9780130934895

This book, the largest selling one of its kind, discusses the communication, both written and oral, actually done by professional accountants. It uses real-world accounting situations and includes major sections on Communication Strategies, Business Documents, and Oral Communication. Detailed chapter topics include an overview of the writing process; writing with conciseness and clarity; standard English: grammar, punctuation, and spelling; accounting research; letters, memos, and reports; writing essay exams: academic courses and professional certification exams; writing for employment: résumés and letters; writing for publication; and oral presentations. For individuals preparing for a career in accounting.

Claire B. May is Academic Director of General Education at The Art Institute of Atlanta Gordon S. May is an Associate Professor of Accounting at the J. M. Tull School of Accounting at the University of Georgia

Preface

viii

PART I COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES

1

(132)

Accountants as Communicators

2

(10)

What Do Accountants Write?

4

(1)

How Well Do Accountants Write?

5

(1)

What Makes Writing Work?

5

(1)

You Can Become a Good Writer

6

(1)

Writing and Critical Thinking

7

(1)

Writing and Other Forms of Communication

7

(1)

Writing and Problem Solving

8

(1)

Exercises

9

(3)

The Writing Process: An Overview

12

(16)

Getting Started: Identifying Purpose

12

(2)

Thinking Critically about the Issues

14

(1)

Analyzing the Readers

14

(3)

Getting Your Ideas Together

17

(3)

Writing the Draft

20

(1)

Revising the Draft

20

(2)

The Final Draft

22

(1)

Dealing with Writer's Block

22

(1)

Writing under Pressure

23

(1)

Writing at the Computer

23

(1)

Exercises

24

(4)

The Flow of Thought: Organizing for Coherence

28

(19)

Writing with Unity

28

(1)

Using Summary Sentences

29

(1)

Responding to Readers' Questions and Concerns

30

(1)

Transitions

30

(5)

Paragraphs

35

(4)

Discussion Questions and Essays

39

(4)

Test Yourself

43

(2)

Test Yourself: Answer

45

(1)

Exercises

45

(2)

A Sense of Style: Writing with Conciseness and Clarity

47

(26)

Conciseness

47

(7)

Clarity

54

(6)

Readable Writing

60

(4)

Editing for Style at the Computer

64

(1)

Test Yourself

65

(1)

Test Yourself: Answers

66

(2)

Exercises

68

(5)

Standard English: Grammar, Punctuation, and Spelling

73

(21)

Major Sentence Errors

73

(2)

Problems with Verbs

75

(2)

Problems with Pronouns

77

(2)

Problems with Modifiers

79

(1)

Parallel Structure

79

(1)

Apostrophes and Plurals

80

(1)

Commas

81

(2)

Colons and Semicolons

83

(1)

Direct Quotations

84

(1)

Spelling

85

(1)

Help from the computer

86

(1)

Test Yourself

87

(1)

Test Yourself: Answers

88

(1)

Exercises

89

(5)

Format for Clarity: Document Design

94

(12)

Good Design: An Illustration

94

(1)

A Professional Appearance

94

(5)

Formatting

99

(1)

Graphic Illustrations

100

(4)

Document Design at the Computer

104

(1)

Exercises

105

(1)

Accounting Research

106

(27)

Research: Basic Guidelines

106

(7)

Critical Thinking and Technical Accounting Research

113

(3)

Exercises

116

(4)

Sources of Accounting and Financial Information on the Internet

120

(3)

Computerized Reference and Database Services

123

(2)

Other Printed Sources of Accounting and Financial Information

125

(1)

Internal Documentation Style

126

(3)

Endnotes or Footnotes and Bibliography Style

129

(4)

PART II BUSINESS DOCUMENTS

133

(59)

Letters

134

(26)

Principles of Letter Writing

134

(6)

Responding to Correspondence

140

(1)

Typical Accounting Letters

141

(7)

Standardized Letters: A Caution

148

(2)

Exercises

150

(10)

Memos and E-Mail

160

(14)

Memos: Some Basic Principles

160

(2)

Sample Memos

162

(2)

E-Mail

164

(3)

Exercises

167

(7)

Reports

174

(18)

Planning a Report

174

(1)

The Parts of a Report

175

(4)

Appearance

179

(1)

Style and Tone

179

(1)

