Financial Accounting for Decision Makers

Financial statements are more than a record of what happened: they help people assess a business and make decisions about what comes next. In Financial Accounting for Decision Makers, Peter Atrill and Eddie McLaney explain the principles behind that information and how to read it in a business context.

The ninth edition builds from introductory accounting ideas toward the interpretation and governance of company reporting. Its emphasis on the uses of accounting information gives students and business readers a practical route through a subject often crowded with unfamiliar terms.

Follow the story told by the statements

The book develops the core financial statements step by step, covering financial position, financial performance and cash flows. It also examines how transactions affect reported figures, how assets and claims are classified, and how accounting conventions influence the way information is presented.

Topics such as revenue and expense recognition, depreciation, inventory costing and trade receivables connect accounting concepts with the choices involved in preparing and understanding financial reports.

From company accounts to business analysis

Later chapters take the reader into limited-company accounting, including share capital, reserves, borrowing, dividends and the framework for annual reports. The book also considers accounting standards and policies, creative accounting, group-company reporting and corporate governance.

Two chapters on analysing and interpreting financial statements help bring these subjects together: the figures matter not only as entries in reports, but as information to examine when judging financial performance and position.

A structured text for accounting and business study

Across 12 chapters, the ninth edition moves from the role and users of accounting information through reporting, analysis and company governance. Appendices include a transaction-recording guide, a glossary, and solutions to self-assessment questions, critical review questions and selected exercises—useful companions as readers work through the material.

Students of accounting and business, as well as readers seeking a clearer understanding of company financial statements, will find a grounded introduction to how accounting information is prepared, presented and used in decision-making.