There are many text books about engineering design and some include project evaluation techniques. There are text books on accounting methods and yet others on business management. This book does not aim to replace these specialized texts but brings together the elements of these subjects that young engineers working in industry particularly the construction industry and its customers need to understand.

Most engineers learn about money the hard way: by experience in the workplace. The authors having done this themselves recognized the gap in engineers education and set out to bridge it. This book is based on a 1996 course George Solt pioneered for final-year engineering undergraduates. The book is written in an approachable style and gives young engineers as well as mature engineers an insight into the way engineering businesses run, the importance of capital and the problems of cash flow.