Turning vision into value explains financial and accounting information to managers who have no prior knowledge of the subject. The central theme of the book is the measurement and creation of economic value in an organisation. Starting with a clear explanation of the core accounting principles, the book examines the measures of economic value, with particular emphasis on Return on Net Assets (RONA) and Return on Equity (ROE). It explains why these two measures are important and expounds the underlying levers that drive RONA and ROE in the structured framework known as the DuPont model. The matrix of performance measures is then extended to include the concept of sustainable growth. Since growth is such a significant factor in creating value, considerable attention is given to understanding the consequences of too much or too little growth in a business.

The final section of the book integrates the earlier material into an understanding of corporate valuation. Economic concepts relating to the time value of money, discounting and the cost of capital are discussed, with the objective of understanding valuation and the value creating process. Two approaches are presented: the traditional discounted cash flow approach and the economic value added (EVA®) approach.

The book includes several examples, problems and case studies and a sophisticated Excel® spreadsheet on CD-Rom which can be customised to analyse and value a business.

Mike Ward is the Director of the Graduate School of Management and the ABSA professor of Finance at the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS), University of Pretoria. He was the Director of the Wits Business School from 1998 to 2003. He teaches finance and value creation in South Africa and abroad, and has published research papers both locally and internationally. He is on the editorial board of the Investment Analysts Journal.

Allan Price originally trained as an architect, winning multiple awards for his work. After completing an MBA, he became convinced that finance ought to be presented and taught more simply. This led him to teach finance in South Africa, the UK and Russia. He has also been instrumental in the development of various financial software products. He is currently pursuing his career as a corporate finance consultant and property developer.