However I would urge any potential customer (either financially astute or a beginner like myself) who is genuinely interested in Value, to look no further than "The Quest for Value".
The key resides in the style (fully informative yet at times conversational / humorous), the content (rich in depth and explanation) and finally the extensive case studies and "war stories" that bring Valuation fully to life.
You dont have to be an accountant or corporate finance practioner to understand and apply the fundamental principles of EVA - in fact as the author sometimes alludes to, not possessing this background is perhaps a distinct advantage.
Investing in this Quest with Stern Stewart as my guide has helped me enormously.
First, few books put the two topics (value, investment) in one theoretical system. Even the books or articles about "value investment" can be separated into two categories: these about "investment art", talking about, or written by investment experts (who's names on the Money Master and New Money Master); the other about the "valuation scientific methods". People talked about value investment ideas by totally separated way, the art, or the science.
Second, too many books discuss value investment by this way: "it is the one... (maybe earning, or cash flow, or working capital,) but..., or, if....,". So the investor become a boxer, who need professional speed and energy to quickly switch his positions and punch among the keep coming "but", "if" from either accounting or reality. Contrary to my boxer's inspiration, my best friend in business school told me: "Warren Buffett must have one secret point he never told anybody". I think the secret he means is what is "one dollar", and what is "forty cents", if buy low sell high is the plan. Haven't our two foolish business school students told you everything about the "modern" market efficiency and inefficiency theories?! I know value investment masters will feel sad for this kind of coming value investment young villagers. Anyway, besides the "professional strong" and the "superstition power" from the point of ours, is there a rational point to support the leverage of investment art.
The third, value investment is always about two aspects: the business and the management. From Fillip Fish's buy and hold sticky strategy to Peter Lnych's traveling and talking around the world, to Warren Buffet's appreciation: "he (the CEO) is this kind of person, you can marry your daughter to him", investment is about to invest, or to marry with, the management team. But, we need the handsome's picture.
The Fourth, what kind of morality standards fits Wall Street's social position. Probably, people don't have time to talk about good or bad, when the regulation of a game is win or loss. However, if you are playing NBA, your morality, personality, even image are kind of money at least, aren't they? Even you just doing exercise in your backyard, at least don't forget another possibility: win-win.
If you have this kind of questions, you must read this book. The author's capital efficiency view and five categories of business accordingly put the "value" and the "investment" two topics into one system to discuss.
And, The Economic Value Added (EVA) investment method is independent from the any accounting system. The accounting system as a standard record of business activities is only an object of study, criticize or judgment for investment decision but not a constriction of decision mine field. Contrary to "but" "if" talking, this book puts everything on this way: it is the one (EVA), so you should....
Additionally, to look for a good management maybe, for investor, can become to create of good management teams. This topic you can read EVA and Value-Based Management by Mr. Young and O'Byrne for further study.
Finally, the meaning of investment probably is not just NBA's win or loss. It is about to add or to damage (or even worse, to steal maybe) the social wealth according to EVA theory.
Interesting? Plus the author's good logic and good case study! The only lack of this book to me is that the Capitan Case only has one. After finishing the Capitan Case at the end of the book, I wish there were other four cases for the other four categories of business accordingly (If you know where I can read that, please let me know...).
There already been so many, so different opinions about this book on this site. While, if investment is art, according to Peter Lynch, or is a project, according to Charles Ellis, then any theory or method is just a kind of tool or weapon. So it will depend on the person, so it will depend on everything. I myself start the second reading after the first. I am going back to Main China pretty soon to do Investment Banking business, probably focus on LBO, and I will keep reading this book, talking about this book, and trying to imply this book. I think that I owe amzon.com a customer's view since I have got so much helps from others' views, so I recommend this book to you: If you have been so patient to read my view to here, you need read that book. Good Luck :)
The key resides in the style (fully informative yet at times conversational / humuorous), the content (rich in depth and explanation) and finally the extensive case studies and "war stories" that bring Valuation fully to life.
Claims about how failing companies turned around into successes because they adopted EVA are not sufficiently supported. Those turnarounds could have happened for any of many other reasons. The claims would be believable if they were well supported with facts and deeper analysis. As they are, they detract from the overall quality of the book and raise questions about other claims made in it. At times the author's tone is condescending, as if we can all assume his statements don't need proof!!
The book could function as a fair reference but as most other reviewers have noted, there is no index, and the table of contents is about half a page! This is particularly difficult because the discussions of important concepts are somewhat spread about in the book.
On the positive side, the author's focus on return on capital is good and the reasoning well stated and easy to understand. By the same token, his discussions of what provides true value to the investor (and business manager) is good. But these are not very original. Either the book should have been about one-fourth as long, or the examples the author used to justify EVA should have been much more thoroughly developed.
In this bestselling classic of financial management, G. Bennett Stewart, III, raises and answers these provocative questions:
Do dividends matter?Are earnings per share really accurate measures of corporate performance?What is the engine that really drives share prices?
More than that, Stewart lays the foundation for EVAr, the financial management and incentive system now in place at nearly 300 companies around the world, and which is rapidly becoming the global standard for corporate governance.
Managers, confused about what investors really want, often find it difficult to reach informed decisions regarding business strategy, acquisitions and divestitures, financial structure, dividend policy, and executive compensation. But now an EVAr -based revolution is providing a practical framework that managers can use to build a premium-valued company. At the forefront of this revolution is the consulting firm of Stern Stewart & Co., of which G. Bennett Stewart, III, author of The Quest for Value, is senior partner and cofounder.
The Quest for Value is written for senior management, key operating people, and planning and financial staff. This bible of financial management will assist managers in goal setting, resource allocation, strategy development, valuation of acquisitions, financial policy setting, incentive compensation planning, and building shareholder value.
The Quest for Value cuts sharply through the myths that to this day misinform corporate strategists in their pursuit of shareholder value. Laying waste to inaccurate yet widely used methods of performance, Stewart demonstrates how the Stern Stewart EVAr approach not only creates greater shareholder value but also provides a powerful framework for the broadest range of corporate decision making.