Exercises

179

(13)

PART III WRITING AND YOUR CAREER

192

(47)

Writing Essay Exams: Academic Courses and Professional Certification Exams

193

(13)

Academic Essay Exams

193

(4)

Professional Certification Exams

197

(6)

Exercises

203

(3)

Writing for Employment: Resumes and Letters

206

(11)

Starting the Job Search: Researching Possible Employers

206

(1)

Preparing a Resume

207

(4)

Writing a Letter of Application

211

(1)

Writing a Thank-You Letter

212

(2)

Exercises

214

(3)

Writing for Publication

217

(4)

Planning Your Article

217

(1)

Research

218

(1)

Drafting and Reviewing the Article

218

(1)

Submitting the Article

218

(1)

Exercises

219

(2)

Oral Presentations

221

(18)

Planning the Presentation: Analyzing Purpose and Audience

221

(1)

Other Things to Consider

222

(1)

Gathering Information

222

(1)

Composing the Speech

222

(2)

Making Notes

224

(1)

Preparing Visual Aids

224

(2)

Practicing the Presentation

226

(1)

Checking the Arrangements

226

(1)

Appearance and Dress

226

(1)

Making the Presentation: Poise and Confidence

227

(2)

Special Considerations in Presentations of Financial Information

229

(6)

Exercises

235

(4)

Index

239

What is included with this book?

The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

Effective Writing: A Handbook for Accountants,Sixth Edition, is designed to help accounting students and practitioners improve their communication skills. It can be used as a supplementary text for regular accounting courses, as a text in an accounting communication course, or as a text in a business communication or technical writing course when these courses include accounting students. The handbook is also a useful desk reference or self-study manual for accountants in practice. Effective Writingguides the writer through all the stages of the writing process: planning, including analysis of audience and purpose; critical thinking; generating and organizing ideas; writing the draft; revising for readable style and correct grammar; and designing the document for effective presentation. In addition to these basic writing principles, the book includes chapters on letters, memos (including e-mail), reports, and other formats used by accountants in actual practice. Throughout the text,Effective Writingstresses coherence, conciseness, and clarity as the most important qualities of the writing done by accountants. To supplement the instruction on writing effectively, we have included a chapter on oral presentations. Chapter 14 discusses the preparation of an oral presentation, including audience analysis and organization of materials as well as techniques of effective delivery, including the use of visual aids. Within Part III, "Writing and Your Career," you will find a chapter on writing essay examinations (including professional examinations), a chapter on writing resumes and letters of application, and a chapter on writing for publication. A special feature of this book is the chapter on accounting research and critical thinking. Here you will find valuable reference material on such topics as: Where to find accounting information (including Internet sites) How critical thinking can help you solve problems and write persuasive documents How to write citations of accounting sources (including Internet sources) Exercises and assignments throughoutEffective Writingreinforce the concepts covered in the text. Some exercises have answers within the text for independent review. TheInstructor's Manualcontains answers to many other exercises. Most chapters include topics for writing or speaking assignments. The assignments, like the illustrations in the text, are concerned with accounting concepts and situations and thus will seem relevant and familiar to those studying and practicing accounting. Effective Writingcan be used in conjunction with traditional accounting courses. Instructors can assign cases and topics for research based- on the accounting concepts being studied in class, or they can use the assignments provided in this handbook. Students then analyze the accounting problem, research the literature if necessary, and prepare answers according to an assigned forma such as a letter, technical memo, formal report, or oral presentation. The hand-book guides students toward principles of effective writing and speaking. Instructors can then evaluate students' performance based on the criteria discussed in the text and theInstructor's Manual. TheInstructor's Manual,which was written by the authors, contains suggestions for everyone wishing to improve the communication skills of accounting students, whether in a regular accounting course or in a course devoted to communication. TheInstructor's Manualincludes topics such as motivating students to improve their communication skills, designing assignments, and evaluating performance. TheInstructor's Manualalso contains chapter commentaries and masters for transparencies and handouts. The authors wish to thank the reviewers who took the time to comment on their book. Their efforts are greatly appreciated. Wanda I. DeLeo, Winth

Amazon no longer offers textbook rentals. We do!

Effective Writing: A Handbook for Accountants

Effective Writing: A Handbook for Accountants

0130934895

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials

Excerpts