Vlerick Expertise in Accounting & Finance

Over the past decade, the economic environment has been characterised by high-profile business scandals and failures, in which different company stakeholders were involved. In July 2007, the world entered the most profound and disruptive crisis since 1929. Initially originating in the US, it has evolved into a deep and complex crisis at global level, resulting in significant economic damage. Lack of market transparency, the abrupt downgrading of credit ratings and the failure of Lehman Brothers have initiated a global breakdown of trust.

The Wal-Mart case is intended for an introductory or main course on Financial Statement Analysis. It may also be useful within a Corporate Finance/Financial Management course. After a class on financial statements and liquidity, profitability and solvency ratios – and some brief examples discussed by the lecturer – students should be capable of making a financial analysis of Wal-Mart.

Performance management and business support will be the most important trends in the next three to five years when it comes to the work of a CFO. This is the conclusion of research carried out by Vlerick Business School and financial service provider TriFinance as part of a three-year research project aimed at providing more insight into the role of the CFO in the future.

Start-up companies often lack financial resources. But through well-considered and creative organisation, they can use their limited resources to achieve a maximal result. This is called ‘bootstrapping’ – using whatever means are at hand to pursue and achieve your objectives. Research has shown that this effort ultimately stimulates the company’s growth.