Financial Accounting: A Bridge to Decision Making

This engaging new edition is designed to bridge the gap between traditional and conceptual approaches of accounting. The best of both worlds are presented for those wishing to capitalize on the authors' strong conceptual approach plus teach the fundamentals of journal entries. Ingram & Baldwin explicitly link journal entries to their financial statement effects.The unique organization introduces students to how a business uses accounting information and then, in the second half, activities of the firm are emphasized. This engages students in the type of financing, investing and operating decisions that a firm has to make. This approach is especially ideal for students who will become users of accounting information because concepts - not procedures - are emphasized.

Robert W. Ingram is the Ross-Culverhouse Chair in the Culverhouse School of Accountancy at the University of Alabama. He teaches courses in financial accounting and has been actively involved in course curriculum development. He has served as Director of Education for the American Accounting Association, as a member of the Accounting Education Change Commission, and as editor of Issues in Accounting Education, a journal dedicated to accounting education research. Professor Ingram is a Certified Public Accountant and holds a Ph.D. from Texas Tech University. Prior to joining the faculty at the University of Alabama, he held positions at the University of South Carolina and the University of Iowa, and a visiting appointment at the University of Chicago. His research, which examines financial reporting and accounting education, has been published widely in accounting and business journals. He is the recipient of the National Alumni Association Outstanding Commitment to Teaching Award and the Burlington Northern Foundation Faculty Achievement in Research Award at the University of Alabama. He has also received the Notable Contribution to Literature Award of the Government and Nonprofit Section of the American Accounting Association and the Award for Excellence and Professional Contributions of the Alabama Association for Higher Education in Business. Professor Ingram is married and has two children. He and his family enjoy sports, travel, reading, music, and art. They live contentedly in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

Bruce A. Baldwin is Professor of Accounting in the School of Management at Arizona State University West. He has held previous faculty appointments at Arizona State University Main, Portland State University, and Linfield College (Oregon). In addition, he has held visiting appointments at the University of Texas-Austin and the University of Alabama. His primary teaching interests involve financial accounting and reporting issues in courses at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. He is known as a challenging and effective teacher and has won several teaching awards. Professor Baldwin is well-known for his interest in accounting education issues and has special expertise in testing and measurement. He has served as a consultant to a number of national testing organizations and chaired two AICPA task forces that developed employee assessment materials. Currently he is a member of the Certification Advisory Committee of the Arizona State Board of Accountancy. Dr. Baldwin's research articles on accounting policy standards and accounting education have appeared frequently in journals such as the Accounting Review, Journal of Accounting Education, Advances in Accounting, and Issues in Accounting Education. He has served as the associate editor of both the Journal of Accounting Education and of Accounting Education: An International Journal. Professor Baldwin is married and has two children and four grandchildren. He and his wife Connie live busy and sometimes hectic lives in Phoenix, Arizona. At every possible opportunity they escape to the serenity of the beach at Puerto Penasco, Mexico.