The Essentials of Finance and Budgeting

the book came during the time frame promised in very good condition and for REALLY cheap. would definitely purchase from this seller again.

This is a good primer for non-finance professionals covering all the essentials of Finance and Budgeting. The book is co-published by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and is part of a series of books called "Business Literacy for HR Professionals." Accordingly, there are several chapters written exclusively for HR professionals such as the chapter on measuring human capital and the chapter on the balanced scorecard. What I liked about this title is its use of recurring examples that are explored in greater depths as the book progresses; this created a sense of continuity for me and I was able to link the different concepts and ideas effectively despite the 'dryness' of the topic. The only reason this book does not warrant a 5-star for me is two-fold: The order of the topics didn't really make sense and the book is extremely plain. I am a visual person and better graphics and colors would have helped me focus and maintain attention. As an HR professional, I found the book covered all the aspects of Finance and budgeting I need to understand in order to operate effectively in the corporate world. I especially appreciated the practical implementation suggestions that are included in almost all the chapter. For example, there is a detailed methodology for implementing a balanced scorecard system in Chapter 4 as well as a step-by-step process for developing a budget in Chapter 9. There are 14 chapters in total as well as several appendices for templates: 1- Finance and the HR professional 2- Financial statements 3- Finding meaning in financial statements 4- From financial measures to a balanced scorecard 5- Important accounting concepts 6- Taxes 7- Financing operations and growth 8- Money and capital markets 9- Budgeting 10- Practical tools for management decisions 11- Measuring and reporting human capital 12- The time value of money 13- Business valuation concepts 14- Developing and using your financial know-how