The Portable MBA in Finance and Accounting (Hardcover)

~ John Leslie Livingstone (Author), Theodore Grossman (Author) "Pat was applying for a bank loan to start her new business, Nutrivite, a retail store selling nutritional supplements, vitamins, and herbal remedies..." (more)
Key Phrases: analyzing business earnings, sustainable earnings base, locating nonrecurring items, Making Key Strategic Decisions, New York, Global Finance (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

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.

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.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 704 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 3rd edition (October 19, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471061859
• ISBN-13: 978-0471061854
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7.2 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #410,434 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 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.

31 of 37 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.

9 of 10 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.