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This course is part of the Finance & Accounting track.
Leading with Finance
Wall Street

Leading with Finance

Develop a Toolkit for Making and Understanding Financial Decisions

Leading with Finance will equip you with an intuitive knowledge of financial principles and enable you to understand the market in which your organization operates, create and assess value, and communicate business decisions to stakeholders.

Apply Now

What You'll Learn

Play an Introduction to Leading with Finance video
Play an Introduction to Leading with Finance video
Go to Full Syllabus
  • Understand the key financial levers that drive financial performance
  • Discover how and why finance is concerned with cash flow versus profits and why that matters for your business and budget
  • Identify ways to create and measure value in order to evaluate and pitch potential projects
  • Examine how capital markets work and how they affect your business
  • Develop a financial intuition that will give you the confidence to make effective decisions in your career and life

About the Professor

Professor Mihir Desai - Leading with Finance

Mihir Desai is the Mizuho Financial Group Professor of Finance at Harvard Business School and a Professor of Law at Harvard Law School. He is an award-winning teacher and leading scholar of corporate finance and tax policy. He has published more than 25 case studies, a casebook, and has testified before the US Congress on policy issues.

Who Will Benefit

Briefcase

Early and Mid-Career Professionals

Gain the skills and confidence needed to understand the financial landscape of your business and industry in order to advance your career, especially if you’re in a non-finance role.

Bar Chart

Aspiring Finance or Investment Professionals

Prepare for future professional opportunities and jumpstart your career by gaining an understanding of financial concepts, terms, and principles.

Group of people

New Leaders

Elevate your business knowledge and prepare for leadership responsibilities, such as assessing value and performance, budgeting, and communicating the financial implications of your decisions.

Program Structure

Leading with Finance consists of approximately 35 to 40 hours of material delivered over a six-week period. You can complete the coursework on your own time while meeting regular deadlines.

June 2022
  • Length: 6 Weeks
  • Program Dates: 6/1/22 – 7/13/22
  • Cost: $1,600
  • Application Deadline: May 23
  • Detailed Calendar
  • Course Platform
  • Certificate Program
Apply Now
July 2022
  • Length: 6 Weeks
  • Program Dates: 7/27/22 – 9/7/22
  • Cost: $1,750
  • Application Deadline: July 18
  • Detailed Calendar
  • Course Platform
  • Certificate Program
Apply Now
September 2022
  • Length: 6 Weeks
  • Program Dates: 9/28/22 – 11/9/22
  • Cost: $1,750
  • Application Deadline: September 19
  • Detailed Calendar
  • Course Platform
  • Certificate Program
Apply Now

Leading with Finance is part of the Finance & Accounting Learning Track. If you’re interested in developing deeper insights and expertise, you can choose to complete three finance & accounting courses within 18 months to earn a Certificate of Specialization.

Syllabus

Leading with Finance provides participants with a thorough understanding of the principles of finance—a conceptual toolkit for making smart financial decisions and the confidence to clearly articulate those decisions to key stakeholders.

Learning requirements: In order to earn a Certificate of Completion, participants must thoughtfully complete all 6 modules, including satisfactory completion of associated quizzes and capstone assignment, by stated deadlines.

Capstone Assignment: You will finish the course with a brief capstone assignment which integrates and applies the concepts covered in the course.

Download Syllabus

Modules Case Studies Takeaways Key Exercises
Module 1: Financial Analysis
  • Unidentified Industries
  • Timberland
  • Understand the building blocks of financial analysis: the balance sheet, the income statement, and financial ratios
  • Develop an intuition for the concepts behind the principles of finance
  • Apply your knowledge to identify companies by reviewing their financial statement
  • Categorize financial ratios
  • DuPont Analysis exercise
  • Quiz #1
Module 2: Finance vs. Accounting
  • Corning Glass
  • Hon Hai Sharp
  • Identify the fundamental differences between accounting and finance
  • Examine the use of cash as a measurement of value creation in finance
  • Balance sheet and financial ratios exercise
  • Calculate net present value
  • Quiz #2
Module 3: Capital Markets
  • Corning Glass
  • Hon Hai Sharp
  • Short-selling Bekaert
  • Tops Friendly Market
  • Build a strong understanding of the players in the financial services industry and the roles they each play
  • Contemplate the financial system, its flaws, and potential solutions
  • Evaluate perspectives on information asymmetry
  • Quiz #3
Module 4: Creating Value
  • Corning Glass
  • Capital Structure at Biogen
  • Heineken: Building a Mexican Brewery
  • Explore the three pillars of value creation and how to achieve them
  • Discover why capital is costly and how to use this information to benefit your organization
  • Market-to-book ratios exercises
  • Match companies to their cost of debt and industries to their betas
  • Quiz #4
Module 5: Valuation
  • Tops Friendly Market
  • Spirit Aero Systems
  • Dell Valuation
  • Determine how the future affects value today
  • Compare various valuation methods and examine net present value
  • Discuss potential risks involved in mergers and acquisitions
  • Calculate free cash flows, WACC, and terminal values
  • Practice scenario analysis
  • Quiz #5
Module 6: Capital Allocation
  • Apple iPrefs
  • Convergence Pharmaceuticals
  • Heineken Ethiopia Expansion
  • Biogen Share Repurchases
  • Discuss capital allocation and the use of free cash flow
  • Analyze the various options companies have for investing their cash through reinvestment or distribution
  • Determine which "type" of money will empower new business ideas to flourish
  • Capital allocation decision tree analysis
  • Weigh value of dividends vs. share buybacks
  • Quiz #6
  • Capstone project

