Financial management brings together an integrated view of the company and, therefore, is considered the quintessential function within the organisation. The person responsible for finance (chief financial officer or CFO, in Anglo-Saxon terminology) is often presented as one of the most important employees within the organisation, along with the general director (sometimes referred to as the administrator, or CEO, in the Anglo-Saxon terminology). They are responsible for the link between business strategy and financial markets, with a view to creating shareholder value on a long-term sustainability framework.
As a rule, in SMEs the general director or its administrator, accumulate the finance function with the decisions of current and strategic management. For them, the course of financial management brings a set of extremely important management tools, especially in view of the relationship with creditors, customers, suppliers and even external consultants and financial experts who advise them in the analysis of the strategy viability and evaluating investment options. Also for these, the financial management course is a form of enrichment skills, enabling them to offer high value-added service.
In a company the responsible for the financial area must be in possession of a technical and quantitative knowledge in order to assess the impact of various policy options and, based on a rigorous cost-benefit analysis, support the decision-making process, guiding the choices for business performance and create value. Analysis and risk management are part of his responsibilities, alongside project evaluation, relations with creditors and shareholders, and the choice and negotiation of financing operations that add more value to the company.