Mastering Financial Modelling in Microsoft Excel: A practitioner's guide to applied corporate finance, 2nd Edition

Description

With every major choice we face we "run through the numbers" to guide our decision-making and legitimise the outcomes. Financial modelling helps managers to make more informed decisions and, crucially, win corporate commitment for those decisions. The ability to construct useful financial models with speed and accuracy is becoming a key skill for all executives to master.

However, this is a skill few managers and businesses know how to develop. For the busy executive or finance officer, an Excel user-manual is no place to start - today's financial models have moved a long way from the original single-sheet spreadsheets that most of us feel comfortable manipulating. Modern spreadsheets allow advanced managers to adopt advanced decision-making and analysis tools, but few have time or programming skills to use the spreadsheets to the full. This book will show managers how they can extend their decision-making capabilities by mastering the use and abuse of financial models.

This is the ultimate book and disk combination that will help finance professionals and business students alike to become more proficient in building Microsoft Excel models and applying corporate finance concepts.

The Mastering Series

are your practical guides to gaining the knowledge you need to succeed in the financial world. With the very latest practical examples, exercises and templates used throughout for ease of understanding, The Mastering Series covers every aspect of the topic from the basic essential skills you need to perform your job effectively to the more advanced skills to get you to the top. Written by practitioners for practitioners, these books give you just what you need - and nothing more - to succeed in finance. Several of the titles also come with companion CDs to allow you to put the book's ideas into action straightaway.

The Mastering Series: Practical, comprehensive, essential.

Sample Content

Table of Contents

Contents

       Introduction – who needs this book?

       Preface to the second edition 

       Acknowledgements            

       Conventions

       Executive summary

Part A  DEVELOPING FINANCIAL MODELS   

1               Overview     

Introduction                                                                     

What is financial modelling?

History of spreadsheets  

Power of spreadsheets  

Objectives for the book  

Example spreadsheet

Summary  

2               Design introduction             

Introduction

Basics of design

Objectives

User interface  

Key variables and rules  

Layout

Individual modules  

Menu structure and macros

Management reporting  

Future development

Testing

Protection  

Documentation  

Peer group comments

Summary  

3               Features and techniques

Introduction

Formats

Number format

Lines and borders  

Colours and patterns  

Specific colours for inputs and results

Data validation  

Controls – combo boxes and buttons

Conditional formatting  

Use of functions and types of function

Add-ins for more functions  

Text and updated labels

Record a version number, author, etc.  

Use names to make formulas easier to understand

Paste names as part of documentation  

Comment cells  

Graphics  

Dynamic graphs to plot individual series

Data tables

Scenarios  

Goal seek  

Solver 

Use of templates  

Summary  

4               Sample model

Introduction

Aims and objectives  

User needs and user interface  

Key variables and rules  

Breaking down the calculations into manageable groups

Setting up individual modules  

Menu structure  

Program sheets and macros

User assistance  

Summaries

Risk and multiple answers  

Testing and troubleshooting 

Protecting and securing  

Help and documentation  

Show to peers – take their advice

Control loop – listen, learn and modify

Summary  

5               Exa