Business Editors

CARLISLE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 21, 2003

Interactive eBooks use real world examples from

Lennar Industries and Amazon.com to present financial concepts

in condensed, easy to read format

Ballantine & Company, Inc. today

Business Editors

CARLISLE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 21, 2003

Interactive eBooks use real world examples from

Lennar Industries and Amazon.com to present financial concepts

in condensed, easy to read format

Ballantine & Company, Inc. today released the first two QuickTopics(R) eBooks in its Finance Series Understanding Financial Statements. The eBooks are written for nonfinancial professionals who need a quick and easy way to understand the fundamentals of financial management. Each QuickTopics(R) is a short eBook that provides interactive, compact and easy to read information on a key business topic.

Understanding Financial Statements: Building to Sell uses real world construction industry examples from Lennar Industries, the dominant homebuilder in the United States. Readers can see how Lennar continues to grow and profit in the housing market, how Lennar develops land, partners with homebuilders, and manages cash flow while keeping its housing inventory risk under control. By understanding the financial statements of a major homebuilder, contractors can understand how construction companies in general manage their business and keep cash flow positive.

Using examples from Amazon.com, Understanding Financial Statements: Testing the Internet Mirage explains key financial concepts to retailers. Readers can learn how to interpret financial statements while they see how Amazon has used some of the basic rules of retailing, as well as barter deals and goodwill, to grow the company. The QuickTopics(R) eBook helps readers understand the economics and recent financial statements of Amazon.com and the dynamics of the retailing industry.

Both eBooks can be updated annually through a free download from Ballantine & Company so that the content stays relevant and up-to-date, making them excellent reference tools.

"Our Understanding Financial Statements eBooks summarize tried and true financial concepts from today's most respected authorities on accounting and finance," said author John Ballantine, Jr. "We think readers will find that our QuickTopics(R) eBooks take advantage of the best of eBook technology to present otherwise dry and often difficult to understand business concepts and examples in a new and unique interactive format that is industry specific, easy to read and engaging."

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Understanding Financial Statements: Building to Sell uses real world construction industry examples from Lennar Industries, the dominant homebuilder in the United States. Readers can see how Lennar continues to grow and profit in the housing market, how Lennar develops land, partners with homebuilders, and manages cash flow while keeping its housing inventory risk under control. By understanding the financial statements of a major homebuilder, contractors can understand how construction companies in general manage their business and keep cash flow positive.

Using examples from Amazon.com, Understanding Financial Statements: Testing the Internet Mirage explains key financial concepts to retailers. Readers can learn how to interpret financial statements while they see how Amazon has used some of the basic rules of retailing, as well as barter deals and goodwill, to grow the company. The QuickTopics(R) eBook helps readers understand the economics and recent financial statements of Amazon.com and the dynamics of the retailing industry.

Both eBooks can be updated annually through a free download from Ballantine & Company so that the content stays relevant and up-to-date, making them excellent reference tools.

"Our Understanding Financial Statements eBooks summarize tried and true financial concepts from today's most respected authorities on accounting and finance," said author John Ballantine, Jr. "We think readers will find that our QuickTopics(R) eBooks take advantage of the best of eBook technology to present otherwise dry and often difficult to understand business concepts and examples in a new and unique interactive format that is industry specific, easy to read and engaging."

All QuickTopics(R) eBooks include:

-- An interactive model that allows readers to see how changes in certain financial figures affect financial statements

-- A WebGuide with a list of links to current, industry-standard web sites to enhance what the reader has already learned in the eBook

-- An easy order bibliography that links to Amazon.com so readers can order source books listed in the bibliography to learn more about a topic

-- A link to Ask the Expert, an on-line knowledge base that includes frequently asked questions by topic, and the option to email questions to the author

In addition to adding other industries to the Understanding Financial Statements series, Ballantine is developing QuickTopics(R) eBooks focused on marketing and project management topics.

About the Author

John Ballantine has over twenty-five years of business and academic experience in finance and economics. He has served as CFO of Ballantine & Company since 1998. He is currently authoring the company's QuickTopics(R) eBook finance series and maintaining the company's Top of the Economy(R) web site. He teaches and is also director of the Master's in Finance program at Brandeis University, and is also a research economist at Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government. Prior to joining Ballantine & Company, Mr. Ballantine served as a senior consultant with Arthur D. Little and held various corporate banking positions in at the Chase Manhattan Bank in New York. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics and Strategic Management from New York University, the Stern School; a MA from the University of Chicago; and a BA from Harvard University.

QuickTopics(R) eBooks Pricing

The Understanding Financial Statements QuickTopics(R) eBooks ($15.95 each) are available in Adobe Acrobat PDF format and include an annual upgrade subscription. They are available for download from the Ballantine's web site at www.tools-for-business.com.

About Ballantine

Ballantine and Company, Inc., publisher of QuickTopics(R) eBooks and the Top of the Economy(R) web site, also develops and markets project-oriented desktop software used by thousands of engineers, architects, contractors, accountants, consultants and business managers.

Ballantine's Tools-for-Business.com(R) web site offers visitors professional products and business information designed to help project-oriented professionals work faster and better.

To order a QuickTopics(R) eBook, call 800-536-6677 or visit www.Tools-for-Business.com.

QuickTopics, Top of the Economy and Tools-for-Business.com are registered trademarks and/or trademarks of Ballantine and Company, Inc. Other marks are the property of their respective owners.