Accounting in the Shell: A Financial Book for Non-Professionals

Author: Volcker
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-02-01
Features: This book is a fundamental guide for non-professionals who need to master and use accounting information. It includes basic principles of financial accounting and management accounting, rather than detailed accounting theories and technical knowledge. The book provides readers with a basic and general understanding of accounting, helping them apply it in practice and further study financial knowledge. The book is written assuming readers have no prior financial knowledge and avoids using professional accounting language. It is suitable for individuals interested in accounting in for-profit and non-profit organizations, as well as in manufacturing and service-oriented organizations. The book is divided into three parts:
Part 1 explains the content of the book, including who it is suitable for and how to read it effectively.
Part 2 introduces the types of people who may use accounting statements and the financial information they need. This part covers the main financial statements: the income statement (or the statement of activities for non-profit organizations), the balance sheet, and the cash flow statement. The last chapter of this part discusses how to interpret the meaning of the information included in the financial statements.
Part 3 includes the content of management accounting and how to use financial information to manage businesses. This part reviews the analysis and construction of cost information before explaining how to use cost information for management decisions. This part also includes discussions on budgeting and control.
At the end of the book, there is a glossary of the main financial accounting and management accounting terms used in the book, which is excerpted from the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) Official Terminology.