Fundamental Financial Accounting Concepts

Students are often overwhelmed by the amount of information presented in the introductory financial accounting course. By focusing on fundamental concepts in a logical sequence, students are able to fully comprehend the material rather than memorize seemingly unrelated terms and topics. The goal of Fundamental Financial Accounting Concepts is to enable students to understand how any given business event affects the financial statements. The “financial statements model” is a highly praised feature because it allows students to visualize the simultaneous impact of business events on all of the key financial statements (the income statement, the balance sheet, and the statement of cash flows). The mechanics of accounting coverage (debits and credits) is delayed until chapter 4. Instructors have flexibility as to the amount of emphasis they want to place on this topic.

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 Presidents 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 Bankers 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. Edmondss 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. Marys University in San Antonio, Texas. His Ph.D. degree with a major in accounting was awarded by Georgia State University. Dr. Edmondss work experience and academic training have enabled him to bring a unique user perspective to this textbook.



Frances M. McNair, PhD, CPA, holds the KPMG Peat Marwick Professorship in Accounting at Mississippi State University (MSU). She has been involved in teaching principles of accounting for the past 12 years and currently serves as the coordinator for the principles of accounting courses at MSU. Dr. McNair was selected as Accounting Educator of the year by the Mississippi Society of CPAs in 2014. She joined the MSU faculty in 1987 after receiving her PhD from the University of Mississippi. The author of various articles that have appeared in the Journal of Accountancy, Management Accounting, Business and Professional Ethics Journal, The Practical Accountant, Taxes, and other publications, she also coauthored the book The Tax Practitioner with Dr. Denzil Causey. Dr. McNair is currently serving on committees of the American Taxation Association, the American Accounting Association, and the Institute of Management Accountants as well as numerous School of Accountancy and MSU committees.


Professor Olds, PhD, is associate professor of accounting at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). He serves as the coordinator of the introduction to accounting courses at VCU. Professor Olds received his AS degree from Brunswick Junior College in Brunswick, Georgia (now College of Coastal Georgia). He received a BBA in accounting from Georgia Southern College (now Georgia Southern University); his MPA and PhD degrees are from Georgia State University. After graduating from Georgia Southern, he worked as an auditor with the U.S. Department of Labor in Atlanta, Georgia. A former CPA in Virginia, Professor Olds has published articles in various professional journals and presented papers at national and regional conferences. He also served as the faculty adviser to the VCU chapter of Beta Alpha Psi for five years. In 1989, he was recognized with an Outstanding Faculty Vice-President Award by the national Beta Alpha Psi organization. Professor Olds has received both the Distinguished Teaching Award and the Distinguished Service Award from the VCU School of Business. Most recently he received the universitys award for maintaining High Ethical and Academic Standards While Advocating for Student-Athletes and Their Quest Towards a Degree.