Move Beyond the Routine to the Innovative

From processing accounts payable and closing the books in a timely fashion to making recommendations for improvements that will enhance a company's overall performance, corporate controllers and financial managers have a wide range of responsibilities. But these tasks also represent a wide area of opportunity. The controller who has developed skills beyond that of routine accounting management to include innovative financial analysis can become a highly valued member of a company's infrastructure. This opens the door to a variety of promotions and high-level interactions with other departments. Financial Analysis: A Controller's Guide is designed to help the controller acquire and apply top-notch financial analysis skills. In addition to covering the traditional aspects of the field, here are thorough analyses of such advanced topics as:

* Evaluating acquisition targets

* Increasing shareholder value

* Determining the break-even point

* Forecasting future business conditions

* Using sample analysis reports

* Determining the cost of capital

* Analyzing risk

Here is hard-to-find coverage of management performance review systems, process cycle analysis techniques, and capacity analysis methods-plus checklists, advice, and detailed examples and comprehensive explanations of many internal areas. This guide will be an indispensable tool for the controller who is interested in enhancing career opportunities in the field.

Benefit Your Company-and Your Career

As a corporate controller, financial manager, or treasurer, companies rely on your judgment in order to run smoothly and to grow bothstrategically and financially. But when it comes to your own personal career growth, moving past the often mundane functions of the job requires sharpened financial analysis skills. Financial Analysis: A Controller's Guide addresses both the classical aspects of the field, including capital purchase and acquisition target analysis, as well as comprehensive information on the analysis of many internal areas. Here is invaluable guidance regarding:

* How to improve a corporation's overall performance

* When to buy assets

* How to increase shareholder value

* How to recognize indicators of specific underlying problems

* How to use financial analysis reports, including electronic spreadsheets

* How to determine future business conditions . . . and much more, to help raise your visibility within the company, and earn the recognition, promotions, and career success you deserve.

"This book is designed to assist a company controller, or any other member of the accounting and finance staffs, in the analysis of all corporate activities" (from the Preface). It offers advice on evaluating acquisitions, analyzing risk, improving corporate performance, asset procurement, increasing shareholder value, detecting and diagnosing problems, using financial analysis reports, and predicting future conditions. Appendices include lists of symptoms and solutions and commonly used ratios. Bragg has worked as a chief financial officer and as a consulting manager.
Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

'Corporations rely on their controllers and financial managers to provide a wide array of accounting functions, from processing accounts payable and receivable transactions to closing the books in a timely manner. Accomplishing these activities are the foundation of a successful career. However, in order to be truly notable and recognized as an innovative thinker in an organization, a controller must acquire first-rate skills in the area of financial analysis.

Financial Analysis: A Controller\'s Guide, Second Edition helps controllers, financial managers, and treasurers develop and apply top-notch financial skills in their jobs and throughout their com-panies. By obtaining a broad knowledge of skills and applying them to a multitude of situations, readers will achieve deep insights into why their company performs as it does, and can transmit this information, along with recommendations for improvements, to other members of the management team, enhancing the corporation\'s overall financial performance.

With a focus on operational analysis as well as wide-ranging coverage of all other financial analysis topics, this updated Second Edition provides a thorough analysis of topics that will help further readers\' careers, including:

• New: What-if analysis
• New: Intangible asset measurement
• New: Eliminating products and services
• Using Microsoft Excel® to conduct financial analysis
• Evaluating capital investments, financing options, and cash flows
• Evaluating acquisition targets
• Increasing shareholder value
• Determining the breakeven point
• Forecasting future business conditions
• Evaluating operations, processes, and managers
• Analyzing risk
• Determining the cost of capital
• Using sample analysis reports

Financial Analysis: A Controller\'s Guide, Second Edition provides hard-to-find coverage of management performance review systems, process cycle analysis techniques, and capacity analysis methods, plus checklists, advice, detailed examples, and comprehensive explanations of many internal areas. This guide is an indispensable tool for the controller who is interested in enhancing career opportunities in the field. '

"The latest edition goes beyond ho-hum analysis techniques and provides concrete problem solving. The text is sprinkled with real-world problems (and the analytical tools to solve them) that will be familiar to accounting professionals everywhere. A must-have for anyone looking to improve their company's decision making . . . and their own role in it."

—George R. MacEachern President, Grosvenor Financial Services

"Steve Bragg has presented yet another comprehensive reference tool for the finance professional. Financial Analysis: A Controller's Guideis the perfect reference guide for today's controller, presenting not only traditional financial analysis information, but also various types of analyses that will benefit any type of organization. This book is a must-have for any financial professional desiring to make a relevant contribution to his/her organization."

—Jodi Nefzger, CPP Director of Finance, Masonic Home of Missouri

Today's proactive controllers can soar past their mundane responsibilities and become active participants in their corporation's success with the visionary tools found in Steven Bragg's Financial Analysis: A Controller's Guide, Second Edition.

Now updated to include analyses of intangible asset measurement and performance improvement as well as evaluation methods to determine which products and services should be eliminated, Financial Analysis: A Controller's Guide, Second Editionhelps financial managers upgrade their skills so they can answer their organization's call for company operations reviews, investment evaluations, problem reporting, and special investigation requests. Controllers prepared to address this growing need for more innovative financial analysis will open doors to a variety of promotions and high-level interactions with other departments.

Become a highly valued member of your company's infrastructure with the indispensable tools found in Financial Analysis: A Controller's Guide, Second Edition.

'About the Author.

Preface.

PART ONE Overview.

Chapter 1 Introduction.

Chapter 2 The Role of Financial Analysis.

PART TWO Financial Analysis.

Chapter 3 Evaluating Capital Investments.

Chapter 4 Evaluating Financing Options.

Chapter 5 Evaluating Cash Flow.

Chapter 6 Evaluating Acquisition Targets.

Chapter 7 Increasing Shareholder Value.

Chapter 8 Intangible Asset Measurement and Performance Enhancement.

Chapter 9 Breakeven Analysis.

Chapter 10 Business Cycle Forecasting.

PART THREE Operational Analysis

Chapter 11 Evaluating Management Performance.

Chapter 12 Analyzing Process Cycles.

Chapter 13 Product and Service Profitability Analysis.

Chapter 14 Financial Analysis of Operational Topics.

Chapter 15 Capacity Utilization Analysis.

PART FOUR Other Analysis Topics.

Chapter 16 Financial Analysis with an Electronic Spreadsheet.

Chapter 17 “What If ” Analysis with an Electronic Spreadsheet.

Chapter 18 Financial Analysis Reports.

Chapter 19 Determining the Cost of Capital.

Chapter 20 Analyzing Risk.

APPENDICES.

Appendix A Symptoms and Solutions.

Appendix B Commonly Used Ratios.

Index. \n

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