/ Sponsorship Business Case

Sponsorship Business Case

To participate in an executive development program:

Professional Banking Program (PBP)

leading to the FICB designation

Prepared by

(name and title)

Prepared for

(name and title)

Date:

The CSI Professional Banking Program (PBP) is a graduate level executive development program that is unique in Canada. Its primary focus is to provide a detailed understanding of the main recurrent issues faced by managers of financial institutions in addition to providing a solid business background. It addresses the necessary and relevant concepts, skills and competencies to manage efficient and effective financial services units in a globally competitive environment.

The Professional Banking Program courses can earn advanced standing in the MBA Financial Services degree awarded by Dalhousie University and Université du Québec à Montréal (UQÀM).

Program Description

The Professional Banking Program’s complete integration of the six key knowledge areas necessary for success in today’s global marketplace makes the direct link to the real world and your daily circumstances, and delivers the competencies needed in today’s leaders.

The integration course solidifies this knowledge and enables you to apply your managerial and leadership skills in a real-life business situation.

The four core courses – Human Resources Management, Bank Financial Risk Management, Financial Services Marketing, and Information Technology – are designed to connect and complement each other, and teach how to harness available resources to maximize competitive advantage.

Strategic Thinking provides the skills to create and adjust your vision and its executable business plan. Global Financial Systems and Markets provides the environmental scan and positions the learning in the world context. A cohesive and all-embracing picture of the financial world takes shape.

With the direct application of your learning to a real business challenge facing your workplace, your efforts come to fruition in the form of the final course – FICB Integrative Project. In this way, the skills and knowledge learned become dynamic tools for real professional development, on both the local and global scale, and you are taken to new professional heights. Your implemented project immediately recoups the initial financial investment while raising your profile and setting the scene for your continued success.

Program Structure – Seven Courses
  1. Human Resources Management
  2. Global Financial Systems and Markets
  3. Financial Services Marketing
  4. Using Information Technology to Gain Competitive Advantage
  5. Bank Financial Risk Management
  6. Strategic Thinking
  7. FICB Integrative Project

Fellow, Institute of Canadian Bankers (FICB) Designation

Attending the Program

The first six courses of the program provide a blended learning experience. These courses combine a multi-week distance portion, which includes reading, e-learning sessions and online assignments and case preparation with a four-to-five day intensive, residential classroom portion that includes lectures, presentations, group work, case studies and final exam.

The seventh course is a capstone course that is based on a real business issue occurring in the workplace. An academic advisor assists in selecting the project topic and developing the business case and steps to successful implementation within (insert the name of your financial institution). As such, the program is grounded in reality and will directly benefit my job.

Personal Benefits
  • Gain in-depth knowledge of the key issues faced by senior management and come away equipped with the concepts, skills and competencies necessary to manage an efficient and effective financial services unit.
  • Anticipate future trends and adjust strategies to changing conditions.
  • Make the most effective use of resources and develop solid relationships with clients.
  • Develop skills in teamwork, leadership, communications and decision-making.
  • Excel in my career, by widening my network and discussing ideas and concepts with my peers and learning from their experience.
  • Join over 10,000 other financial services professionals who have been granted the Fellow, Institute of Canadian Bankers (FICB) designation.
  • Opportunity to pursue the MBA Financial Services program offered by Dalhousie University and position myself to earn my MBA in the future.
Organizational Benefits
  • Bring innovative ideas and tools to my unit and improve my organization’s overall performance.
  • Increase my level of sales by making effective use of resources and using the relationship marketing approach to better serve and retain our customers.
  • Increase our organizational productivity and effectiveness through the strategic use of information.
  • Recognize and analyze human resource management problems and devise creative and effective solutions.
  • Contribute to the growth of the organization by implementing the FICB Integrative Project. Successful implementation will result in the initial financial investment made by the organization being recovered.

