Accounting is the language of business. Operators, managers and directors of all business functions, as well as directors and entrepreneurs themselves, are constantly in contact with a technical language of an accounting nature that they often understand and handle in a partial and inappropriate manner.
Having such language is essential to know how to interpret a balance sheet, an economic-financial report, but also just to maintain an effective dialogue in the company with colleagues and superiors.
‘EBITDA‘, “Financial Leverage”, “Net Financial Position” are terms that frequently appear in company discussions and the inability to fully understand such language can negatively affect the effectiveness of managers’ actions and interaction with CFOs and colleagues. More generally, all managers, with a view to creating value for the company, need to be aware of how day-to-day decisions affect the company’s economics, what the company’s cost drivers are, and how budget targets and reporting measures are set.
The course enables managers and entrepreneurs without an administrative background to become aware of the economic-financial language and understand accounting information to support more effective and financially sustainable decisions.
More specifically, the course provides the basic accounting-financial terminology, the fundamental skills for analysing and interpreting company financial statements (of suppliers, customers, partners, etc.) and the ability to understand the causes of performance and the main drivers of action, so as to be able to translate the analysis into strategic courses of action.
The course comprises a total of 39 hours of lessons, in 8 teaching sessions to be attended in blended mode.
Some lessons will be exclusively online, others will be available both online and in-presence, so as to combine the flexibility of online with the possibility of meeting the other participants and lecturers in-presence. The online lessons will be held on Tuesday evening, the blended lessons on Friday morning and afternoon.
The first online lesson, on the evening of Thursday 18 September, will also be open to those who will not yet be enrolled at that time, so that they can test the quality of the course and the possibility of full use of the online mode.
The teaching approach will be extremely pragmatic and accompanied by numerous applied cases.
ACCREDITATIONS AND RANKINGS
Bologna Business School is EQUIS – EFMD Quality Improvement System accredited, one of the most important international quality assessment and continuous improvement systems for Schools of Management and Business Administration.
Bologna Business School’s Open Programs are included in the Financial Times Ranking in the Executive Education 2026 category.
Franco Visani
Director of Studies
franco.visani2@unibo.it
"Managers of all functions need to understand the economic-financial language, read a company report or the balance sheet of a supplier, customer or partner. This course provides the fundamental skills to communicate with the finance area, with colleagues from other areas and to make informed decisions with a view to creating value for the company."
Structure
COURSES
- The economic, equity and financial dimension of the company’s shares
- The role of the financial statements and its components
- Analytical description of the income statement, balance sheet and financial statements
- Presentation of concrete examples of financial statements
- Reclassification of the balance sheet according to the financial and management criteria
- Reclassification of the income statement according to the value added, functional or contribution margin criteria
- Different views of the cash flow statement
- Liquidity, debt and financial hedging indices
- Profitability, marginality and turnover indices
- Comparison between actual profitability and expected profitability of the lenders
- Analysis of the economic and financial impact of short-term decisions
- Analysis of the impact on the economic value of long-term decisions
Learning approach
The teaching approach is strongly practice-oriented and integrates contributions from faculty members coming from academia, industry, and consulting. The program combines lectures, analysis of real business cases, and direct testimonials from managers, fostering learning that can be immediately applied in the workplace. Teaching activities are supported by an e-learning platform featuring materials and exercises to facilitate study and further exploration between sessions.
Faculty
Faculty members at Bologna Business School work together offering outstanding teaching standards. An international and interdisciplinary approach is guaranteed by a joint team of distinguished national core professors, adjunct, visiting professors, guest speakers and top managers.
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Riccardo Silvi
Full Professor of Business Administration and Accounting Studies
University of Bologna
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Franco Visani
Associate Professor of Business Administration
University of Bologna
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Filippo Boccali
Adjunct Professor and Research Fellow of Management
University of Bologna
Networking
The open program is an experience built around people and relationships, fostering valuable connections through continuous interaction among participants, faculty members, and managers. During the classroom sessions, a dynamic network develops, enriched by the diversity of experiences, roles, and industries. A vibrant ecosystem that enhances learning and continues to generate value over time.
COMPANIES
Companies within the Bologna Business School network actively contribute to the development of the Open Programs by helping shape the content and bringing real-world experience into the classroom. Managers and professionals take part through testimonials, real business cases, and direct contributions, enriching the learning journey with a practical perspective. Interaction with companies from different industries encourages a continuous exchange of experiences and best practices. This ongoing dialogue between the classroom and the business world creates a dynamic ecosystem where skills, perspectives, and approaches come together, generating value for all participants.
FEES
The enrollment fee for the program is:
- €3,600 (+ VAT) for registrations from companies and institutions
- €2,900 (+ VAT) for individual registrations
The fee includes attendance of the program, all study materials available through the online platform, and access to Bologna Business School services, including: personal Wi-Fi account and use of the study areas.
Discounts are available for:
- early registrations;
- companies belonging to the Business Network;
- Alma/BBS and Profingest Alumni;
- groups of at least 3 people.
INTERPROFESSIONAL FUNDS
Alumni and companies can check the availability of vouchers at the Interprofessional Fund of reference:
Fondimpresa – for middle managers/ middle management
Fondo Dirigenti PMI – for managers of Industrial SMEs
Fonditalia
Fondirigenti – for managers
Fon.Coop – for cooperative companies
REQUIREMENTS
The program is limited to a maximum of 30 participants in order to ensure an effective and interactive learning experience, and is open to professionals with diverse backgrounds and levels of experience.
APPLICATION PROCESS
To participate, it is necessary to request the application form by emailing openprograms@bbs.unibo.it. The team is available to provide all relevant information and support candidates throughout the process.
FAQs
At the end of the course, a participation certificate is issued (upon reaching 80% of classroom hours).
The documents used in the classroom and any further reading or exercises will be uploaded to our platform, whose credentials will be delivered in the classroom.
Should a group of colleagues wish to participate in the program, it is possible to contact the Program Manager to evaluate an ad hoc participation price.
Our short courses do not require a specific course of study. It is important to have a few years of work experience behind you that can help you, inside the classroom, by bringing real cases dealt with and solutions adopted during your work.
