The Portable MBA in Finance and Accounting

The latest volume in the bestselling series In today's business environment, a knowledge of finance and skills in budgeting and financial planning are more important than ever before. Totally updated and revised, this highly anticipated Third Edition provides new information on five such key topics as interpreting financial statements; information technology in finance; planning capital expenditures; information technology and your firm; business valuation, and much more. Top experts in each field explain the basics of cost--volume analysis, forecasts, and budgets, and reveal how to create a winning business plan. Ideal reading for any manager or executive who needs a "refresher course" in finance. Les Livingstone, PhD, MBA, CPA (West Palm Beach, FL), runs a national consulting firm which specializes in complex business research and expert testimony in large commercial lawsuits. He was chairman of the Division of Accounting and Law at Babson College. Theodore Grossman (Wellesley, MA) is a senior member of the faculty of Babson College with an appointment in information technology and accounting.

This Second Edition of The Portable MBA in Finance and Accounting brings you all the in–depth, authoritative coverage of its bestselling predecessor–expanded and updated–plus an important selection of new topics crucial to business success. It′s the ideal resource for every manager and professional who needs to use numbers as business tools, gain competitive advantage, and manage the enterprise more efficiently.

John Leslie Livingstone has reassembled his all–star lineup of leading professors and practitioners in finance, accounting, and law from across the United States. These experts provide practical, jargon–free explanations of key finance and accounting topics. Special features of this new edition include: New chapters
∗ Computers and information technology in F&A
∗ Analyzing income statements
∗ Managing financial risk

Broad coverage
∗ Understanding financial statements
∗ Financial forecasting and budgeting
∗ Break–even and cost–volume–profit analyses
∗ Product pricing
∗ Strategies to minimize business income tax
∗ Evaluating an acquisition target
∗ Managing foreign exchange risk exposure– and much more

Versatility
∗ Applies to large corporations, midsize companies, and start–ups
∗ Useful in nonprofit organizations as well as businesses
∗ Helps sales, service, production, and marketing managers speak the language of F&A experts

The Portable MBA in Finance and Accounting, Second Edition offers a five–star education at a take–out price. Whether you read it cover–to–cover, use it as a handy reference, or both, it helps you ask the right questions and understand the answers you receive. Best of all, it′s a practical toolkit for measuring and improving your business.

The Portable MBA Series

The Portable MBA, with over 350,000 copies sold, continues to provide instant "MBA literacy" to managers, professionals, and business owners. Wiley′s Portable MBA Series takes this idea one step further by providing readers with a continuing business education. Titles provide comprehensive coverage of the primary business functions taught in MBA programs, as well as focused coverage of today′s vital business topics.

Praise for the First Edition:

"Straight from second–year business school courses, the book is full of up–to–date financial and managerial information that will help transform your company from start–up to blue–chip." –Entrepreneur

"Practical, useful, and accessible. Of immense use to everyone in both business and nonprofit organizations, from the smallest start–up, to the largest corporation." –Eliza G. C. Collins Center for Executive Education, former Senior Editor, Harvard Business Review

Here′s a complete step–by–step course in "executive number–crunching" for busy managers and professionals who don′t have time for a formal MBA program. Written by a team of top business school professors, this book acquaints you with the financial and accounting concepts, strategies, tools, and techniques used at today′s leading corporations. And, thanks to its practical, real–world approach and jargon–free language, readers with no prior background in finance and accounting quickly learn how to:
∗ Read and interpret financial statements
∗ Develop and use sophisticated cost–analysis tools
∗ Perform financial forecasting and budgeting
∗ Create sound business plans
∗ Use proven strategies for minimizing business income tax
∗ Master the pros and cons of going public
∗ Evaluate and act on mergers and acquisitions
∗ Manage foreign exchange risk exposure
∗ And much more

Read The Portable MBA in Finance and Accounting and learn how to use sophisticated financial and accounting tools to manage your enterprise more efficiently.

Get the expertise without the expense from an all–star team including:
∗ Jeffry A. Timmons, Harvard Business School
∗ William W. Alberts, University of Washington
∗ Eugene E. Comiskey and Charles W. Mulford, Georgia Institute of Technology
∗ William C. Lawler, Babson College
∗ Les Heitger, Indiana University
∗ Robert Anthony, Harvard Business School