Encyclopedia of Business and Finance [Hardcover]

Burton S. Kaliski (Editor)

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Covering accounting, management, marketing, law, finance, and economics, this set aims "to summarize the body of knowledge that we know as business in a single place and in language accessible to the layperson." Special emphasis is placed on careers and ethics in various areas of business, such as "Careers in Finance" and "Ethics in Finance." The 300-plus alphabetically arranged entries do more than simply define a term; for example, the entry for accounting also describes its history, principles, and agencies, shows how students can enter the profession, and provides cross references to related topics such as "Generally Accepted Accounting Principles." All the entries are in fact cross-referenced and include bibliographies offering print resources and web sites. In addition to business terms, legislation such as "Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977" and agencies, including the "General Accounting Office," have featured entries. An alphabetical index is included, with numbers in bold face indicating main entries. Many of the entries are illustrated with photographs, tables, and figures. Designed for a wide audience ranging from high school students to lay readers to practitioners, this work is highly recommended for school, academic, and public libraries. Lucy Heckman St. John's Univ. Lib., Jamaica, NY
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 900 pages
• Publisher: MacMillan Reference Books (January 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0028650654
• ISBN-13: 978-0028650654
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 8.6 x 2.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,573,216 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive but basic, March 1, 2008

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anon12345 - See all my reviews

This review is from: Encyclopedia of Business and Finance (Hardcover)

If you're looking for a basic primer not much beyond secondary school level (high school) then the "Encyclopaedia of Busine$$ and Finance" is recommended, however, if you are looking for something to help you in business or finance or the university level then you may well be disappointed. The entries are overly simplistic (sometimes painfully so - there is a section dedicated to telephone courtesy under "Telephone Skills").

For more complex topics there are very few formulas given throughout the book, especially when needed. Case in point; here is the entire entry for Net Present Value:

"Net present value (NPV). A capital investment's net present value (NPV) is the amount of value the company expects the investment to create. The NPV equals the sum of the present values of all of the money expected back from the investment minus the investment's cost."

Also a lack of focus, by contrast to the above entry on NPV, there are three and a half pages dedicated to video conferencing, including a "KEY TO SUCCESSFUL VIDEOCONFERENCING" (sic) section, and references to George Jetson (I'm not joking). Also there are numerous references to very specific to the US such as the "The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990", but no entry, for example, on the Yen or even any mention of 'Fannie Mae', or for that matter Michael Porter's five forces. To its credit, the book is comprehensive, but not on the accepted standards of business or finance, but rather the ins and outs of office work.

I'm sorry to say that this book is designed for school students. The fact that Business is spelt "BUSINE$$" on the front cover should be a dead give-away. A worthy gift to a fourteen year old student, but would be of little use to anyone older or more serious.