ACCOUNTING: INFORMATION FOR DECISIONS, 6th is proud to define excellence in its approach to Financial Accounting. Clearly illustrating that accounting is the language of business, all students will be able to drive excellence in their own careers when they start with this strong foundation. This innovative approach continues to provide direction to students who choose accounting careers, and to those who progress through their careers as business managers. The streamlined new design of the 6th edition provides a clear, concise, and directional learning path so students will easily navigate their way through the material and enhance their learning experience with clear connections to topics in the book and issues in the workforce. Recent news headlines indicate that the coverage of ethics has never been more important - especially in Accounting. The 6th edition highlights ethical dilemmas and challenges students to think about what they would do when faced with these issues. In addition, updates on the impact of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act have also been included.

Porter (accounting, U. of St. Thomas-Minnesota) and Norton (Northern Illinois U.) provide a financial accounting textbook that balances preparer perspective and a user focus. They emphasize that students need to understand how transactions are recorded and how statements are prepared, how accounting information is used, and why it is important for financial decision making. They illustrate accounting by using actual public companies, and for this edition, have added three decision-making models: the ratio decision model, a financial decision framework for business decisions, and an ethical decision-making model. A new section on ethics has been added, and there is coverage of the PCAOB, Sarbanes-Oxley, and auditing standards for internal control; emphasis on service rather than manufacturing companies; and study links between chapters. The book has a new organization and design that includes bulleted lists. Annotation ©2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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.Thomas L. Albright is the J. Reese Phifer Faculty Fellow in the Culverhouse School of Accountancy at the University of Alabama. He teaches courses at the undergraduate and graduate level in financial and managerial accounting. Professor Albright has received the Professor of the Year award on seven occasions in relation to his work with the MBA and Executive MBA students.

Professor Albright is a Certified Public Accountant (California) and holds a Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee. He has received the Certificate of Merit from the Institute of Management Accountants for his work in the area of quality costs. Dr. Albright is actively involved with manufacturing companies in both the United States and Mexico. His work is used to help companies determine more accurate product costs and to develop better performance measures to achieve manufacturing excellence.

Professor Albright lives with his wife, Debby, and their two children, Michael and Jenny. He enjoys scuba diving, underwater photography, and sailing.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.

SECTION I: THE ACCOUNTING INFORMATION SYSTEM. 1. Accounting and Organizations. 2. Business Activities - The Source of Accounting Information. 3. Measuring Revenues and Expenses. 4. Reporting Earnings and Financial Position. 5. Reporting Cash Flows. 6. Full and Fair Reporting. 7. Computerized Accounting Systems SECTION II: ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING INFORMATION. 8. The Time Value of Money. 9. Financing Activities. 10. Analysis of Financing Activities. 11. Investing Activities. 12. Analysis of Investing Activities. 13. Operating Activities. 14. Analysis of Operating Activities. Appendix A: General Mills, Inc. 2004 Annual Report. Appendix B: Sources of Information about Companies and Industries.