial tools that allow for evaluating the capital structure. The module includes practical examples in all categories, through which the advantages and costs are evaluated, so that the participant has a comprehensive knowledge of financing sources in Ecuador.

Module: Financial Forecasting

This module addresses the importance of adequate financial forecasting in companies as an essential element for determining future resource needs through the use of various financial projection techniques and/or methodologies. This includes the operational and financial budget, which encompasses medium- and long-term investment planning, cash flow management, the company's financial structure, and capital management. Additionally, it covers the analysis of current financial information and the impact evaluation in decision-making based on the forecasts made by the company.

Module: Financial Management and Bloomberg

Financial Management

This course delves into workshops focused on the development of practical cases that will allow participants to apply concepts and knowledge about budgeting and capital structure (project evaluation and its financing, including stock market processes) to implement them in their work and professional environment.

Bloomberg

In the economic context, financial entities play a leading role. The objective of this workshop is for participants to understand the operation of the Bloomberg Terminal, as well as to visualize an overview of the markets through this powerful information analysis tool. In this workshop, participants will learn the main uses of the Bloomberg Terminal. Important functions related to economics that allow analyzing various financial instruments of local and international markets will be covered.

Module: Business Intelligence for Financial Decisions

This module will teach the use of Power BI: one of the most widely used Business Intelligence tools. Participants will understand the importance of the decision-making process and will learn to perform data tabulations related to income and expense analysis, sales goals, budgets, accounts receivable analysis, and sales forecasts. DAX functions will be applied, and results will be presented in interactive dashboards that allow for quicker information analysis and better decision-making.

Module: Tax Management

Tax aspects influence every managerial, administrative, and financial decision, with significant implications for business profitability and shareholder benefits. In this sense, taxes are a key factor to consider in the daily operations of companies. Therefore, tax management is important, with practical knowledge and application of tax regulations for the main taxes, with an emphasis on tax planning and international taxation.

Complementary Talks

Aligned with USFQ’s Liberal Arts philosophy, where all areas of knowledge hold equal importance and contribute to intellectual development, this program includes virtual talks on various current topics. These sessions are open to the general public or are part of other programs.

Business Forum

The business forum is a virtual space where students and panelists—entrepreneurs, business leaders, professors, and experts—come together to share their perspectives, trends, and best practices. The forums are conducted according to the annual schedule, with participation from students of non-degree programs and master's programs at the School of Business.

Activities

This program includes various activities such as presentations, practical exercises for the real-world application of presented concepts, workshops, discussions, and more. The program follows an active, participatory, and critical methodology that links theory with practice. Students must access the Desire to Learn (D2L) virtual platform at least 2 hours in advance to familiarize themselves with the resources, use the study materials, and complete the virtual activities. Access to the D2L platform is available from the beginning of the program until one month after its completion.