QFINANCE: The Ultimate Resource

Citation

Phuong Truong, T. (2012), "QFINANCE: The Ultimate Resource", Journal of Accounting & Organizational Change, Vol. 8 No. 2, pp. 236-238. https://doi.org/10.1108/18325911211230407

In a world where finance changes rapidly, the challenge for anyone who works in finance‐related areas is to keep up‐to‐date with recent developments in modern finance. QFINANCE: The Ultimate Resource is an excellent guide for finance, accounting and other business professionals as it covers a broad range of finance‐related topics. The book divides these topics into nine main themes:

1. 1.

   corporate balance sheets and cash flows;

2. 2.

   governance and business ethics;

3. 3.

   insurance and financial markets;

4. 4.

   making and managing investments;

5. 5.

   mergers and acquisitions;

6. 6.

   operations management;

7. 7.

   raising finance;

8. 8.

   regulation and compliance; and

9. 9.

   strategy and performance.

This book is compiled by more than 300 expert finance authors, educators and practitioners and has 2,160 pages. In order to make it easier for the readers to navigate through this large book, each of the nine topic areas covered are split into nine distinct sections:

1. 1.

   best practice;

2. 2.

   checklists;

3. 3.

   calculations and ratios;

4. 4.

   finance thinkers and readers;

5. 5.

   finance library;

6. 6.

   country and sector profiles;

7. 7.

   finance information sources;

8. 8.

   quotations; and

9. 9.

   dictionary.

Due to the size of this book, this review concentrates on the type and usefulness of the information found in each of these nine distinct sections.

The best practice section provides insightful information about key finance‐related issues under each of the nine main themes in an essay form. Each essay begins with an executive summary outlining the key information provided for quick reference. Each essay also includes a “making it happen” section explaining how to apply what has been discussed in practice. Most essays are accompanied with a “more information” section which provides quick links to other related sections covered in the book. In addition, a number of views based on numerous interviews and essays contributed by some of the world's leadings finance thinkers are included and provide perspectives on a number of finance‐related themes such as financial regulation, the future of assets management, credit crisis, etc.

The checklists section covers a number of practical questions and concepts that finance, accounting and other business professionals are likely to face in their working life. Each checklist entry includes a definition, a useful list of do's and don'ts, advantages and disadvantages as well as an action checklist for the readers' convenience. Each checklists entry is also accompanied by a “more information” section, giving the readers an opportunity to gain more insights into the issue concerned. This checklists section is extremely useful as it provides fast answers to numerous everyday finance‐related problems and thus will be useful for all professionals working in finance‐related areas to develop fast solutions for a variety of finance‐related issues.

A number of essential mathematical tools needed for daily numerical‐based solutions are provided in the calculations and ratios section. Each mathematical tool is accompanied by its measurement, importance, application in practice and tricks of the trade. Some of the tools are provided with a “more information” section that includes quick links to other useful related materials.

The finance thinkers and leaders section presents summaries of the careers and thinking of the most influential finance theorists, practitioners and thought leaders and their contribution to the world of modern finance within each of the nine topic areas. This is a very interesting section as it identifies the key figures who have established the foundations of modern finance and provides insights behind the practical application of various finance theories.

Ground‐breaking and the most influential finance literature from intellectual cornerstones to the most popular writings are presented in the finance library section. In this section, both time‐honoured classics such as The Portfolio Theory and Capital Markets by William F. Sharpe as well as well‐regarded new titles such as Nassim Nicholas Taleb's The Black Swan are discussed.

Profiles of more than 100 countries and 26 leading industries are analysed in the country and sector profiles section. The countries profiled include EU, OECD, and OPEC members together with composites of MSCI, emerging markets and MENA indices. Each country profile includes a detailed description and analysis of six main aspects:

1. 1.

   the economy and its trade profile;

2. 2.

   economic policy over the previous 12 months;

3. 3.

   economic performance over the previous 12 months;

4. 4.

   official support for inward investment and imports;

5. 5.

   the tax regime and corporate tax exemptions; and

6. 6.

   trade resources and useful web links.

The sectors profiled include automobiles, aviation, banking, and financial services, chemicals, construction, and building materials, defence, e‐commerce, electronics, energy, engineering, food, and agribusiness, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, insurance, information technology, media, mining, oil and gas, professional services, real estate, retail, shipping, steel, telecoms, tourism and hotels, transport and logistics, and water. Each sector profile contains two main components:

1. 1.

   major industry developments; and

2. 2.

   a detailed analysis of these major developments.

The finance information sources section provides the quickest and easiest route to the best sources of further information on finance worldwide, both in print and online, covering over 60 subject areas ranging from accounting and financial economics to outsourcing and technical analysis. These include the best websites, the most informative books, magazines, and journals and the most authoritative organisations. Finance, accounting and other business professionals will find it much less difficult to obtain information about a new finance‐related topic if they refer to this section.

More than 2,000 quotations on various subjects ranging from finance and accounting to management and leadership are shown in the quotations section. The section is divided into a number of themes ranging from ability and challenge to power and wealth that enables quick identification of the quotation's relevance. For each quotation, the author, source and date are provided in details. This section would be particularly useful for writers in finance‐related areas.

The dictionary section provides detailed definitions to more than 9,000 finance terms, abbreviations and acronyms. This section would be very effective in assisting finance, accounting and other business professionals in general and those professionals who have English as a secondary language in particular to keep up‐to‐date with the latest finance terms and jargon.

Overall, QFINANCE: The Ultimate Resource provides finance, accounting, and other business professionals with more than 250 best practice essays written by leading international finance expert and market movers, more than 300 guides and tips to solve everyday finance problems, the history of the world's key modern finance thinkers, detailed profiles of more than 100 countries and 26 leading industries, more than 100 influential finance works, more than 2,000 insightful quotations and more than 9,000 finance terms and jargon. QFINANCE: The Ultimate Resource is an essential reference book for finance, accounting and other business professionals in this dynamic financial environment as they can access the key concepts lying behind modern finance and locate solutions to everyday finance problems and issues far more easily.