Publisher's Synopsis
Published accounts are not always easy to understand, but to those who know how to read them they provide the most readily available source of information on a company's activities, profitability and prospects. This book sets out to guide the non-specialist reader through the conventions and complexities of reports and accounts, explaining how to assess the financial and trading position of a company from year to year, how to spot undue risk-taking, how to look for clues on the quality of management and how to see where "window dressing" has been used to disguise poor results. Examples are given from over 100 companies, and in the final chapter, a system is suggested which readers can employ to compile their own analysis. For this fourth edition, the text has been revised and updated to include coverage of the 1989 companies legislation, the latest changes in accounting, the progress of inflation and other developments.
