Book excerpt: Financial Statements Demystified . takes the reader simply and lucidly through the elements of financial statements, ratio analysis and the theories and assumptions upon which accountancy is based.' Trevor Sykes Here is a book to unravel the mysteries of company financial statements. Financial Statements Demystified is a thoughtful, detailed, user-friendly introduction to the financial statements that form the basis of modern business throughout the world. Are you bamboozled by company annual reports? Do you think there is more going on than is shown by the accounts? Is the language of financial statements foreign to you? Most people do not really understand the information given in financial statements. Few of us know how to interpret that information. Yet making sense of financial statements is critical to success and effectiveness in business, not-for-profit organisations and government. David Hey-Cunningham's book helps those in business without an accounting background, as well as accounting novices and students, to understand and interpret financial statements. It will also help you understand and guide the performance of your business by employing critical but simple financial ratios. Using International Financial Reporting Standards, this book is a reference for everyone doing business to keep and turn to.