The Portable MBA in Finance and Accounting [Hardcover]

John Leslie Livingstone (Author), Theodore Grossman (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0471061859 | ISBN-13: 978-0471061854 | Publication Date: October 19, 2001 | Edition: 3rd

The latest volume in the bestselling series

In today's business environment, a knowledge of finance and skills in budgeting and financial planning are more important than ever before. Totally updated and revised, this highly anticipated Third Edition provides new information on five such key topics as interpreting financial statements; information technology in finance; planning capital expenditures; information technology and your firm; business valuation, and much more. Top experts in each field explain the basics of cost-volume analysis, forecasts, and budgets, and reveal how to create a winning business plan. Ideal reading for any manager or executive who needs a "refresher course" in finance.

Les Livingstone, PhD, MBA, CPA (West Palm Beach, FL), runs a national consulting firm which specializes in complex business research and expert testimony in large commercial lawsuits. He was chairman of the Division of Accounting and Law at Babson College.

Theodore Grossman (Wellesley, MA) is a senior member of the faculty of Babson College with an appointment in information technology and accounting.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Nationally renowned experts offer essential and practical advice for all businesses ranging from small startups to large corporations. Provides clear concise guidance on how to do a breakeven analysis; prepare a budget; implement a business plan; decide whether to incorporate your business; evaluate an acquisition target and much more. Enables readers to pick up the basics in finance and accounting without incurring the considerable time and expense of a formal MBA program. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Inside Flap

Getting an MBA degree is costly and time-consuming. And if all you need is MBA-level coverage of a particular subject, it might not be worth the effort. For busy executives and business leaders who need to master the essentials of finance and accounting—or just brush up on the basics—The Portable MBA in Finance and Accounting, Fourth Edition is the ultimate resource.

Now in an entirely revised and updated edition, this bestselling reference is packed with in-depth, authoritative coverage of crucial topics in finance and accounting. Professors Grossman and Livingston have assembled the best contributors on the subject, with chapters from top professors and practitioners in finance, accounting, and law. These expert contributors provide clear, jargon-free explanations of key finance and accounting topics to help business professionals demystify even the most complex subjects.

Packed with valuable and practical information that is applicable to virtually any business, from the smallest start-ups to the largest corporations in the world, the Fourth Edition covers all the vital basics you need to know:

• Analyzing business profitability

• Understanding financial statements

• Performing a break-even analysis

• Computing the cost of capital

• Managing foreign currency exposure

• Taking your company public

• Building a successful e-business

• Evaluating a merger or acquisition target

• Maximizing information technology resources

• Planning capital expenditures

• Calculating a business valuation

• Making sense of Sarbanes-Oxley

• And much more

Plus, the Fourth Edition includes entirely new chapters on discounted cash flows, capital structure, corporate governance and financial reporting integrity, outsourcing, and careers in finance and accounting. And, for the first time, a new Portable MBA Web site offers free tools and resources—including handy downloadable guides, summaries, and spreadsheets. Whether you're starting a new business or just taking on new management responsibilities, this comprehensive resource includes fifty percent new material, making this edition an essential resource for efficient and effective enterprise management. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 704 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 3rd edition (October 19, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471061859
• ISBN-13: 978-0471061854
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 2.1 x 10.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #999,234 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Practical easy-to-understand guide to key topics, December 13, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: The Portable MBA in Finance and Accounting (Hardcover)

Well written explanations of important subjects, such as how to find essential information in financial statements, how to price products and make profitable bids, legally minimizing taxes for your small business, managing financial risks with options, hedges and derivatives, using your computer for financial analysis, etc. etc. Why spend time and money for an MBA when its all here.

34 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars decent but flawed, April 28, 2001

By 

Leo E. Walsh "ebraynz" (Mentor, Oh United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Portable MBA in Finance and Accounting (Hardcover)

As a liberal arts major, I desperately needed to familiarize myself with business finance concepts during the year prior to my MBA program (I'll start B-School in Fall 2001), and turned to "The Portable MBA in Finance and Accounting" for help due to the "best in class" reputation of the series. Though not entirely disappointed, I really do not feel this book lived up to its top billing.

I found a lot of the sections unclear, mostly because the authors skimp on the necessary math, trying to describe numeric concepts with words; Sort of like "using a screwdriver to carve roast beef," as Tom Robbins once quipped. Additionally, the Portable MBA series' format, with different authors each writing a chapter, detracts from the book's cohesiveness. A book by one author (or several edited into one continuous voice) tends to hold together better. For example, I got more out of the briefer introduction to fiscal management, "Finance and Accounting for the Non-Financial Manager" by Steven Finkler due to its one-voice cohesiveness than I did from the Portable MBA.

On the up side, the first chapter is a brilliant exposition on how day-to-day business activities translate into the standard accounting reports. This section also illustrates how a manager can use spreadsheets to observe how changing prices or costs affect the "bottom line," and how financials can be used to build a strategy. I also found the chapter on budgeting quite helpful. However, when the book delves into finance, the lack of math really begins to take its toll. If it weren't for the Finkler book, I doubt I would have the faintest idea what capital budgeting was all about. All things considered, "The PMBA in F&A" is a decent but flawed book. However, when it is on, it is brilliant.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is the best in its class., January 23, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Portable MBA in Finance and Accounting (Hardcover)

This book has the quality of a one year course in finance and accounting. Even if you have only a high school diploma you can understand it. Don't let this comment fool you. The authors of this book have made complex concepts seem simple.