Basic Financial Skills For The Public Sector

Understanding and Presenting Financial Information

Size: 234 mm by 154 mm

73 pages

ISBN 1 899448 09 8

RRP £ 9.99

Synopsis

This is one of a series of books published by HB Publications targeted at the public sector. It is ideal reading for public sector managers or those obtaining management qualifications and degrees in public sector management.

Basic Financial Skills for the Public Sector is written in a clear and simple style and will be particularly useful for those who have not necessarily had any prior experience in this area. The publication reinforces all the areas covered with exercises at the end of each chapter. The exercises may be used as part of a manager's self development or for team building. Where relevant, suggested solutions are given in the final section.

This book is especially useful for organisational development where it can be used as a catalyst for change, as a supporting text for in-house courses. It is also a very appropriate text to add to any reading list for a certificate or diploma in management or equivalent qualification.

The book covers the following areas:

Basic Financial Calculations

This chapter covers basic skills such as using your calculator, calculating fractions and percentages, profiling budgets and projecting outturns. Any manager with responsibility for budgets or finance should be able to undertake these basic tasks. There are a number of exercises which will assist the reader to ensure that they have grasped the techniques covered in the chapter.


Using Statistics and Spreadsheets

Most managers operating in a public sector environment will have to collect data about the service provided and the performance of their service area. When data is collected it has to be analysed using statistics and this book explains how basic statistics are used and calculated. It also explains the use of simple probabilities and how these can assist managers in financial planning. Spreadsheets are a useful tool for presenting financial information in the form of tables and charts. Public sector managers can benefit by having a basic understanding of how a spreadsheet works and how useful it can be for analysing data, preparing financial forecasts, and so on.


Project Appraisal

There are a number of techniques that are commonly used in project appraisal. The ones covered in this book include payback period, return on investment and net present value. These techniques are useful in a public sector setting when choices have to be made with respect to how limited finances are allocated.

RRP £ 9.99