Learning Financial Accounting can often feel like learning a foreign language to students, in particular when terminology and procedure is piled on before core concepts are truly mastered. Introductory Financial Accounting for Business is an innovative approach that emphasizes critical thinking over the rote memorization of terms, such as "debits" and "credits". The sequential learning model employed by the authors helps students see the bottom-line consequences of financial statements as it relates to the overall business, better preparing them for careers as accountants, entrepreneurs, and decision-makers. The authors focus initially on conceptual underpinnings -- the reasons why we approach procedures the way we do - rather than confusing students by front-loading the material with over-complicated details. Author Chris Edmonds has also created a highly popular and widely used series of video lectures, which engage students by clearly and charismatically going over each learning objective in a conversational style. These videos help reinforce important lessons and are always available for review.
By developing this stronger foundation, students understand Accounting ideas more broadly and are able to ultimately learn procedural applications more quickly and accurately. With a straightforward writing style and highly engaging video lectures, this dynamic author team leads students down a streamlined learning path focused on critical thinking, clarity of concept, and applicability of material to the real world.
Author Biography:
Christopher T. Edmonds, Ph.D., is an associate professor in the Department of Accounting and Finance at the UAB Collat School of Business. He coordinates the mass section face-to-face and online principles of accounting courses. Dr. Edmonds specializes in developing flipped and online accounting courses and frequently speaks on these topics at universities and conferences. His passion for helping students learn inspired him to create hundreds of short videos teaching the fundamental concepts of accounting. Dr. Edmonds has received six prestigious teaching awards including the UAB Faculty Student Success Award, UAB Transformative Online Course Award, UAB Loudell Ellis Robinson Classroom Teaching Award, UAB Disability Support Recognition Award, and the Virginia Tech Favorite Faculty Award. He has published three textbooks where he is the lead video author and has written numerous articles that have appeared in publications including The Accounting Review, Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, Issues in Accounting Education, Advances in Accounting Education, Advances in Accounting, and Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting. Dr. Edmonds began his academic training at Colorado State University. He obtained an M.B.A. degree from UAB. His Ph.D. degree with a major in accounting was awarded by Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Thomas P. Edmonds, Ph.D., is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Accounting at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). He has been actively involved in teaching accounting principles throughout his academic career. Dr. Edmonds has coordinated the accounting principles courses at the University of Houston and UAB. He has taught introductory accounting in mass sections and in distance learning programs. He has received five prestigious teaching awards, including the Alabama Society of CPAs Outstanding Educator Award, the UAB President's Excellence in Teaching Award, and the distinguished Ellen Gregg Ingalls Award for excellence in classroom teaching. He has written numerous articles that have appeared in many publications, including Issues in Accounting, the Journal of Accounting Education, Advances in Accounting Education, Accounting Education: A Journal of Theory, Practice and Research, the Accounting Review, Advances in Accounting, the Journal of Accountancy, Management Accounting, the Journal of Commercial Bank Lending, the Banker's Magazine, and the Journal of Accounting, Auditing, and Finance. Dr. Edmonds has served as a member of the editorial board for Advances in Accounting: Teaching and Curriculum Innovations and Issues in Accounting Education. He has published five textbooks, five practice problems (including two computerized problems), and a variety of supplemental materials including study guides, work papers, and solutions manuals. Dr. Edmonds's writing is influenced by a wide range of business experience. He is a successful entrepreneur. He has worked as a management accountant for Refrigerated Transport, a trucking company. Dr. Edmonds also worked in the not-for-profit sector as a commercial lending officer for the Federal Home Loan Bank. In addition, he has acted as a consultant to major corporations, including First City Bank of Houston (now Citi Bank), AmSouth Bank in Birmingham (now Regions Bank), Texaco, and Cortland Chemicals. Dr. Edmonds began his academic training at Young Harris Community College in Young Harris, Georgia. He received a B.B.A. degree with a major in finance from Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia. He obtained an M.B.A. degree with a concentration in finance from St. Mary's University in San Antonio, Texas. His Ph.D. degree with a major in accounting was awarded by Georgia State University. Dr. Edmonds's work experience and academic training have enabled him to bring a unique user perspective to this textbook.
