Accounting and Financial Fundamentals for NonFinancial ... (ISBN 0814479286)

Book Description:
"Finance and accounting are the backbone of any organization. Yet plenty of executives and businesspeople are befuddled and intimidated by number crunching. Now there's a complete, concise, non-technical guide to grasping all the essentials of accounting -- and directly applying financial data. Readers will learn how to: * pinpoint the most profitable products or sales regions * figure the rate of return from a capital investment * make internal management reports more useful * understand and prepare a statement of cash flows Its straightforward approach will appeal to all managers and executives who need a practical, comprehensible lesson in using financial analysis to set key business goals, measure results, and make smart decisions."

Accounting with Rachlin and Sweeny:
I highly recommend the Rachlin and Sweeny book. As a professor of accounting at a major university in Florida, I teach accounting to both accounting and nonaccounting majors. I am particularly impressed by two features of this book. First, it presents the basic concepts of accounting and finance in an easy to read format without compromising technical accuracy. Second, and more importantly, it shows the reader how to use these basic concepts in making business decisions. The result is an interesting (yes,interesting!) and effective presentation. My compliments to the authors!

Understandable Accounting!!:
This book about finance and accounting concepts is especially useful to professionals with no formal training in finance, budgeting, investment or accounting. As an urban planner and development advisor, I am often presented with land use proposals which are framed in financial and accounting terms. This book offers a clear and simple approach to these disciplines and has given me the tools to make much more informed decisions in my work. I highly recommend it to others in my trade and to those, like me, who often glaze over finance and accounting terminology.

Quick & Easy:
After purchasing one of those "for dummies" type books on Accounting I purchased this book. I have found it to be an easy and quick read, clear, concise, to the point and very helpful. I was looking for something simple and just wanted to cover the basics - this book met my needs perfectly.

Dry:
Mr. Rachlin and Sweeny make no excuses for writting a dry book. "The field of basic accounting and finance frankly offers little that is new or exciting." Sorry, I just couldn't take this tone. Try the McGraw-Hill 36-Hour book for a more lively presentation of the basics.

Looking for a basic book before tackling this one?:
Business Basics Bestseller 1: The Easy, Interesting, Open-book Look at the Game of Business Numbers! 2nd Edition If you are looking for a book to introduce you to the basics of business including the jargon behind the numbers and where all the formulas come from before you plow into a true "finance and accounting text," search for "Business Basics Bestseller 1" and add it to your consideration. If you have never had this stuff 'splained' to you before, you will like it. This is not a suggestion that you substitute it for this text, just that you check it out as well.