Beyond the Numbers How Leading Companies Measure and Drive Success William L. Simon "This book stands at the intersection of management and money, the place where modern business fundamentals and current financial principles come together.

A Call to Action for Finance.

THE NEW METRICS: MEASURING THE VALUE-CREATING POTENTIAL.

Cash-Flow Metrics at National Semiconductor.

New Metrics at FMC and R.R.

Donnelley.

APPROACHES TO FINANCE FOR THE 90S AND BEYOND.

Planning, Decision Making and Developing People at General Electric.

Risk Management as Seen From Stanford Business School.

Purchasing as a Profit Center at Aetna.

Financials at MGM/UA.

SPECIAL PERSPECTIVES.

When the Red Ink Flows--Staving Off Bankruptcy.

START-UPS AND THE "VIRTUAL CORPORATION." Financials for a Start-Up.

The World of the "Virtual Corporation." AFTERWORD.

Shaping Your Career.

What Makes a Great CFO.

Glossary.

Notes.

Index.

Beyond the Numbers How Leading Companies Measure and Drive Success William L. Simon "This book stands at the intersection of management and money, the place where modern business fundamentals and current financial principles come together. Business managers have traditionally used accounting-based financials that looked backward, at the wake—showing where the organization had been; today, they are learning to use financials that look forward toward the horizon." —from the Preface Businesses can’t afford to have a financial system which only measures its past. In order to build a successful company, you need a financial system that also shows you how to plan your company’s future. This must-have book for executives, managers, analysts, and other stakeholders, will show you how to refine your current financials or thoroughly overhaul them. In Beyond the Numbers, you have the opportunity to profit from the experiences of CEOs and CFOs at market leading companies in a variety of industries. You will learn how to build a truly effective corporate financial system—one that:

• Ensures accurate financial reporting that emphasizes necessary details
• Educates key business managers about the refined financial measures needed to reach strategic goals
• Enables financial and operating managers to communicate key data analyses effectively
• Empowers key personnel throughout the company with a clear understanding of the links between financial measurements and overall business strategies
• Emphasizes the right themes when reporting financial health to investment analysts and the business press.

Numbers are meaningless unless they are gathered, interpreted, and utilized in the right way. The methods and methodologies captured in Beyond the Numbers will help you to better recognize your company’s strengths, maximize its opportunities, and optimize its future.

Partial table of contents: A Call to Action for Finance. THE NEW METRICS: MEASURING THE VALUE-CREATING POTENTIAL. Cash-Flow Metrics at National Semiconductor. New Metrics at FMC and R.R. Donnelley. APPROACHES TO FINANCE FOR THE 90S AND BEYOND. Planning, Decision Making and Developing People at General Electric. Risk Management as Seen From Stanford Business School. Purchasing as a Profit Center at Aetna. Financials at MGM/UA. SPECIAL PERSPECTIVES. When the Red Ink Flows?Staving Off Bankruptcy. START-UPS AND THE "VIRTUAL CORPORATION." Financials for a Start-Up. The World of the "Virtual Corporation." AFTERWORD. Shaping Your Career. What Makes a Great CFO. Glossary. Notes. Index.

Beyond the Numbers How Leading Companies Measure and Drive Success William L. Simon In today’s leading companies, new financial tools and measurements are being used to boost performance and measure all-important shareholder value. More aggressive and more accurate, capable of showing what’s really happening in the organization, these new measures are providing a foundation for the kind of reliable decision-making necessary in today’s highly competitive global marketplace. If you want to make sure your financial judgments are fully informed, you have to bring your analyses off the sidelines and put them into the game. You have to make sure your reports reflect—not obscure—your company’s true fiscal health. You have to make Finance a full-fledged partner in planning your company’s future. You have to "go beyond the numbers," and this must-have book for executives, managers, analysts, and other stakeholders, shows you how. In Beyond the Numbers, the co-author of the bestselling Profit From Experience gives you the opportunity to profit from the experiences of CEOs and CFOs at market leading companies in a variety of industries including manufacturing, services, and high-tech. These are the people who are turning financial analysis into a powerful strategic advantage, and author William Simon presents their innovative approaches in the most direct way possible: in their own words. Here, in a series of in-depth, straight-shooting, informationpacked interviews, 25 proven business leaders:

• Reveal the innovative financial strategies that are helping to propel their companies forward
• Describe reporting, measuring, and training systems that can make those strategies a reality
• Provide solid examples and valuable insights to help you implement and monitor the strategies you need

Beyond the Numbers lets you benchmark against the best, adapting expert advice and reallife experiences to meet your company’s needs. Whether you’re looking to refine your current financials or thoroughly overhaul them, the information contained here will help you build a truly effective corporate financial system. Numbers are meaningless unless they are gathered, interpreted, and utilized in the right way. The methods and methodologies captured in Beyond the Numbers will help you to better recognize your company’s strengths, maximize its opportunities, and optimize its future.