FINANCE FOR IT DECISION MAKERS (2nd edition) Michael Blackstaff Published 2006 by the British Computer Society (www.bcs.org)   Many 'IT' people don't like 'finance' very much. 'Finance' is the thing that has incomprehensible jargon, shrinks benefits and charges the budget with costs that were never incurred. Many 'finance' people don't like 'IT' very much. It too has incomprehensible jargon, stretches the rules of accounting up to and sometimes beyond their natural limits and has an insatiable appetite for spending money on machines that never wear out but nevertheless always seem to need replacing after about eighteen months.   Finance for IT Decision Makers illumines the twilight zone where these two disciplines meet. Finance is fundamental to making decisions about IT, and most other aspects of life, both business and non-commercial. However, many people who make or influence such decisions lack knowledge of the financial principles on which they should be based.   Assuming no prior knowledge, written in plain English and with many practical examples, Finance for IT Decision Makers covers those aspects of finance relevant to IT professionals - whether managers, buyers, sellers, consultants or project managers:   ·                     IT financial cases - how to build and evaluate them; ·                     IT financing methods - benefits and pitfalls; ·                     IT outsourcing - financial aspects; ·                     IT assets - depreciation and taxation; ·                     IT-relevant accounting standards and legislation; ·                     Budgeting, costing and pricing; ·                     Balance sheets, profit and loss accounts, cash flow statements and basic financial ratios.   The book was written primarily for people involved in IT decisions. However, imagine the 'IT' dropped from the title, and you would have a book entitled 'Finance for Decision Makers' that happens to use IT-related examples, but which would be of value to anyone who has to make or influence financial decisions.