DON’T LET YOUR FEAR OF FINANCE GET IN THE WAY OF YOUR SUCCESS Can you prepare a breakeven analysis? Do you know the difference between an income statement and a balance sheet? Or understand why a business that’s profitable can still go belly-up? Has your grasp of your company’s numbers helped—or hurt—your career? Whether you’re new to finance or you just need a refresher, this go-to guide will give you the tools and confidence you need to master the fundamentals, as all good managers must. The HBR Guide to Finance Basics for Managers will help you: Learn the language of finance Compare your firm’s financials with rivals’ Shift your team’s focus from revenues to profits Assess your vulnerability to industry downturns Use financial data to defend budget requests Invest smartly through cost/benefit analysis
Don't let a fear of numbers hold you back. Today's business environment brings with it an onslaught of data. Now more than ever, managers must know how to tease insight from data--to understand where the numbers come from, make sense of them, and use them to inform tough decisions. How do you get started? Whether you're working with data experts or running your own tests, you'll find answers in the HBR Guide to Data Analytics Basics for Managers. This book describes three key steps in the data analysis process, so you can get the information you need, study the data, and communicate your findings to others. You'll learn how to: Identify the metrics you need to measure Run experiments and A/B tests Ask the right questions of your data experts Understand statistical terms and concepts Create effective charts and visualizations Avoid common mistakes
Based on a popular class taught by a Harvard Business School professor. If you're not a numbers person, then finance can be intimidating and easy to ignore. But if you want to advance in your career, you'll need to make smart financial decisions and develop the confidence to clearly communicate those decisions to others. In How Finance Works, Mihir Desai--a professor at Harvard Business School and author of The Wisdom of Finance--guides you into the complex but endlessly fascinating world of finance, demystifying it in the process. Through entertaining case studies, interactive exercises, full-color visuals, and a conversational style that belies the topic, Professor Desai tackles a broad range of topics that will give you the knowledge and skills you need to finally understand how finance works. These include: How different financial levers can affect a company's performance The different ways in which companies fund their operations and investments Why finance is more concerned with cash flow than profits How value is created, measured, and maximized The importance of capital markets in helping companies grow Whether you're a student or a manager, an aspiring CFO or an entrepreneur, How Finance Works is the colorful and interactive guide you need to help you start thinking more deeply about the numbers.
"Filled with crystal-clear examples, the book helps you understand: balance sheets and income/cash flow statements; annual reports; fixed-cost and variable-cost issues; financial analysis, budgeting, and forecasting; and much more"--Back cover.
The book Finance for Executives: A Practical Guide for Managers meets the needs of global executives, both finance as well as non-financial managers. It is a practical and fundamental finance reference book for any manager, as it makes a perfect balance of financial management theory and practice. It focuses on corporate finance concepts from value creation to derivatives, including cost of capital (and WACC), valuation, financing policies, project evaluation, and many other essential finance definitions. Finance for Executives makes finance simple and intuitive, through the use of real world data (brief company case studies and empirical examples of concepts), Excel financial modelling tools, and practical short chapters. Target Audience This finance book is appropriate for business executives, from all backgrounds, seeking to Focus on the links between financial management and the strategy of their company, be it a private or publicly traded company Discover how to create value for their company and boost its financial performance Understand the key topics of corporate finance for non-financial managers Create a cost of capital culture within a company Refresh and broaden their understanding of the latest financial concepts and tools Learn about financial management for decision makers - including financing and dividend policies, company valuation, mergers and acquisitions (M&As), project evaluation, cost of capital (WACC) estimation, or risk management and derivatives Finance for Executives is suited as a finance textbook for corporate finance programs, executive education courses, as well as in MBA, master's, and executive MBA programs. Indeed, the book is based on many years of executive education and consulting with world-class corporations from all continents of the world. What Is This Book About? Finance should be fun, and practical as well. With this book at hand, you will have access to a set of tools that will help you develop your intuition for solving key financial problems, improve your business decisions, and formulate strategies. This finance for managers' reference book is based on Simplicity - The core concepts in corporate finance are simple, and will become intuitively clear after using this book Conciseness - The chapters are short and self-contained to appeal to busy executives who are keen on value-added activities Practical focus - The key concepts of financial management are explained (and linked to Excel modelling tools), while you learn to identify the problems and pitfalls of different managerial choices Application of theory to practice - It highlights key academic research results that are relevant for practitioners Real-world focus - The book includes empirical data on several companies and industries around the world. Working with real-world problems and real-world data is more fruitful than theoretical discussions on formulas Excel Templates An Excel spreadsheet containing all the financial models used in the different chapters is available for download from the book's website. Practitioners will find the file easy to customize to their own requirements. It is useful in a variety of situations: value creation and its decomposition into managerial drivers or key performance indicators (KPIs), cost of capital (WACC) estimation, project evaluation, mergers and acquisitions, company valuation, derivatives valuation, etc. Editorial Reviews An excellent teach-yourself finance primer for non-financial executives, and, I dare say, even for most finance executives. Ravi Kant, Vice Chairman, Tata Motors, India The finance reference book for the desk of ANY manager. Michel Demaré, Chairman of the Board, Syngenta, Switzerland The perfect balance of practice and theory. Geert Bekaert, Professor of Finance, Columbia Business School, USA A key tool to improve your business decisions. Thilo Mannhardt, CEO of Ultrapar, Brazil Finance for Executives is easy to follow, and makes a boring subject actually quite exciting. Severin Schwan, CEO, Roche Group, Switzerland A must-have for your list of favorites. José Manuel Campa, Professor of Finance, IESE Business School, Spain
In the current environment of cut-throat competition, razor-thin profit margins, and increasing scrutiny from stakeholders, mastering the fundamentals of financial management is a must for everyone with a stake in their companies and in their own professional futures. Packed with step-by-step examples and illustrative case studies, and updated to reflect the latest trends in the economy and in financial policy, Finance and Accounting for Nonfinancial Managers is a nuts-and-bolts guide for managers, entrepreneurs, seasoned executives, teachers, and students alike. Featuring new commentary on corporate accountability, updated interactive templates, study questions, and an online instructor's guide, this new edition covers all the key aspects of financial management.
Personal Finance for beginners. Your personal finance is your number one money priority in your life to get rich. Making small changes can lead to big financial outcomes, even to becoming a millionaire. We will explore 50 different personal finance tips that will not only boost your income, but will also make you more financially savvy, confident and prepared. Start now and change your financial future. I will be sharing with you things that pertain to how you can save money. Why am I doing this? Why is it so important that you know how to save money? Why can’t we just spend all the money and income that we make from our hard work and not think about tomorrow? Before we get to solutions, I want you to know that the financial world is a volatile one, as such, anyone who wants to survive the volatility that comes with it must be armed with the right mindset, steps and tips. You will discover the secrets to maintaining financial health which will also benefit you in other areas of life.
Explains what business numbers mean and why they matter, and addresses issues that have become more important in recent years, including questions about the financial crisis and accounting literacy.
