DK Essential Managers: Understanding Accounts

by Brookson, Stephen; Hayward, Adele

• ISBN13: 9780789471499
• ISBN10: 0789471493
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-02-28
• Publisher: DK Publishing, Inc.

Summary

Learn how to understand financial terms and documents and read and interpret company accounts. Understanding Accounts not only explains the functions of the profit and loss account, the balance sheet and the cash flow statement and forecast, but also shows how they are constructed and how they fit together to reveal a complete picture of an organization's performance. Power tips reveal how to get behind the figures and understand the true significance of financial information. The Essential Managers have sold more than 1.9 million copies worldwide! Experienced and novice managers alike can benefit from these compact guides that slip easily into a briefcase or a portfolio. The topics are relevant to every work environment, from large corporations to small businesses. Concise treatments of dozens of business techniques, skills, methods, and problems are presented with hundreds of photos, charts, and diagrams. It is the most exciting and accessible approach to business and self-improvement available.

Author Biography

Stephen Brookson qualified as a chartered accountant with KPMG and went to work for Ernst & Young before setting up his own management and training consultancy. He has presented seminars and training events in many countries, and he is the author of Mastering Financial Management and Managing Budgets.

Table of Contents

Introduction	4	(2)
Understanding the Basics
Explaining Accounts	6	(2)
Who Uses Accounts?	8	(2)
Examining Regulations and Practice	10	(2)
Defining Key Concepts	12	(2)
Mastering Accounts
Understanding a Profit and Loss Account	14	(2)
Looking at Gross Profit	16	(2)
Determining Operating Profit	18	(2)
Evaluating the Bottom Line	20	(2)
Understanding Balance Sheets	22	(2)
Examining Fixed Assets	24	(4)
Working with Current Assets	28	(4)
Understanding Liabilities	32	(2)
Analyzing Shareholders' Funds	34	(2)
Using Cash Flow Statements	36	(4)
Producing Cash Flow Forecasts	40	(2)
Measuring Performance
Understanding Ratios	42	(2)
Analyzing a Profit and Loss Account	44	(2)
Reading a Balance Sheet	46	(2)
Understanding Investors' Ratios	48	(2)
Gathering More Information	50	(2)
Broadening Your Knowledge
Exploring International Issues	52	(2)
Looking at Common Problems	54	(2)
Recognizing Creative Accounting	56	(2)
Benefiting From Management Accounts	58	(4)
Making Future Financial Decisions	62	(4)
Assessing Your Accounting Skills	66	(4)
Index	70	(2)
Acknowledgments	72