The CSI Professional Banking Program is a good fit for me and theorganization

  • Immediate term (Indicate how participation in this program will contribute to realizing your specific, short-term performance objectives)
  • Long term (Indicate how participation in this program will contribute to realizing your specific, long-term performance objectives and career aspirations)
  • Past Achievements (Cite examples of work quality, special projects, achievements, areas of increased responsibility, recognition received, other educational experience. Here you demonstrate your commitment to the organization, and make the link to how the program will allow you to build on these achievements and contribute to your personal and professional growth)

Why CSI is the right choice

The Professional Banking Program directly links our industry and my role. Each course is delivered by highly respected instructors who have been chosen for their academic proficiency, practical experience and familiarity with the latest developments in strategic management applied in a financial services context.

Each and every course delivers practical and immediately applicable tools and skills in key strategic management areas. Dollar for dollar it is an efficient and effective use of professional development funds and can receive advanced standing in the MBA Financial Services from Dalhousie University.

In comparison with some other well-known executive development programs offered across the country (such as Queens, Ivey and Simon Fraser), I have found that CSI’s Professional Banking Program is one of the only programs that:

  • Is directly relevant to financial services institutions by design. Other programs cover many industries that are not necessarily relevant to the management of financial institutions.
  • Results in a formal diploma and professional designation – Fellow, Institute of Canadian Bankers - rather than the certificate of completion offered by many providers.
  • Earns university course credits that are fully transferable to a specialized full MBA Financial Services degree. In most cases other executive development courses are seminar format and do not count for university credit.
  • Covers each major management topic in depth and as a university accredited graduate level course complete with examination instead of the more commonly delivered seminar formats.
  • Allows you the flexibility to pursue each program course as your schedule permits and ensures you can apply newly developed skills before proceeding on to the next topic.

Resources Required

Time Investment

Considering that the first six courses include a residential session that generally runs over the weekend, I estimate the number of days that I would be out of the office to a total of seventeen days spread over the next two to three years (five courses for a period of three business days each and one for two business days). Concerning my study time prior to each residential session, including my readings and the completion of the assignments, I estimate that I will have to study 30-to-40 hours per course on my own time evenings and weekends.

Explain how you think you will compensate for time taken from the job and how your time away on course will not negatively impact job performance and achievement of goals and objectives.

Financial Investment

Annual

Based on completing three courses per year (adjust the number of courses as it relates to your intended schedule), it will take me two and a half years to complete the entire program and earn the FICB designation. The expected annual investment would be:

Tuition $1945 or $1995 x _n__ = i

Travel $_____x _n__ = I

Total

I expect the organization’s total financial investment for the entire program to be:

Tuition of $13,715 for seven courses includingboth distance andin-class course fees as well as all learning material, both online and paper-based.

Travel of $_____ for six residential sessions. It is anticipated that the entire financial commitment will be fully recovered through improved performance and the implementation of the capstone case study-FICB Integrative Project. (For more information please see the ROI section below).

Organizational Support (Describe how your manager and the organization can support you during the process(one form of help can be the manager’s involvement in selecting the project topic and business issue and supporting its implementation).

Return on Investment (ROI)

Short Term:

Each of the Professional Banking Program courses addresses a specific area of strategic management and is structured in such a way that significant practical skills and tools learned will be of immediate use in the workplace. At the end of each course, I fully expect to be able to apply these new tools, approaches, ideas and concepts immediately resulting in an improvement in my performance as well as that of others.

Long term:

By implementing the findings of the FICB Integrative Project, the initial financial investment made by the organization will be recovered. The assigned parameters of the FICB integrative project include yielding a minimum $20,000 net gain, either through cost savings or increased revenues.

Ongoing long-term returns may also include:

  • Improved use of organizational resources to achieve goals and objectives
  • The proper management of staff that may reduce turnover and assist in maintenance of morale and longevity of corporate memory
  • Increased understanding of global financial markets that can result in innovative solutions adapted to our organization
  • Profitable implementation of marketing plans and products that better serve the needs of both our customers and our organization
Summary

In summary, I consider myself to be a good candidate for sponsorship for the following reasons:

1)

2)

3)

Approved by
(insert approving manager’s name)
Position
Employee’s Signature / Manager’s Signature
Date / Date