Sparrow Training

The Business Planning Pocketbook explains what issues to address, how to write a business plan, what questions to ask, how much detail to include and the time-frame to adopt. In the chapter on planning theory the author identifies eight different planning styles, followed in the next chapter with a description of the seven stages of the planning process. In his summary the author says: 'A plan is a statement of what you intend to achieve, how, when and with what resources'. A complex subject made simple.

Profitability, rather than profit, is the key measure of a business's performance. If you know how to measure profitability, you will be able to manage it, and understand which decisions increase it. The Improving Profitability Pocketbook looks at the essential areas of effective use of assets (Asset Turn) and cost-efficiency (Return on Sales). It also includes detailed sections on capital expenditure appraisal, how to evaluate make/buy decisions, and how to use a profit-cost-volume model.

There are two ways to control the profitability of a business: through budgeting and through knowing and understanding internal product costs. Effective strategic decisions cannot be made without fully comprehending these vital issues. The Managing Budgets Pocketbook explains the link between these two methods of control and how they support each other. It covers the difference between revenue and capital budgets, the do's and don't's of good practice and the importance and best methods of product costing.

All business decisions affect the movement of cash, one way or another, as The Managing Cashflow Pocketbook clearly demonstrates. It stresses the importance of proper cash management (by all managers!) and how this impacts on the running of a business. Reconciling profit to cash, improving cashflow and managing working capital are central issues in this extensively illustrated book.

The Balance Sheet Pocketbook begins by constructing a model to show how money works within a business, i.e. where funds come from and how they are used. The structure of the balance sheet and the profit and loss reports are then examined and explained within the context of this model. Common misconceptions are frequently highlighted and financial jargon is clearly unravelled.