Finance e-learning in the virtual classroom

The Centre for Executive Development was asked to supply a customised Finance e-Learning solution to a major French global corporate client. The initial module, authored by Matt Davies of the Finance and Accounting Group of Aston Business School, was first delivered asynchronously in 2010 via the client’s corporate Virtual Learning Environment, and included a final project assessment piece that participants submitted via email to Matt. The intended audience for the module comprised nonfinancial managers in various departments within the client organisation, who needed to gain in-depth understanding of accounting and finance concepts used in the client business, and a deeper understanding that would have direct impact on their own working practice. In partnership with the client, Matt created the module using the client’s own financial reporting documentation, aligning theoretical principles to the actual hard data of the company’s own publicly available accounts.