This week, we begin to explore the connection between strategy, tactics, operations, and the numbers that demonstrate the financial health of our organization. The role of management accounting in this context is also drawn into the discussion here. As is the nature of our role as managers in having to interpret technical accounting analysis on one hand and to influence strategic change on another. We will explore the value of management accounting information in this context, as well as the ways in which its practical application can assist in value generation within our firm. From there, we are laying down the foundations for considering how future budgets and other forecasts can be generated in order to provide a roadmap for future performance ambitions. From there, our broader management team, as well as the board of our organization can consider what changes, if any, should be made to the strategy of the organization or its risk appetite in order to best capitalize on available market opportunities in the foreseeable future. This demonstrates how our analytical skills can enhance the value that we contribute to our organizations as managers. The links between this part of the course and others are primarily the notion of using financial data at various levels of the organization. To do this well, we need to appreciate what the drivers of performance and financial health are from a top-down and bottom-up perspective, which enables us to clearly understand outcomes as well as to set objectives from one financial year to the next. As such, this week is about bringing a wide range of numbers to life. The more familiar you become with observing trends in business practice and the ways in which these appear in financial statements, the better you will be at assessing the health or otherwise of a given organization, as well as to consider what steps will be the most powerful in enhancing organizational value in the future.