Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

They made you a manager because you're good at what you do. What you don't do is numbers. Until now. From now on, the numbers matter - they're what you'll be judged by. Understand the numbers and you'll be a more effective manager.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• About the author (p. v)
• Acknowledgements (p. vi)
• How to use this book (p. xv)
• Introduction (p. xvii)
• 1 The journey starts here (p. 1)
• Chapter survival toolkit (p. 2)
• Start here (p. 3)
• The website (p. 7)
• Divided by a common language (p. 7)
• The plan of the book (p. 8)
• I want to manage better (p. 10)
• 2 Where managers and numbers meet (p. 11)
• Chapter survival toolkit (p. 12)
• Figuring better ways to manage (p. 13)
• Reporting responsibilities (p. 17)
• Ten hard questions to ask or be asked (p. 23)
• Checklist (p. 23)
• Conclusion (p. 24)
• 3 How the finance director thinks (p. 25)
• Chapter survival toolkit (p. 26)
• The second oldest profession? (p. 27)
• Hard questions to ask about your finance department (p. 37)
• Conclusion (p. 37)
• 4 The financial wizard's toolbox (p. 39)
• Chapter survival toolkit (p. 40)
• Power on your PC (p. 41)
• The power of PCs (p. 41)
• What's in the electronic toolbox? (p. 42)
• So what is this spreadsheet thing? (p. 43)
• What you need to bring to the party (p. 44)
• No rodents (p. 44)
• How to excel at numbers (p. 45)
• Your first day at the office (p. 48)
• Ten hard questions to ask or be asked (p. 56)
• Conclusion (p. 56)
• 5 Explaining and reporting (p. 57)
• Chapter survival toolkit (p. 58)
• Understand better, report better (p. 59)
• A picture tells a thousand words (p. 59)
• How to cheat with charts (p. 62)
• Significant accuracy (p. 63)
• When numbers talk (p. 66)
• When it is worth weighting (p. 71)
• Comparisons (p. 72)
• Ten hard questions to ask or be asked (p. 74)
• What's next? (p. 74)
• 6 How money grows (p. 75)
• Chapter survival toolkit (p. 76)
• Investment arithmetic (p. 77)
• Interesting growth rates (p. 78)
• The time value of money (p. 81)
• Bumpy trends (p. 85)
• Putting it to good use (p. 86)
• Growth and inflation (p. 90)
• Ten hard questions to ask or be asked (p. 91)
• What's next? (p. 91)
• 7 Keeping score (p. 93)
• Chapter survival toolkit (p. 94)
• Managing the numbers--literally (p. 95)
• First buy some shoes (p. 95)
• The chart of accounts (p. 98)
• Notching the tally stick (p. 101)
• The scorecard revisited (p. 104)
• Ten hard questions to ask or be asked (p. 105)
• What's next? (p. 105)
• 8 Managing money (p. 107)
• Chapter survival toolkit (p. 108)
• Balancing the books (p. 109)
• Reconciling your bank (p. 109)
• Controlling cash (p. 111)
• Managing expenses claims (p. 113)
• Preventing bad debts (p. 114)
• Managing cash flow (p. 116)
• Cash versus accruals accounting (p. 117)
• Ten hard questions to ask or be asked (p. 120)
• What's next? (p. 120)
• 9 Tracking trends (p. 121)
• Chapter survival toolkit (p. 122)
• Why analyse trends? (p. 123)
• Pursuing patterns (p. 124)
• Cause and effect (p. 136)
• Ten hard questions to ask or be asked (p. 137)
• Conclusion (p. 139)
• 10 How to forecast anything (p. 141)
• Chapter survival toolkit (p. 142)
• So you need to forecast sales? (p. 143)
• History and knowledge (p. 145)
• Patterns revisited (p. 146)
• Applied knowledge (p. 148)
• Making the forecast (p. 151)
• Ten hard questions to ask or be asked (p. 153)
• What if? (p. 154)
• Are you sure? (p. 155)
• Conclusion (p. 155)
• 11 Counting capital (p. 157)
• Chapter survival toolkit (p. 158)
• Accounting for the future (p. 159)
• Fixed asset arithmetic (p. 161)
• Managing capital expenditure (p. 163)
• Ten hard questions to ask or be asked (p. 170)
• Looking ahead (p. 173)
• Conclusion (p. 175)
• 12 Controlling costs (p. 177)
• Chapter survival toolkit (p. 178)
• Where the money goes (p. 179)
• Employee costs (p. 181)
• Non-employee costs (p. 184)
• Other income and costs (p. 189)
• Looking ahead: a footnote (p. 189)
• How managers assess costs (p. 190)
• Ten hard questions to ask or be asked (p. 191)
• Conclusion (p. 192)
• 13 Getting to gross profit (p. 193)
• Chapter survival toolkit (p. 194)
• The bottom line near the top of the page (p. 195)
• Sales revisited (p. 195)
• Cost of sales (p. 198)
• Inventory (p. 202)
• Looking forward (p. 205)
• Record keeping for stockholders (p. 207)
• Ten hard questions to ask or be asked (p. 209)
• Conclusion (p. 209)
• 14 Producing a profit (p. 211)
• Chapter survival toolkit (p. 212)
• Producing a profit (p. 213)
• The income statement, or profit and loss account (p. 214)
• Ten hard questions to ask or be asked (p. 220)
• What's next? (p. 220)
• 15 Building balance sheets (p. 221)
• Chapter survival toolkit (p. 222)
• Balancing act (p. 223)
• Ten hard questions to ask or be asked (p. 235)
• Conclusion (p. 235)
• 16 Watching cash flow (p. 237)
• Chapter survival toolkit (p. 238)
• Cash flow (p. 239)
• Ten hard questions to ask or be asked (p. 245)
• Cash flow statements--looking ahead (p. 245)
• There is more... (p. 247)
• 17 Reviewing reports (p. 249)
• Chapter survival toolkit (p. 250)
• Published reports (p. 251)
• Collect the set (p. 251)
• Financial statements revisited (p. 254)
• Getting value (p. 258)
• Ten hard questions to ask or be asked (p. 260)
• What's next? (p. 260)
• 18 Figuring financials (p. 261)
• Chapter survival toolkit (p. 262)
• Analysing the financials (p. 263)
• New ways of looking at the figures (p. 264)
• Some key indicators (p. 275)
• Ten hard questions to ask or be asked (p. 279)
• Conclusion (p. 279)
• 19 Financing and investing (p. 281)
• Chapter survival toolkit (p. 282)
• The financing imperative (p. 284)
• Sources of finance (p. 284)
• Demanding debt (p. 285)
• Enticing equity (p. 287)
• Debt and equity compared (p. 291)
• Debt restructuring (p. 292)
• Analysing debt (p. 293)
• Investment indicators (p. 294)
• Mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures (p. 297)
• The cost of capital (p. 298)
• Other management issues (p. 300)
• Ten hard questions to ask or be asked (p. 300)
• Moving on (p. 301)
• 20 Business across borders (p. 303)
• Chapter survival toolkit (p. 304)
• New markets (p. 305)
• Doing the numbers (p. 306)
• Dealing with dealers (p. 308)
• How do exchange rates happen? (p. 310)
• Coping with uncertainty (p. 312)
• Trade finance (p. 316)
• Booking foreign currency transactions (p. 317)
• Currency translations (p. 318)
• Ten hard questions to ask or be asked (p. 322)
• Conclusion (p. 322)
• 21 Appraising projects (p. 323)
• Chapter survival toolkit (p. 324)
• Project appraisal and management (p. 325)
• Will it pay off? (p. 326)
• Project planning (p. 332)
• Project management (p. 337)
• Ten hard questions to ask or be asked (p. 338)
• What's next? (p. 338)
• 22 Brilliant budgets (p. 339)
• Chapter survival toolkit (p. 340)
• The budget bane (p. 341)
• Should you bin the budget? (p. 355)
• Ten hard questions to ask or be asked (p. 356)
• What's next? (p. 356)
• 23 Making better decisions (p. 357)
• Chapter survival toolkit (p. 358)
• Understand better, report better (p. 359)
• Tough decisions (p. 359)
• Break even (p. 363)
• Capacity planning (p. 365)
• Marginal likelihood of shutting down (p. 366)
• Inventory costs (p. 368)
• Ten hard questions to ask or be asked (p. 369)
• Conclusion (p. 370)
• 24 The finance director did it (p. 371)
• Chapter survival toolkit (p. 372)
• Managing the numbers (p. 373)
• Financial reporting (p. 375)
• When things go wrong (p. 378)
• Ten hard questions to ask or be asked (p. 380)
• Whodunnit? (p. 380)
• The finance director's language (p. 383)
• Index (p. 403)

