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Start / Cost Control for Maximizing Results
Open Executive Program Finance and Control Management

Cost Control for Maximizing Results

Increase efficiency without losing effectiveness.

Apply
Next Edition
20 of october, 2027
duration
24 hours
language
Portuguese
investment
1500€
Mode of study
On campus
Download Brochure

Cutting costs without destroying value takes more than cuts. It takes diagnosis, financial judgement and the ability to execute.

Today’s competitive context demands a more rigorous reading of the organization’s cost structure, profitability and efficiency levers. Pressure on margins, high cost of capital, input inflation and rising labour costs increase the need for cost reduction programs that are structured and sustainable rather than one-off.

Cost reduction only creates value when it distinguishes structural costs from discretionary costs, protects the value proposition and involves the right areas in execution. For finance, operations and business unit leaders, the ability to diagnose, prioritize and sustain gains has become a critical skill.

70%+

of cost reduction programs fail to meet their targets

PwC, Deloitte and McKinsey studies

Margins under structural pressure

moderate growth, above-trend inflation and a high cost of capital

European Commission, Spring Forecast 2025

What Is This Program About?

  • Diagnose strategic costs

    Understand the role of costs in the organization’s strategy and value creation models.

  • Analyze real profitability

    Assess profitability by customer, product and process to identify where margin is created and where it is lost.

  • Apply efficiency levers

    Use tools such as target costing, throughput and spend analysis across commercial, procurement, production and support functions.

  • Optimize assets and inventories

    Make decisions on inventories, obsolete stock and fixed assets based on return, lifecycle and financial impact.

  • Design cost reduction programs

    Define scope, stakeholders, team, governance and change management to sustain gains over time.

Skills to Develop

Strategic Cost Analysis Customer and Product Profitability Pricing and Margin Spend Analysis & Target Costing Change Program Management Financial Decision-Making

Expected Outcomes

  • For you

    Greater capacity to identify which costs to cut and which to protect, with a clear reading of the value proposition and the impact on competitiveness.

    More robust criteria for analyzing profitability by customer, product and process, with greater clarity on where margin is created or destroyed.

    Command of key cost reduction tools applied to commercial, procurement, production and support functions.

    Greater capacity to design and govern end-to-end programs, with stakeholders, planning, change management and monitoring.

  • For your organization

    Better-informed cost reduction decisions, with lower risk of eroding revenue, service quality and the value proposition.

    Structural improvement in margin and profitability by business unit, product, customer and process.

    Efficiency programs with a higher probability of success, supported by governance, metrics and change management.

    A shared financial language between operational functions and management control areas, with less friction in implementation.

Who Is This Program For?

Middle-management professionals who need to analyze costs, improve margins and lead efficiency programs without compromising the organization’s value proposition.

  • Heads of business or support units

    Profiles with responsibility for results, margin and efficiency, who need to identify cost reduction opportunities with sustainable impact.

  • CFOs and Controllers

    Professionals directly involved in profitability analysis, management control and the creation of cost reduction programs.

  • Directors of Operations, Procurement, Logistics and Production

    Leaders with direct impact on operational cost structures, who need a more solid financial reading to prioritize efficiency measures.

  • Technical staff

    Professionals looking to develop cost diagnosis and analysis skills.

  • Consultants

    External professionals with a mandate over operational efficiency and margin optimization.

3 Reasons to Choose This Program

  • An intensive executive format

    24 hours across six half-day sessions, compatible with demanding schedules and geared towards immediate application in your professional context.

  • Leadership with a dual perspective

    Led by Vasco Viana, faculty member at FEP and Porto Business School, with management consulting experience at PwC.

  • Cost reduction with strategic judgement

    Focus on identifying what to cut, what to protect and how to improve results without compromising competitiveness or service quality.

Apply now

Program Structure

24 hours in a face-to-face format, across six weekly half-day sessions.

Vasco Viana

The Cost Reduction Process
The organization’s strategy and the need to reduce costs; the key questions; the main cost classes; cost reduction policies, priorities and decisions; analysis of critical processes; reports and metrics.

Vasco Viana

Cost Reduction and Results Maximization Potential Across the Organization’s Functions
Customers and products; analysis of pricing strategies; the marketing and sales functions; the procurement and production functions; analysis tools: target costing, throughput analysis and spend analysis; metrics.

Vasco Viana

Reducing Costs Related to Fixed Assets
Inventories; inventory classification and analysis of obsolete stock; analysis tools: bill of materials; other fixed assets; analysis of acquisition, installation, scale and functionality; metrics.

Vasco Viana

The Cost Reduction Program
Scope; stakeholder analysis, risk identification and mitigation; planning, team and operating rules; change management and monitoring.

Experience immersive learning

The program brings learning closer to real cost control challenges, with case analysis, application to each participant’s own context and hands-on exercises in designing cost reduction programs.

01 · Real cases

Structured analysis

Discussion of cost reduction operations and programs carried out in Portuguese companies across industry, retail and services.

02 · Practical application

Participants’ own contexts

Each participant applies the program’s tools to their organization’s challenges, with group discussion.

03 · Workshop

Program design

Applied exercise in structuring a cost reduction program, covering scope, stakeholders, planning and governance.

Program Director

LinkedIn profile

Faculty member at FEP and lecturer and program director at Porto Business School. He was a Senior Manager in PwC’s Management Consulting Division and a founding team member of Sociedade Portuguesa de Inovação, S.A.

His areas of expertise include business strategy and management control.

Vasco Viana

Program Director
LinkedIn profile

Customize this program for your team

Get in touch with our Corporate Solutions team

Learn more

Applications

Admission is subject to the availability of places, so we recommend that you submit your application as early as possible.

  • Application stages

    Early Bird | Up to 1 month before the program starts
    1.425€

    Application deadline | Up to 1 week before the program starts
    1.500€

  • Included in the fee

    • Class support materials
    • Coffee breaks on training days
    • Covered parking
    • Certificate of completion

  • Special conditions

    Porto Business School Alumni, University of Porto Alumni and associated companies benefit from special conditions.

    Contact the Admissions team for more information.

Apply now

Certificate of Excellence

Become a reference in the field

Proof of excellence in General Management & Strategy or Finance & Management Control upon completing 90 hours of training in one of these areas within 24 months.

  • More informed decisions, with an integrated view of the role
  • A distinctive profile for leadership and transformation roles
  • Credibility with teams, suppliers and partners

Benefit from up to 25% off the total tuition value.

Learn more

Contacts

Still have questions? Our team is here to help.

Rankings

38 th
FT European Business Schools
28 th
European Business School Ranking [Open]
33 th
European Business School Ranking [Custom]
56 th
European Business School Ranking [MBA]

Accreditations

With three international accreditations – AMBA (Association of MBAs), AACSB and EFMD – Porto Business School is among the best business schools in Europe. In 2023, the school renewed its AMBA accreditation for another five years and obtained BGA (Business Graduates Association) accreditation, becoming the first Portuguese business school to achieve this recognition.

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