A concise and pithy reference guide that gives senior managers and
executives powerful, practical and accessible guidance on everything they need to know
about running a profitable, cash generating business unit offering real shareholder value.
For non-financial executives in a key functional or general management position
it’s important to understand the critical financial issues that affect their business
unit.
This book will give you an understanding of these financial issues so you
can understand the impact they will have on your operational decisions, as well as be able
to recognise when they are taking risks and how to evaluate those risks.
Structured in the series format of the Financial Times Briefing series, concise, pithy
and to the point, these books offer:
o Powerful, practical advice to help executives make essential business
decisions.
o A concise and focused overview to give executives the crucial information
they need.
o Special design to help busy business leaders get the knowledge they need,
fast.
Table of Contents
Introduction
PART ONE In brief
1 The executive précis
Introduction
2 What is it and what do I need to know?
Introduction
Adjustments to cashflow
The clarity of cash
Liquidity
Shareholder value
The efficient market hypothesis
Why accounts don’t help in valuation
Profit improvement
Capital allocation
Financial risk
3 Why do it? The risks and rewards
Cashflow
Liquidity
Shareholder value
Profit improvement
Capital allocation
4 Who’s doing it and who has done it?
Introduction and examples
What do success and failure look like?
Identifying success
PART TWO In practice
How to assess the critical finance issues
5 How to do it – the critical finance issues
Cashflow choices
Liquidity
Shareholder value
Profit improvement
Capital allocation
Financial risk
6 How to measure the critical finance issues
Cashflow
Liquidity
Other indicators
Shareholder value
Profit improvement
Capital allocation
Financial risk
7 How to manage the critical finance issues
Cashflow management
Shareholder value
Profit improvement
Capital allocation
Financial risk
8 How to justify addressing the critical finance issues – the business case
Introduction
9 How to talk about the critical finance issues
Involving all employees
Profit improvement through collaboration
The language of capital allocation
Talking about financial risk
PART THREE Intervention
10 Executive intervention
What questions should I ask?
When is my intervention needed?
What are the make or break decisions?
What levers should I pull?
How do we know whether we’ve succeeded or failed?
PART FOUR In depth
11 Additional resources
Books
Online references
Advisers and consultants
Courses
Index
176 pages, Paperback