Reviews provided by Syndetics

CHOICE Review

Stutely draws upon his vast experiences in international business and government service to provide a unique handbook of quantitative methods in financial planning and control. After a brief, well-written introduction to the use of personal computers and Excel as contemporary tools of financial analysis, the book covers topics such as cash flow, budgetary control, business forecasting, financial statement analysis, project appraisal, interest and present value, statistical inference, and the use of graphics to supplement management reports. Excellent examples and illustrations enhance the presentation. The author's Web site contains supplemental materials for the registered purchaser of the book. A glossary and a topic index complete the book. Although the chapters are well organized and easy to read, a familiarity with accounting, finance, and general business practices is a prerequisite to a thorough understanding of the materials. Students and practitioners alike will find this practical guide a welcome addition to their desktop reference materials. ^BSumming Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduate through professional collections. S. R. Kahn University of Cincinnati

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Richard has been managing the numbers throughout his career, which has
spanned banking and finance, government, and business in Europe, North
America, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific.

As a manager at all levels and a director, he has produced, managed and
analyzed hundreds of project plans, departmental and enterprise budgets,
cash flow statements, income accounts and balance sheets.

Richard received a solid grounding in finance and accounting with NatWest
and went on to become an investment analyst and chief economist with top
investment banks. He was formerly a member of the London International Stock Exchange
and has worked at HM Treasury, the British Finance Ministry.

As executive vice president of a multinational software company, Richard
developed and directly managed financial reporting and analysis for
subsidiaries in several countries. In addition, Richard developed one of the
world's first PC spreadsheet applications.

Richard has written several books including the international bestseller The Definitive Business Plan .

When Richard is not writing books or managing a multinational software
company, he runs seminars and lectures to MBA students and corporate
audiences.