HBR Guide to Finance Basics for Managers (HBR Guide Series)

by Harvard Business Review

Overview

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

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781422187302
Publisher:	Harvard Business Review Press
Publication date:	10/02/2012
Series:	HBR Guide Series
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Harvard Business Review is the leading destination for smart management thinking. Through its flagship magazine, 11 international licensed editions, books from Harvard Business Review Press, and digital content and tools published on HBR.org, Harvard Business Review provides professionals around the world with rigorous insights and best practices to lead themselves and their organizations more effectively and to make a positive impact.

Author social media/website info: hbr.org, @HarvardBiz

Table of Contents

Section 1 Finance Basics Don't Be Afraid

Finance Quiz: Do you know the basics? 5

The Key Financial Statements: Learn your way around a balance sheet, an income statement, and a cash flow statement. 9

The Fundamental Laws of Business: Get a grip on any company, regardless of size or location. David Stauffer 33

Section 2 Making Good Decisions and Moving those Numbers

Using Statements to Measure Financial Health: Interpret what the numbers mean through ratio analysis. 43

Grow Your Profits by Streamlining Your Business: Three ways to simplify for profitability Jamie Bonomo Andy Pasternak 57

Working Your Assets to Boost Your Growth: Focus your supply chain on customers' needs-and increase your return on invested capital. Miles Cook Pratap Mukharji Lorenz Kiefer Marco Petruzzi 63

Profit ≠ Cash (and You Need Both): Here's why it's critical to understand the difference-especially for a growing company. Karen Berman Joe Knight John Case 73

Why Cash Matters: It helps you see what's going on now, where the business is headed, and what senior management's priorities are likely to be. Karen Berman Joe Knight John Case 83

Your Balance Sheet Levers: Closely manage days sales outstanding and inventory-and have more cash at your disposal. Karen Berman Joe Knight John Case 87

What's Your Working Capital Model? A Case Study: Lessons learned from Dow Jones, a business that transformed itself without going hat-in-hand to investors John Mullins Randy Komisar 95

Learn to Speak the Language of ROI: Get your ideas and projects funded even when money is tight. John O'Leary 105

Practical Tools for Management Decisions: How to analyze costs and benefits, estimate ROI, calculate how quickly you'll recoup an investment, and more 113

Sections 3 The Limits of Financial Data

What the Financial Statements Don't Tell You: Keep a sharp eye on nonfinancial data, too-and avoid the missteps of Merrill Lynch and BP. John Case 127

The Five Traps of Performance Measurement: What they are-and how to steer clear of them Andrew Likierman 139

Finance Quiz: How much have you learned? 153

Glossary 159

Index 169