Balance Sheet Structures

Book excerpt: Balance sheet structures is a practical and comprehensive guide to balance sheet issues. The book begins by covering the financial theory necessary for an understanding of the debt versus equity issue and then focuses on real world issues by discussing answers to the questionsWhy do companies have balance sheets structured as they are?Do industry differences rule the structure?Does a multinational differ greatly from a domestic company?Does management's attitude to risk have any effect?These questions are looked at through a series of case studies, mostly written by those who are responsible for the balance sheet structures they are living with. The book also aims to help the reader understand the interrelationship between debt and equity in terms of the overall value of the company and the impact on the company's cost of capital. It covers the various elements that make up the balance sheet, and the costs and benefits that attach to each and goes on to analyse the interrelationship between the business that the company is in, the maximisation of cash flows and the balance sheet that matches the business reality.Balance sheet structures is an invaluable and concise guide intended for a wide range of interested parties, treasurers, bankers, directors and students of business and economics.