Business and Finance for IT People gives an insight into the world of business, and its language - the language of finance - for all those involved in information technology IT, whether as practitioners - buyer, sellers, technicians or managers - or students. Assuming no prior knowledge of the subject, the book not only takes the reader step by step in plain language, and with many practical examples, through the fundamentals of business and finance, but also through some more advanced topics - leasing, cost/benefit analysis and project evaluation methods - not normally found in an introductory book, but of particular interest to IT people. Areas covered in this book include: - Fundamentals of business and finance; - Balance sheets, profit and loss accounts, cash flow statements; - Different kinds of business and their financial characteristics; - Financing and leasing; - Cost/benefit analysis; - Project evaluation methods, including net present value (NPV), internal rate of return (IRR) and return on investment (ROI); - Budget, costing and pricing - an introduction