Accounting and Finance
Accounts Payable: Accounting and Management Best Practices
19–23 Oct 2026 · Jeddah
View courseAF-019
Effective Budgeting and Cost Control
Intensive 5-day course · English, Arabic & European languages
- Duration5 days
- FormatClassroom or live online
- LanguageEnglish, Arabic or a European language
- CertificateARUK Certificate of Attendance
- FeeFrom £1,800 + VAT
Budgeting and cost control are essential skills for managers and analysts. Over five days, delegates learn to prepare operating and capital budgets, read key financial statements, and link their departmental budgets to wider organisational strategy. The course covers variance analysis, breakeven calculations, and capital expenditure evaluation techniques. Delegates also apply several budgeting models, including zero-based and activity-based approaches.
Classroom
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- 19–23 Jul 2027Rome£3,400 + VAT
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- 16–20 Aug 2027Kuala Lumpur£1,800 + VAT
- 6–10 Sep 2027Barcelona£3,080 + VAT
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- 18–22 Oct 2027London£3,360 + VAT
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- 6–10 Dec 2027Jeddah£4,200 + VAT
- 20–24 Dec 2027Rome£3,400 + VAT
Group discount: 2 delegates 20% · 3 delegates 35% · 5 or more delegates 50%
Can't make these dates? We can run this course for your team on dates that suit you. Ask for custom dates · In-house options
Online (live)
With a trainer, on dates to suit your team
This course can be taught live online by a trainer, in English, Arabic or any European language, for one person or a whole team.
£1,850 + VAT
Group discount: 2 delegates 20% · 3 delegates 35% · 5 or more delegates 50%
Special requests
Tailor this course
Pick what you want changed and we’ll come back with a proposal and price.
Course overview
Budgeting is a standard requirement for managers across all business functions. Still, many rely on simply adjusting last year's figures. This course approaches the budget as a formal mechanism for planning, financial management, and cost control. It shows delegates how to build budgets from the ground up, before using them to monitor performance throughout the financial year.
The programme starts with the mechanics of financial statements, covering the income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statement. Delegates explore different approaches to setting budgets. These include zero-based, flexible, and activity-based models. They learn to separate fixed from variable costs, and they use cost-volume-profit analysis to calculate breakeven points.
Later modules focus on control and capital expenditure. Delegates learn to analyse variance reports, identify the root causes of budget overruns, and take immediate corrective action. They also practice evaluating long-term capital projects using Net Present Value, Internal Rate of Return, and payback periods. The course relies heavily on case studies and practical exercises to reinforce these financial concepts.
Course objectives
By the end of the course, delegates will be able to:
- Link departmental budgets to the wider organisational strategy
- Trace the relationship between the budget, balance sheet, and income statement
- Prepare operating and capital budgets using different methodologies
- Analyse variance reports and apply cost control measures
- Evaluate capital expenditure proposals using NPV and IRR
- Apply cost-volume-profit analysis to budgeting decisions
Target competencies
- Financial statement interpretation
- Planning and budgeting
- Cost control
- Capital budgeting
- Cost-volume-profit analysis
- Breakeven analysis
Who should attend
This course suits:
- Department managers and supervisors
- Financial analysts
- Professionals who prepare or use management budgets
Training methodology
- Practical exercises
- Case study analysis
- Individual presentations
- Group presentations
Course modules
- Module 1
Planning and the functions of management
- Critical management functions
- Using the budget for planning
- Budgets as a control mechanism
- Building a strategy roadmap
- Aligning budgets with organisational strategy
- Common planning pitfalls
- Module 2
The key financial statements
- The accounting system structure
- Reading the income statement
- Reading the balance sheet
- Understanding retained earnings
- Analysing the cash flow statement
- Module 3
Budgeting processes and approaches
- Advantages of formal budgeting
- The standard budgeting process
- Managing rolling budgets
- Separating direct and indirect costs
- Building the primary budget
- Operating versus capital budgets
- Module 4
Approaches to budgeting
- Incremental budgeting
- Zero-based budgeting
- Flexible budgeting approaches
- Kaizen budgeting for continuous improvement
- Activity-based budgeting
- Forecasting tools and techniques
- Characteristics of adequate budgets
- Common budgeting problems
- Module 5
Cost control
- Using the budget to control costs
- The standard control process
- Features of effective control systems
- Responsibility reporting structures
- Module 6
Variance analysis
- Identifying variance components
- Taking corrective action
- Module 7
Capital expenditure budgeting
- The time value of money
- Using the cost of capital as a discount rate
- Simple versus compound interest calculations
- Identifying and analysing cash flows
- Net Present Value calculations (NPV)
- Internal Rate of Return calculations (IRR)
- Using the Profitability Index (PI)
- Calculating the Pay-Back Period (PBP)
- Accounting Rate of Return calculations (ARR)
- Managing Approvals for Expenditure (AFE)
- Applying sensitivity and risk analysis
- Module 8
Cost-volume-profit analysis (CVP)
- Defining fixed costs
- Defining variable costs
- Calculating breakeven points in units
- Calculating breakeven points in currency
- Computing the breakeven point in sales
- Running sensitivity analysis on assumptions
Certificate
Every delegate who completes the course receives an ARUK Training Certificate of Attendance.
Frequently asked questions
How do I register?
Choose a date and city in the schedule and press Register, or send us an enquiry. Our team confirms your place and sends an invoice.
Are fees shown with VAT?
Fees are shown per delegate and exclude VAT, which is added to the invoice where applicable.
Can this course be delivered for our team only?
Yes. Any ARUK course can be delivered in-house at your premises, in a meeting room we book for you, or 1-to-1.
Is this course available online?
Yes. We run it live online with a trainer, on dates that suit your team, for £1,850 + VAT per delegate.
Is there a group discount?
Yes. 20% for 2 delegates, 35% for 3 delegates and 50% for 5 or more delegates on the same course.
Can the course be delivered in Arabic or another language?
Yes. Our courses can be delivered in English, Arabic or any European language, by a trainer who teaches in that language. Mention your preferred language when you register or enquire.
What certificate will I receive?
An ARUK Training Certificate of Attendance.
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