Financial Analysis Tools and Techniques: A Guide for Managers

Praise for Financial Analysis Tools and Techniques:

"Bona fide treasury for executives, managers, entrepreneurs. Have long used this great work in corporate & university programs. Uniquely makes the arcane clear."­­Allen B. Barnes, Provost, IBM Advanced Business Institute

"A candidate for every consultant-to-management's bookshelf. Its beauty lies in the dynamic model of the business system and its management decision framework."­­Stanley Press CMC, Book review in C2M Consulting to Management Journal

"Goes a long way to remove the mystery from business finance. Approach allows managers from all areas to understand how their decisions impact shareholder value."­­Stephen E. Frank, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Southern California Edison

"Helfert has rare ability to make financial concepts understandable to those lacking financial background. His finance seminars exceeded our high expectations."­­L. Pendleton Siegel, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Potlatch Corporation

"Commend the clarity, organization and currency of contents. There is no other book available that does the task in such an understandable and accessible way."­­Dr. Thomas F. Hawk, Frostburg State University

"Helfert's excellent overviews and simplified models effectively broadened our managers' understanding of their fiscal responsibility to HP and our shareholders."­­Robert P. Wayman, Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, Hewlett-Packard Company

"The book has become a classic, and Helfert has been of substantial help to my company in teaching our people how to think about the numbers which drive it."­­Robert J. Saldich, President and Chief Executive Officer, Raychem Corporation

"Helfert has contributed to the development of financial skills of TRW managers through his book, case studies and presentations, and highly rated instruction."­­Peter S. Hellman, President and Chief Operating Officer, TRW Inc.

"Helfert has the ability to make financial concepts understandable, and his credibility and content added significantly to the success of our educational effort."­­Giulio Agostini, Senior Vice President Finance, and Office Administration, 3M Corporation

"Helfert's writing and teaching have become a mainstay for us, and his business and strategic sense have been recognized as valuable guides to our process."­­William H. Clover, Ph.D., Manager of Training, and AMOCO Learning Center

Concepts and tools for making sound business decisions

Financial Analysis Tools and Techniques, a business-focused revision of Erich Helfert's perennial college bestseller Techniques of Financial Analysis, is a quick, easy read for nonfinancial managers and an excellent refresher and reference for finance professionals. This practical, hands-on guide provides a new introductory chapter that gives context to today's valuation turmoil and helps professionals understand the economic drivers of a business and the importance of cash flow.

The book's overriding theme is that any business should be viewed as a dynamic, integrated system of cash flows­­one that can be activated and managed by investment decisions. Topics, discussed in clear, comprehensive, and easy-to-understand detail, include:

• Increasing shareholder value through value-based management (VBM)
• Interpreting pro forma financial statements

Erich A. Helfert, DBA, is an internationally recognized management consultant in corporate finance, strategic planning, and executive education in financial/economic decision making and value creation. The cofounder, chairman, and CEO of Modernsoft, Inc.­­developers of the knowledge-based financial analysis and business modeling software Financial Genome­­Dr. Helfert is the former corporate planning vice president at Crown Zellerbach Corporation, and previously was a faculty member of the Harvard Business School. He is the author of all ten editions of the best-selling college text Techniques of Financial Analysis.