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Whether you're walking a tightrope or scribbling in your checkbook, balance is a good thing. And, one of the best ways to evaluate a company is to glance at its balance sheet to see what it owns with what it owes.
The balance sheet is a paragon of simplicity and is made up of three components: assets (the stuff it owns), liabilities (the money it owes), and shareholders' equity (the company's value to its shareholders).
Assets take two forms: short-term (or current) assets and long-term assets. Under short-term, there¿s good ol' hard cash. Then, there¿s something called "cash equivalents," which are assets like short-term bonds that can be sold so quickly, they might as well be cash. There you factor in inventory, which (if you're a reasonably competent business owner) you can sell to customers in return for--you guessed it--cash. (The raw materials a company owns to make that inventory also falls under this category.)
Long-term assets are things that are harder to convert into cash. (Think real estate and equipment.) Long-term assets depreciate, meaning they lose some value over time. Also under the long-term category are what's called intangible assets: things like patents and brands, that are important, but hard to quantify. Accountants earn their stripes figuring out the real overall value of these assets.
Once you know your assets, it's time for liabilities. As with assets, liabilities are separated into short-term or current, and long-term. Current liabilities are what a company owes in that year: Things like payments to employees or accounts payable to suppliers. Long-term liabilities are debts paid over several years.
Shareholders' equity is determined by subtracting the liabilities from the assets. That number represents the value of the company after all its bills are paid.
Obviously, investors should pay close attention to balance sheets. Spikes in the amount of debt carried, or a reduction in shareholders' equity, are usually red flags.
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Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Thomson Reuters Adds Citation Mapping Tool to ISI Web of Knowledge
Comtex
PHILADELPHIA, and LONDON, Jul 23, 2008 (Canada NewsWire via COMTEX) ----The Scientific business of Thomson Reuters today announced that new features have been added to ISI Web of Knowledge. Most notably, a citation mapping tool has been incorporated to provide researchers with a visual result to their research.
The citation mapping tool tracks an article's cited and citing references through two generations, allowing researchers to visually discover an article's wider relationships. The resulting "family tree" of information can be utilized by the researcher to highlight the citation relationships most important to their research.
"Users shape each upgrade to ISI Web of Knowledge through our rigorous user-centered design process," said James Pringle, vice president of product development for the Scientific business of Thomson Reuters. "The features found in this most recent version support the quality data and innovative functionality that customers have come to expect from Thomson Reuters."
ISI Web of Knowledge, an integrated, versatile research platform, delivers easy access to high quality, diversified scholarly information in the sciences, social sciences, and arts and humanities, as well as search and analysis tools that enhance this content. The platform provides users the ability to search the right content and find relevant information -- whether that information is found in international journals, open access resources, books, patents, proceedings or Web sites.
For more information about ISI Web of Knowledge and its new features, visit http://isiwebofknowledge.com/.
<< About Thomson Reuters >>
Thomson Reuters is the world's leading source of intelligent information for businesses and professionals. We combine industry expertise with innovative technology to deliver critical information to leading decision makers in the financial, legal, tax and accounting, scientific, healthcare and media markets, powered by the world's most trusted news organization. With headquarters in New York and major operations in London and Eagan, Minnesota, Thomson Reuters employs more than 50,000 people in 93 countries. For more information, go to thomsonreuters.com.
SOURCE: Thomson Reuters
Sue Besaw, Manager, PR & Communications of Scientific, +1-215-823-1840, susan.besaw@thomsonreuters.com, for Thomson Reuters Web Site: http://www.thomsonreuters.com http://isiwebofknowledge.com http://www.scientific.thomson.com
Copyright (C) 2008 CNW Group. All rights reserved.
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