Product Description

Introduction to Accounting and Finance is ideal for business and accounting students at undergraduate and postgraduate level.

This book offers an accessible introduction to accounting, ensuring that the student’s initial study of the subject is interesting and enjoyable. The book takes an applied and interactive approach with many case studies, self-study questions, self-check questions, exam papers and activities to help reinforce student learning by practice. Many students regard accounting as a difficult area, but this text is, from start to finish, designed to help break down the jargon. Written in a very student friendly manner, it shows that accounting is a relevant and vital component of the business world.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #223733 in Books
• Published on: 2005-04-21
• Binding: Paperback
• 385 pages

Synopsis
Introduction to Accounting and Finance is ideal for business and accounting students at undergraduate and postgraduate level. This book offers an accessible introduction to accounting, ensuring that the student's initial study of the subject is interesting and enjoyable. The book takes an applied and interactive approach with many case studies, self-study questions, self-check questions, exam papers and activities to help reinforce student learning by practice. Many students regard accounting as a difficult area, but this text is, from start to finish, designed to help break down the jargon. Written in a very student friendly manner, it shows that accounting is a relevant and vital component of the business world.

From the Back Cover

Introduction to Accounting and Finance has been written to offer as clear an explanation as possible of a subject that many students find demanding. Avoiding any unnecessary technical detail, it nonetheless covers all key areas in a student-friendly manner, reinforced by a wealth of practical illustrations and questions.

Key features:

• Concise and logically structured.
• Attractive four-colour design aids navigation.
• Extensive coverage of all introductory accounting topics, with every question and case study answered within the book.
• Real world examples such as Tesco and Sainsbury’s bring the subject to life.
• A ‘running’ case study allows students to see the theory of accounting and finance put into practice.
• References to websites enable students to obtain the latest company information and data to support their learning.
• ‘Did you know?’ and ‘Pause for thought’ boxes apply theory explained within the text to real-life companies and situations.
• Extensive pedagogy including practice exam papers.

Introduction to Accounting and Finance is ideal for business and accounting students at undergraduate and postgraduate level.

Geoff Black is a chartered accountant and a principal lecturer at Harper Adams University College. He has also been Chief Examiner for a major UK examining board for many years. Formerly head of professional accountancy courses at Anglia Business School, Cambridge, he is the author of several textbooks, including Students’ Guide to Accounting and Financial Reporting Standards.

Customer Reviews

Good general introduction to accounting
This was a set text for me for a business management course, but would, I think, work well as a stand-alone book for someone looking for a general introduction to financial and management accounting and finance. Black is a CA, accounting academic and was also Chief Examiner for an examination board.

It is clearly written, with lots of examples and exercises, many written in a humorous vein to help the student through this famously boring subject matter. I enjoyed, for example, the story of Marvin the Magician and his finance director (and erstwhile "saw-the-lady-in-two" assistant) Chiquita. It is good, but only an introduction: it does not, for example, deal with, or even much mention, the various types of Accounting Standards. If I contrast it with Frank Wood's "Business Accounting", which I found very useful when I last tried to acquaint myself with the intricacies of accounting 12 years ago, it does seem to lack detail. Check out the reviews for that book, however, and you will find reviewers recommending Black because he is more concise, so I suppose it depends on how much detail you have to absorb, and whether you aspire to be a practitioner or merely to understand accounting.

As with many such textbooks these days there is a companion website, which (in addition to an "instructors' section for which you have to apply for a login and password) offers multiple choice, true/false and long (MS Excel-based) questions and other learning aids. It even has a facility to save your profile to facilitate sending the results of your online tests to e.g. your tutor.

These are put together in a workmanlike way that contrasts with the full colour, semi-glossy paper book itself. This is the subject of my one quibble: textbooks (IMHO) should be good for marginal notes, and quite apart from the production costs that must be increased by using full-colour printing, it means that pencil doesn't work well, and pen smudges. Even after Amazon's discount this book is expensive, and while relatively short print-run academic texts inevitably will be, I am not convinced that this is a necessary cost - but I'm probably just showing my age.