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Business Acumen for Bank Managers
Program Objective:
To enable a Bank Managers ( applicable to all roles ) to continually cultivate his knowledge and
understanding of how businesses and organizations run at every level, improve his ability to make
good judgments and quick decisions each day. These abilities also help him think more innovatively
about the challenges he may encounter and help him find innovative solutions for solving them. This
will help him to make an impact in his role in improving business results of his Branch and therefore
contribute to the Bank.
Business Acumen Program will particularly help the Bank Managers to:
 Deepen their knowledge of how the banking business works in the business world.
 Recognize the most important drivers for reaching Bank’s objectives and how to
 focus on those drivers.
 Understand their role in the organization, their impact on the bank’s business, and how to
 make more informed business decisions which will improve bottom-line of the bank.
 Put themselves in the shoes of Top Management of the bank who are often required to take
decisions.
 Be more effective as a team member and support team-building among others at the Branch.
 Improve their strategic thinking and therefore, the Bank in the long run.
Methodology:
The methodology will consist of multiple tools such as lectures, case study, discussions and role plays.
Participants would be enabled to increase their business acumen by experiencing business flow,
functional Inter -relationships, and made to appreciate how decision making in one area has a ripple
effect across the entire bank—which eventually impacts the bottom line and profitability.
During the program, participants will be made to face realistic scenarios that require them to evaluate
business situations, apply sound decision-making, analyze the results, and learn from the conclusions
drawn.

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Program Design
Day 1
Session 1: Introduction
 What is business acumen? Why is it important?
 Understanding of how a bank operates its business.
 Role of a Bank Manager in the Bank.
 Understanding the direct connection between what a Bank Manager does every day and how it
impacts the Bank’s success?
Session 2: Environment Analysis
 Economic environment analysis of a Bank’s Branch.
 What are the drivers that move your Branch’s business?
 What you know about Bank’s business and how you act upon what you know.
 SWOT Analysis of a Typical Branch.
Session 3: Case Study/Business simulation
Case study/group discussions to highlight how to make decisions in the daily business for generation
of revenues/keeping in mind the costs associated with those revenues throughout the services value
chain. In this regard, focus will be on:
 Strategies—choose a strategy and execute decisions associated with it
 Revenues—impact on revenues /assets through forecasting decisions
 Customer Service—capacity utilization and impact on cash flow and results
 Events and Consequences—sustaining profitability in a turbulent business environment, how
to secure lower costs by improving efficiency, and how to increase revenue in a tough
competitive arena
 Risks—manage external events
Session 4: Role Play: Simulation of Branch Level situations
Group exercises that ensure participants get hands-on experience applying strategic and tactical
solutions to key business issues, and make them well equipped to handle similar situations at their
Bank.
Feedback /analysis of the performance.

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Day 2
Session 1
 Financial literacy and business acumen: Same or different?
 Understanding Financial Statements: A must for all Bank Managers.
 How Bank Manager’s actions and behavior impact financial decision-making.
 How such decisions affect financial outcomes at the Branch and the corporate level.
Session 2
Industry and Business Analysis (Tools and Techniques)
 Macro-Economic Analysis
 Industry and Market Analysis (Product, Market, Growth Rate, Players, Competition, Logistics)
 Business Risk-Company Business Analysis (Power of Suppliers, Customers, New Competitors,
Substitute Products, intensity of competition, Value Chain)
Customer Analysis:
 Management Analysis (Owner- Manager, Promoter’s holdings, Excessive Contingent
Liabilities, Previous bankruptcies or arrangements with creditors, flamboyant or excessive
lifestyles by promoters, market reputation on promoters).
 Technical, Operations, Marketing, Staff and PR efforts.
Session 3:
Case Study:
Participants will study and analyse some proposals. For example, with the given brief and financials
of a Company, participants will learn to make quick assessment, using other non-financial
information/parameters for taking decision to consider it further.
Session 4:
Discussion on case lets and conclusion.
Case-lets on various types of Bank Situations involving decision making.
Analysis / discussion on their performance and conclusion.