Financial Times Essential Guide to Budgeting and Forecasting, The

Description

Nigel Wyatthas been running his own financial training consultancy – Magenta Financial Training since 1991. Nigel has worked with a wide range of organisations, including many blue-chip companies. In recent years he has worked extensively abroad, including India, China, Oman, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait and Jordan. Most of the training programmes Nigel delivers are aimed at non-financial managers.

Contents

About the author

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Part 1 Preparing your budgets

1 What is the budget for?

Introduction

The role of budgets – why do we have them?

1 Meeting the organisation’s objectives

2 Planning

3 Monitoring and controlling

4 Co-ordinating

5 Evaluating performance

6 Improving performance

7 Motivating managers

8 Management contract

9 Communicating

10 Providing a basis for authorising expenditure and delegating responsibility

11 Identifying scarce resources

12 Allocating resources

13 Demonstrating and delivering good corporate governance

Linking budgets to strategy and policy

Budgets for special purposes

Planning periods

2 What is a forecast and how does it differ from a budget?

What is the difference between a budget and a forecast?

Benefits of forecasting ‘beyond the wall’

Forecasts, projects and contracts

Forecasting tools and techniques

Sales forecasting

Quantitative forecasting using Microsoft Excel

Useful Excel tools

Forecast frequency and automation

Measuring and improving forecast accuracy

Forecast financial statements

New product sales forecasting

Other factors to consider in sales forecasts

3 Essential background financial skills for budgeting

Cheaper is not always better: cost and value in budgeting

Accruals, cash and commitment accounting and budgeting

Understanding profit and loss account figures

Review of accruals accounting

Direct and indirect methods of producing cash flow accounting

The balance sheet

The master budget

Costs

Value analysis and value engineering

Activity based costing (ABC)

The breakeven model

Cost structure

Capital expenditure planning

4 How should the budget be built?

Introduction

Building budgets

Incremental budgeting

Zero based budgeting

Activity based budgeting

Should budgets be top-down or bottom-up?

Fixed v flexible budgets

External comparison driven budgets

VFM, outcome orientated and evidence based budgets

The power of evidence in protecting budgets

Good budgeting practice and ideas for constructing a budget

Setting budgets for contingencies

The challenge process

Building budgets and performance measurement

The budget game

Presenting budgets

5 How should cash be budgeted and controlled?

Planning systems and cash flow forecasting

Managing working capital – cash and risk

Managing trade debtors (accounts receivable)

Managing stock (inventory)

Managing trade creditors (accounts payable)

Cash flow in a business

6 How should capital expenditure be budgeted for?

What is capital expenditure?

The payback rule

NPV and DCF

Capital rationing: profitability index

Strategic fit and ‘roadmaps’

Sensitivity analysis

Risk

Post-investment appraisal

Long-term cash flow planning

Asset rep

 

‘This is a practical book from which managers at all levels will benefit and learn how to avoid the pitfalls of budgeting and forecasting. A must read book.’

 

Manjit Biant, management consultant

 

 

‘Love them or hate them budgets are part of the corporate landscape. Nigel Wyatt’s book makes a strong case that budgeting can still prove an invaluable tool for focusing strategic thinking and managing your business. The book gives some great tips and advice on how to use them and get the best from them.’

 

Paul Lower FCMA  FInstLM, former FD and business coach

 

‘This book is an excellent tool for those responsible for preparing budgets and forecasts. It will encourage the reader to take actions which will benefit their own organisation.’

 

Juan Carlos Venegas ICPA CFC ICFS IPFM, accountant, forensic consultant, counter fraud specialist and fraud examiner

The task-focused, results-oriented guide to delivering numbers that add up.

 

The Financial Times Essential Guide to Budgeting and Forecasting will help you:

 

• Understand finance and budgeting terms 
• Communicate more coherently and comprehensively with financially astute colleagues and stakeholders
• Better understand the health of your business or business unit
• Take a more proactive role in helping your business achieve its goals
• Reflect on, evaluate and learn from your experience

 

With advice that’s instantly applicable, whether you’re taking responsibility for a budget for the first time or you’d like to know more about how finance works, this is the one guide you can’t do without.

Gain the knowledge and confidence you need to build and manage budgets and forecast financial information.

This book demystifies budgets and forecasts, providing simple explanations and clear examples. It includes integrated checklists, goals and milestones, to ensure you are on target to achieve the best results.

Part of The Financial Times Essential Guides series: Task-focused and results-orientated, the essential guides are for every manager who wants to move their skills beyond the ordinary to the best.

Gain the knowledge and confidence you need to build and manage budgets and forecast financial information.

This book demystifies budgets and forecasts, providing simple explanations and clear examples. It includes integrated checklists, goals and milestones, to ensure you are on target to achieve the best results.

Part of The Financial Times Essential Guides series: Task-focused and results-orientated, the essential guides are for every manager who wants to move their skills beyond the ordinary to the best.

Additional information

Dimensions	0.50 × 5.40 × 8.40 in
Series	The FT Guides
Imprint	FT Publishing International
Format	gen
ISBN-13	09780273768135
ISBN-10	0273768131
Author	Nigel Wyatt
BISAC	BUS091000
Subjects	higher education, Vocational / Professional Studies, General Vocational / Professional, BUS091000