Author: Alastair L. Day

Publisher: Financial Times/Prentice Hall/Pearson Education (Harlow, England)

ISBN-13: 978-0-273-70806-3

Mastering Financial Modelling in Microsoft® Excel is a 497 page, softbound book. Part A (Developing financial models) contains the first 5 chapters and Part B (Applications) contains the remaining 20 chapters, for a total of 25 chapters. These chapters are preceded by an introduction, preface, acknowledgements, conventions, and executive summary. Four appendices follow the chapter coverage, as does a bibliography, references and index. A companion compact disk is included and affixed to the back cover of the book.

Different people find different techniques useful in learning to use and apply software packages. Some read the instructions manuals; others just jump right in, only referring to the manual when they run into a problem. I fit into the latter group, so would find this book useful as a reference source. My wife fits into the former group, so she would prefer to read the book and follow the examples to learn the applications before trying to do them, first. Regardless of which group you fit into, this book has the potential to benefit you in applying Microsoft® Excel.

I prefer to include some guidance on likely user groups in my reviews, and suspect that this book is likely to be of interest to faculty and students at the MBA level, but also anticipate some value to corporate middle managers through the executive level. It is not uncommon for me, for example, to ask my MBA students if their firm uses Microsoft® Excel to design templates for their own, customized applications. Imagine my fascination when I come to learn that some of the larger, more bureaucratic firms choose, instead, to spend $35 to $40 thousand dollars (or more) for branded, independent software packages that do not interface with existing systems and are, in fact, less flexible than Microsoft® Excel. Historically, these MBA students have been engineers, seeking additional education for promotions. These are, presumably, bright individuals, yet they are as confused as I, when I ask “why doesn’t the firm simply design their own template using Microsoft® Excel?” Therefore, these are the user groups that I would target for and expect to benefit from this book – (1) MBA students and faculty (supplement for a financial accounting, cost accounting and/or corporate finance course) and (2) middle-managers and executives.

The book is extremely well-written and well-organized/structured, as one would expect of an applications-based text or textbook supplement. It represents an excellent selection for those interested in becoming what some refer to as a Microsoft® Excel “power user.”

The above review was contributed by:  Anthony (A.J.) Cataldo II Ph.D    Professor of Accounting, West Chester University. Dr. Cataldo holds a PhD from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University , MAc ( University of Arizona)  unofficial minor in Marketing , BSBA  (University of Arizona). He is a Certified Management Accountant and a Certified Public Accountant:  Click Here to view Anthony's Reviews 

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