THE LEARNING SYSTEM CONCEPT
An Intermediate Accounting textbook? Yes. But that’s just the beginning. The textbook is but one element of a unique and complete Learning System whose components are designed to
work together to provide the best possible learning experience for students of intermediate
accounting. Today’s students learn in more visual and interactive ways than ever before.
These are students who have grown up in a multimedia and computer-enhanced environ-
ment, accustomed to being stimulated on a multidimensional level. This observation is reinforced by a study conducted by professors Navarro and Shoemaker at the University of
California at Irvine. In this study, a group of students who had learned with a combination of lecture, the text, and multimedia outperformed by 15% a second group who were provided
lecture and the text only. The Learning System is a timely response to the evolving demands
of students today.
The Learning System includes five components:
> The Textbook—the cornerstone of the Learning System.
> The Coach CD—the multimedia element containing animated illustrations and
exercises from the text, interviews with accounting experts, and interactive quizzes.
I The Website and Online Learning Center—extensive and evolving Web resources
and distance learning capability.
> Essentials of Accounting CD—a quick review of the accounting cycle in a
multimedia environment.
> Alternate Exercises and Problems Manual—additional exercises and problems for
each chapter.
In keeping with our commitment to providing value to students, the entire Learning System,
comprised of the five components listed above, is sold for the price of a new textbook.

The Textbook
The newly designed and visually appealing textbook is the cornerstone of the Learning Sysz
tern. Its benefits include the following:
. Decision Makers’ Perspective
The role of financial accounting is to communicate information that supports business decis
ion making. Without understanding how decision makers use accounting information, it is
difficult for accounting students to fully understand financial accounting issues or, more imp
ortant, to critically evaluate accounting method alternatives.
This text frames the financial accounting function in the context of the decision-support
role it serves. What motivates managers’ selection of financing alternatives? How do credit
ors use information about receivables and inventory to evaluate a corñpan3’S effectiveness
in managing its assets? Which information is most useful to investorswhen assessing a
firm’s profitability? Why do managers choose a particular accounting method over an all
owable alternative? This perspective reflects the need for accounting curricula to emphasize
professional judgment and critical thinking skills.