TY - GEN ED - Harvard Business Review Press TI - HBR guide to finance basics for managers : : speak the language; decide with data; manage profitably T2 - Harvard business review guides SN - 9781422187302 U1 - 658.15 23 PY - 2012/// CY - Boston, Mass. : PB - Harvard Business Review Press, KW - Business enterprises -- Finance -- Management. KW - Business enterprises -- Finance KW - Financial statements N1 - Includes index; Section 1 Finance Basics Don't be Afraid Finance Quiz Do you know the basics? The Key Financial Statements Learn your way around a balance sheet, an income statement, and a cash flow statement The Fundamental Laws of Business Get a grip on any company, regardless of size or location /​ David Stauffer Section 2 Making Good Decisions-And Moving Those Numbers Using Statements to Measure Financial Health Interpret what the numbers mean through ratio analysis Grow Your Profits by Streamlining Your Business Three ways to simplify for profitability /​ Andy Pasternak Working Your Assets to Boost Your Growth Focus your supply chain on customers' needs -and increase your return on invested capital /​ Marco Petruzzi Profit Cash (and You Need Both) Here's why it's critical to understand the difference -especially for a growing company /​ John Case Why Cash Matters Contents note continued: It helps you see what's going on now, where the business is headed, and what senior management's priorities are likely to be /​ John Case Your Balance Sheet Levers Closely manage days sales outstanding and inventory -and have more cash at your disposal /​ John Case 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 /​ Randy Komisar Learn to Speak the Language of ROI Get your ideas and projects funded even when money is tight /​ John O'leary Practical Tools for Management Decisions How to analyze costs and benefits, estimate ROI, calculate how quickly you'll recoup an investment, and more Section 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 The Five Traps of Performance Measurement Contents note continued: What they are -and how to steer clear of them /​ Andrew Likierman How much have you learned? N2 - This book presents 13 articles to help managers understand finance basics, including speaking the language of finance by understanding financial statements and the laws of business; comparing a firm's financials with rivals'; using assets efficiently; examining vulnerability to industry downturns; shifting a unit's focus from revenues to profits; using financial data to defend budget requests; avoiding running out of cash and going out of business; keeping costs from killing the bottom line; investing smartly through cost-benefit analysis; selling ideas with return on investment; and avoiding relying too much on numbers ER -