The HBS Online Advantage

Play an Introduction to the HBS Online Platform video
Play an Introduction to the HBS Online Platform video
  • World-class faculty
  • Edge-of-your-seat online learning
  • Global peer collaboration and networking
  • Real-world, case-based learning

Harvard Business School Online offers a unique and highly engaging method of learning vital business concepts. Immerse yourself in real challenges faced by experts from the worlds of corporate finance, private equity, and investment management, including Laurence Debroux, CFO of Heineken; Paul Clancy, CFO of Biogen; and Alberto Moel, an equity research analyst at Sanford Bernstein. Step into their shoes and wrestle with the same issues they faced, while engaging with fellow learners from around the world.

Play Marcy shares her experience taking Leading with Finance video
Play Marcy shares her experience taking Leading with Finance video

Stories from Our Learners

  • Mihir Desai was able to bring a relatively dry and inscrutable page of numbers to life in a highly engaging and interactive way. He has a great teaching style: clear, sharp, entertaining, and challenging. Mihir was able to truly engage our leaders of all levels of financial experience on the key levers of performance and how this applies to their own businesses.
    Ryan Eagar,
    Director, Global Learning and Development at Heineken International
  • "Having a deep understanding of finance is crucial to effectively lead a business, and Mihir Desai’s engaging delivery of rich content through the case study method has given me the confidence to clearly message important financial updates and decisions to our key stakeholders."
    Sarah Kauss,
    Founder & CEO at S'well
  • No matter the size, depth, or reach of any organization or your role in that organization, a foundational understanding of the finances that drive performance is essential. Mihir’s style is one that is inviting, energetic, and thought-enhancing. He really instills the fundamental belief that in our careers we are really only there to complete one task and that is ‘think.’ He makes you ‘think’ about what we are viewing, turn it over, and makes you ‘think’ about what falls apart and how to put it back together.
    Brian Paliotti,
    Vice President & CFO at NewMarket Corporation


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Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to log in at a set time? How does the grading process work? At this point, you probably have a few questions, and we’ve got answers.

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application

Enrollment Eligibility

Our easy online application is free, and no special documentation is required. All applicants must be at least 18 years of age, proficient in English, and committed to learning and engaging with fellow participants throughout the course. We confirm enrollment eligibility within one week of your application.

Apply Now

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Leading with Finance Certificate of Completion from HBS Online
Earn Your Certificate

Enroll today in Harvard Business School Online's Leading with Finance course.

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All FAQs

Top FAQs

How are HBS Online courses delivered?

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We offer self-paced programs (with weekly deadlines) on the HBS Online course platform.

Our platform features short, highly produced videos of HBS faculty and guest business experts, interactive graphs and exercises, cold calls to keep you engaged, and opportunities to contribute to a vibrant online community.

Do I need to come to campus to participate in HBS Online programs?

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No, all of our programs are 100 percent online, and available to participants regardless of their location.

How do I enroll in a course?

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All programs require the completion of a brief application. The applications vary slightly from program to program, but all ask for some personal background information. You can apply for and enroll in programs here. If you are new to HBS Online, you will be required to set up an account before starting an application for the program of your choice.

Our easy online application is free, and no special documentation is required. All applicants must be at least 18 years of age, proficient in English, and committed to learning and engaging with fellow participants throughout the program.

After submitting your application, you should receive an email confirmation from HBS Online. If you do not receive this email, please check your junk email folders and double-check your account to make sure the application was successfully submitted.

Updates to your application and enrollment status will be shown on your Dashboard. We confirm enrollment eligibility within one week of your application.

Does Harvard Business School Online offer an online MBA?

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No, Harvard Business School Online offers business certificate programs.

What are my payment options?

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We accept payments via credit card, Western Union, and (when available) bank loan. Some candidates may qualify for scholarships or financial aid, which will be credited against the Program Fee once eligibility is determined. Please refer to the Payment & Financial Aid page for further information.

We also allow you to split your payment across 2 separate credit card transactions or send a payment link email to another person on your behalf. If splitting your payment into 2 transactions, a minimum payment of $350 is required for the first transaction.

In all cases, net Program Fees must be paid in full (in US Dollars) to complete registration.

What are the policies for refunds and deferrals?

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After enrolling in a program, you may request a withdrawal with refund (minus a $100 nonrefundable enrollment fee) up until 24 hours after the start of your program. Please review the Program Policies page for more details on refunds and deferrals. If your employer has contracted with HBS Online for participation in a program, or if you elect to enroll in the undergraduate credit option of the Credential of Readiness (CORe) program, note that policies for these options may differ.

 

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