This book bridges the gap between engineering expertise and financial acumen, equipping technical professionals with essential knowledge of corporate finance. This comprehensive guide transforms complex financial concepts into accessible insights, enabling engineers, scientists, and technology specialists to confidently navigate financial documents and understand the financial drivers behind corporate decisions. The book:
• Provides comprehensive coverage of professional financial context.
• Presents self-contained explanations of all financial terminology with no prior accounting knowledge required.
• Offers practical guidance for interpreting budgets and common financial documentation.
• Discusses cost-based project metrics, control mechanisms, and risk management strategies.
• Aligns with PMI's Project Management Professional exam topics in Project Cost Management, Business Environment, and Risk Management.
• Includes forward-looking chapters examining emerging financial technologies including cryptocurrencies, FinTech innovations, open banking, and AI applications.
Written specifically for technically-minded professionals seeking to enhance their financial literacy, this essential resource serves as both a practical handbook and strategic guide. Whether you're an engineer looking to better understand how financial considerations impact your projects or a technical team leader needing to communicate effectively with finance departments, this book provides the knowledge framework to make informed financial decisions that complement and enhance your technical expertise throughout your career.
Table of Contents:
0. Front Matter. 1. Why Engineers, Scientists, and Technologists Need Financial Literacy. 2. Basic Accounting and Financial Concepts. 3. Understanding Business Structures and Finance. 4. Business Models and Approaches. 5. Risk and Opportunity Management. 6. Project Cost Estimation and Budgeting. 7. Corporate Finance and Decision-Making. 8. Financial Modeling and Data Analysis. 9. Next Generation Financial Concepts and Strategies. Glossary.
About the Author :
Phillip A. Laplante is Professor Emeritus of Software and Systems Engineering at Penn State with more than 40 years of experience as a professor, practitioner, academic administrator, and consultant. He has worked in avionics, CAD, and software testing systems, and he has published 40+ books and more than 300 scholarly papers. He is a licensed professional engineer in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and a Fellow of IEEE, SPIE, and the Washington Academy of Sciences. From 2010 to 2017, he led the effort to develop a national licensing exam for software engineers. He received his B.S., M.Eng., and Ph.D. from Stevens Institute of Technology and an MBA from the University of Colorado.
