Editing The link between bookkeeping, bananas and financial literacy

<p>A seasoned strategy manager once told me &ldquo;All CEOs are monkeys, but they are the ones that control the bananas, so respect them&rdquo;. The connection between bananas and bookkeeping courses is definitely not an obvious one, so bear with me.</p>
<p><img style="box-shadow: 0px 0px 5px #AAA; border: 5px solid #FFF; width: 435px;" src="../images/articles/2014/Dec/Bookkeeping-to-Trial-Balance.jpg" alt="Bookkeeping Courses" /></p>
<p>This specific strategy manager has really been around the block and knew what he was talking about. He&rsquo;d sat in on some very important board meetings and had been a CEO himself at one point. So it was a little odd that he would refer to himself in what I thought was a very negative way.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>But consider this: the basics of most businesses, in terms of their operations, procedures, methods of conducting business and overall strategy can all be found in one place, the books. This is where primary [../programmes/short-learning/bookkeeping-to-trial-balance <strong>financial literacy</strong>] starts. Although it is the basics of business, it is also the foundation &ndash; and it is where a business can &ldquo;speak&rdquo; to you with a very clear voice.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>This made me realise that apart from the tongue-in-cheek side of his observation there is the very real element of progression. You start with the basic aspect of understanding a business to get a better view at the top of the tree. Here the accounting, financial and strategic parts of business can be understood from reading the books.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>So although you might start off with recording cash transactions, doing bank reconciliation and general ledger reconciliation, you&rsquo;re giving yourself the opportunity to progress. The basics are your foundation which can only give you a foothold for that next step.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>At The Business School at Varsity College, we provide tuition support for the Bookkeeping to Trial Balance programme, which is certified by the Institute of Certified Bookkeepers (ICB). This programme is 10 weeks long, internationally recognised by the organisations as shown in the ICB&rsquo;s prospectus and looks at subjects such as source documents, inventory systems and recording cash transactions. The exact subjects will depend on the programme.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>The Business School is part of Varsity College, an educational brand of The Independent institute of education, which is registered as a Private Higher Education Institution with the Department of Education under the Higher Education Act 1997. The IIE is South Africa&rsquo;s largest independent provider of tertiary education.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>If you&rsquo;re interested in this programme, or any other programme please contact us at The Business School at Varsity College, or go to [../ www.thebusinessschool.co.za].</p>