A practical and accessible overview of the fundamentals of business finance -- now in its third edition. Managers are constantly expected to make decisions that reflect a full understanding of the financial consequences. In the absence of formal training, few people are prepared for the responsibilities of dealing with management reports, budgets, and capital proposals, and find themselves embarrassed by their lack of understanding. This book is a practical guide to understanding and managing financial responsibilities. Each chapter examines actual tasks managers have to do, from "how to assemble a budget," "how to read variances on a report," to "how to construct a proposal to invest in new equipment," exploring the principles that can be applied to each task, illustrating practical ways these principles are used, and providing guidance for implementation. Guide to Financial Management will help readers understand financial jargon, financial statements, management accounts, performance measures, budgeting, costing, pricing, decision-making, and investment appraisal. This third edition has been fully revised and expanded with detailed examples from 100 leading businesses around the world.

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

Introduction to Business covers the scope and sequence of most introductory business courses. The book provides detailed explanations in the context of core themes such as customer satisfaction, ethics, entrepreneurship, global business, and managing change. Introduction to Business includes hundreds of current business examples from a range of industries and geographic locations, which feature a variety of individuals. The outcome is a balanced approach to the theory and application of business concepts, with attention to the knowledge and skills necessary for student success in this course and beyond. This is an adaptation of Introduction to Business by OpenStax. You can access the textbook as pdf for free at openstax.org. Minor editorial changes were made to ensure a better ebook reading experience. Textbook content produced by OpenStax is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

AN INTRODUCTION TO FINANCIAL REPORTS--WITH NEW TACTICS FOR BUDGETING AND PINPOINTING KEY FINANCIAL AREAS Financial decisions impact virtually every area of your company. As a manager, it's up to you to understand how and why. Finance for Nonfinancial Managers helps you understand the information in essential financial reports and then shows you how to use that understanding to make informed, intelligent decisions. It provides a solid working knowledge of: Basic Financial Reports--All about balance sheets, income statements, cash flow statements, and more Cost Accounting--Methods to assess which products or services are most profitable to your firm Operational Planning and Budgeting--Ways to use financial knowledge to strengthen your company Briefcase Books, written specifically for today's busy manager, feature eye-catching icons, checklists, and sidebars to guide managers step-by-step through everyday workplace situations. Look for these innovative design features to help you navigate through each page: Key Terms: Clear defi nitions of key terms and concepts Smart Managing: Tactics and strategies for managing change Tricks of the Trade: Tips for executing the tactics in the book Mistake Proofing: Practical advice for minimizing the possibility of error Caution: Warning signs for when things are about to go wrong For Example: Examples of successful change-management tactics Tools: Specific planning procedures, tactics, and hands-on techniques

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

Financial reports speak their own language, and managers without a strong finance background often find themselves bewildered by what is being said. Finance for NonFinancial Managers helps managers become familiar with essential financial information, showing them how to "speak the language of numbers" and implement financial data in their daily business decisions. In addition, it clarifies how and why financial decisions impact business and operational objectives.

Learn what makes a client trust you to be their financial advisor. Put the power of story telling into selling financial products. The authors explain the process of making these intuitive connections, then translate their findings into understandable and practical strategies that any financial professional can use. They present actual stories, including many by Warren Buffet, one of the greatest "storysellers" of all time. These actual stories can help financial pros tap into the "gut reaction" of different types of clients. the book also includes special topics on communicating to women, the 50+ market, and the affluent.

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.

The Marketing Guide for Financial Advisors uncovers the truth about how independent advisors really get new clients in a digital world. Learn what no one wants you to know about marketing, how to avoid wasting money on your marketing, and the secret to unlocking your marketing potential, including: Why digital marketing is so challenging in financial services How to create a website that converts Email marketing strategies for financial advisors Using social media to get in front of your ideal prospects Search engine optimization to get more traffic to your website Content strategy to start the conversation Embracing a specialty to command higher fees Using webinars to warm up prospects In this exclusive guide, you'll learn proven strategies from top advisors to grow your firm and uncover a step-by-step process to build your marketing engine. About the Author Claire Akin, MBA grew up in the financial services industry working with her father, an independent financial advisor of over 35 years. She holds a bachelor's degree in economics and a master's of business administration. Claire founded Indigo Marketing Agency to help independent financial advisors reach more of their ideal clients. It's her mission to help financial advisors grow their firms through digital marketing.