Unlike other "finance for the non-financial manager" titles, this volume is not written by an accountant. Nor does it look at accountancy in the abstract, but relates it to running a business in a real market. Given the unpredictability of the marketplace, there is an even greater need for non-financial managers to understand the financial and management accounting process. This guide seeks to offer them a quick and effective course, but from the perspective of the pursuit of business growth. The author uses the mechanism of a business proceeding from initial set-up through its first year of trading. Apart from learning how to understand the balance sheet and profit and loss account, readers will also grasp the principles of: market dynamics; budgeting and forecasting; fixed and variable costs; break-even analysis; the difference between profit and cash; financial ratios for measuring business performance; investment appraisal; stock market ratios; shareholder value; financial measures for improving business performance; and more.