This book is intended to help professionals, especially from functional areas other than finance-such as sales, marketing, human resource, research and development, production, and procurement-to gain an extensive working knowledge of critical financial principles in an easy-to-follow manner, enabling them to make critical business decisions involving cost-savings, budgets, new projects decisions, and growth strategies. The author introduces the key concepts of finance so you can contribute to the success of your business. These will help you understand the language used by accountants and how financial statements fit together. Furthermore, you will understand how to use ratio analysis to get a sense of the company's performance. In addition, readers will learn the concepts of management accounting and various kinds of decisions, including make-or-buy and shutdown. You will gain an understanding of how to implement budgeting and working capital management. The exciting part is also the chapter on investment appraisal, where readers will learn how to evaluate business proposals from a return standpoint.

As organizations tackle global challenges, the faces of our businesses and our economic system are changing to consider the interests of all stakeholders rather than just shareholders. This book provides a step-by-step approach for organizations to reap benefits from a more sustainable approach. It begins with a brief history of the concept of sustainability as it applies to both performance and reporting. Implementing sustainability in an organization begins with the development of policies which are consistent with the expectations of its stakeholders. An organization's active participation in multi-stakeholder initiatives helps to align the policies with societal trends. Once the policies are developed, a management system is crucial to ensure congruence of policies with actual performance. Then, periodic reporting of performance based on well-recognized standards aids stakeholders in assessing an organization's performance-reporting also helps stakeholders to determine if performance aligns with their expectations. Both internal and external assurances build stakeholder trust in the organization's performance and reporting. Finally, the book concludes with a reflection on key messages and potential future actions for continuous improvement.

In the concrete jungle, there are seasons of rain and plenty, followed by seasons of drought and scarcity. Whether or not we survive depends on how prepared we are for these changes, and how willing we are to evolve in order to remain relevant. Leaders who ignore the shifting seasons will soon find themselves and their firms fading into obscurity.

Whether we shy away from it or actively seek it out, change is never easy. In these rapidly changing times, surviving means stepping away from the herd and venturing out onto the road less traveled. It means sharpening your claws and taking a bird’s eye view of where your business is at, and learning and evolving during the times of plenty before the season of drought and hunger returns. This may mean taking down predators, it may mean diversifying or specializing, and it may even mean seeking out new hunting grounds. Whatever it is, the secret is never to lose hope.

Join us on an African safari as Gary Sturisky, a world-renowned transformation consultant, takes you on a journey through the vast open plains of the Serengeti and down the narrow corridors of the concrete jungle to uncover practical tools to help your company evolve into the CPA firm of the future.