If you read the 'business pages' of a newspaper or if you listen to the financial news on the television or radio, you will often hear terms such as liability, balance sheet or earnings. These terms turn up in non-financial contexts as well: he was more of a liability than an asset. If you invest in shares, have a building society account, or sit on a committee of the property company which owns your apartment block, you will receive financial statements every year. If you are a manager in a company, a hospital or a school, you will see accounting information often. This Very Short Introduction provides a guide to understanding and using accounting information. Christopher Nobes explains the main areas of accounting work, from bookkeeping and financial reporting to auditing and management accounting. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Firmly established as the leading text in the field, this new edition of Comparative International Accounting has been fundamentally updated to reflect the changes that are occurring in financial accounting and reporting as a result of the introduction of IFRS. Comparative International Accounting takes a comprehensive look at the international dimensions of financial accounting and reporting. Whilst the majority of chapters have been written by the book's two main authors, the text includes several contributions from a diverse group of international experts, all of whom are leading practitioners or academics.