The HR Answer Book: An Indispensable Guide for Managers and Human Resources Professionals

by Shawn Smith, Rebecca Mazin

Based on the bestselling AMA seminar, a nuts-and-bolts guide to the dollars-and-cents issues that drive your organization! As a department manager, the last thing you want to think about is numbers. But the truth is, that’s the only thing your executives and senior managers are thinking about so it’s crucial to understand key financial information like balance sheets, income statements, cash flow statements, budgets and forecasts, and annual reports. With over 40,000 copies sold, The Essentials of Finance and Accounting for Nonfinancial Managers has long provided readers with insight into the financial fundamentals. It demystifies the role accounting and finance play in a corporation, demonstrates how financial decisions reflect business goals, and shows how managers can connect corporate financial information directly to their own strategies and actions. Now revised to reflect new accounting and financial standards, the second edition includes: Strategies for getting your share of the budget • New case studies and practice sessions • An explanation of Sarbanes-Oxley and its relevance to nonfinancial managers • How to manage cash flow in tough times • Fraud detection tools • An expanded glossary including up-to-the-minute business concepts and terminology • And more

Genres: Historical Romance, Business, Human Resources, Management, Nonfiction

290 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 5, 2004

About the author

SHAWN SMITH is an attorney, corporate executive, and founder of Next Level Consulting. Her articles have appeared in numerous legal and business publications.

Reviews

[Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

Resourceful, but not exhaustive.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was going to be better than it was based on the Amazon reviews. It had good info, but not enough, especially when it comes to small companies.

[J.P. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Under-delivered. Chapters poorly designed. More of an informal conversation than a guide. Useful forms.

[Mike Walters · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good book to have on your shelf as a resources. Definitely not a read cover-to-cover.

[Asia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a good introduction to the various function in HR and explains many laws and regulations related to HR in the US. Hence the parts about laws and regulations would not be applicable to HR practitioners who are not based in US. Nonetheless, it was enlightening to read about the laws in US and reflect if it will make sense to apply them in my own country. One function of HR that this book is missing is HR Development (Training and Development). It would be good to include this important HR function in their next edition.

[Magali Najarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book with useful information and templates but it's mostly focused on the US and American employment laws and services and since i work in Canada I couldn't use a lot of it. It's a short read so I would still recommend it. I was inspired by this book to come up with ideas and incentives for my employees to keep them motivated and comfortable at work so it definitely was not a waste.

[Addison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely a solid read for anyone just getting into HR or looking to refresh their understanding on all things HR related. There were just a few things that probably needed further explanation since it could have been interpreted the wrong way or didn't clarify completely, but still worth reading for any HR professional.

[Sai Wunna]

I think I have to read this book for my career because I want to be a HR professional. I believe this book will give me amazing critical thinking.

[Bess · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book as a detailed overview of many human resource functions. I found the templates to be helpful. Now that I am done reading, it has found a place on my desk, and will be useful as reference when creating forms. I also will use it when creating presentations and trainings for staff. For example, I liked the chapter on interviewing and appropriate and inappropriate interview questions.

The advice is practical and relatively up to date. It is a newer edition of the book, but sometimes it did come across a little dated. Technology is evolving quickly!

I think it would be particularly interesting for people outside of HR to read. As an HR professional, I still found it interesting and informative though. I recently took the SHRM exam, and I thought it covered similar material to the exam.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in HR, someone who wants a concise but comprehensive guide to HR, and someone taking on new HR projects (like writing an employee handbook), who would like a place to start. The book would also be helpful for someone running a small business who does not have traditional HR support.

It was a good read to start the year and review the essentials of HR!

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thorough, top-level coverage of multiple topics found in Human Resources. Excellent book to use as a refresher or starting point in HR studies. It's exactly what it's intended to be, and provides a basis or starting point for researching out the various issues and topics that come up in the typical workplace.

[Azuree · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book, although boring, was a good source of information for everything having to do with human resources. It talked about health benefits, hiring and firing practices, employee reviews and just about everything else a good manager should know.

[Donna]

LIBSCI 709.3

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

good beginner book. easy Q&A format. lots of tips.

[Missy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the better business books I have read in the past year. It offers valuable, easy to understand information.

[Andrea Wang]

HR work is so boring........