Financial Reporting and Control

Author: Dai Deming
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-06-01
Features: With the gradual maturation of MBA education, case teaching is no longer unfamiliar to people. Many institutions, especially the first batch of MBA pilot schools, have widely adopted the case teaching model. Case teaching and case writing have also become important works that the National MBA Teaching Guidance Committee attaches great importance to and vigorously promotes. To meet teaching needs, China Renmin University Press and Harvard Business School Press have reached an agreement to import and publish Harvard Business School cases. Around MBA teaching, ten courses have been selected, including: Strategic Management, Human Resource Management, Marketing Management, Corporate Finance, Leadership, Organizational Behavior, Supply Chain Management, Technology and Operations Management, Financial Reporting and Control, and Business, Government, and International Economics. Both Chinese and English versions are launched simultaneously. First, Harvard professors selected and recommended cases from their thousands of cases, and then Chinese professors selected cases from the recommended case list. Further adjustments were made during the translation process, and the final cases were determined. For many years, China Renmin University Press has been tirelessly building the brand of business and management books, especially as a market leader in higher education textbooks, we have always hoped to provide more and better products for Chinese management teaching and practice. With the expansion of the Chinese MBA market, the increase and improvement in the number of students, and the maturation of the teaching staff, we found that the shortage and low quality of case teaching materials have become a relatively big problem. Based on extensive market research, Harvard Business School cases became our first choice for importing cases for MBA teaching. After all, Harvard University is the earliest to start MBA education, and its MBA program has a history of nearly a century. Harvard cases sell 6 million copies annually, and their case teaching method is gradually becoming familiar and adopted by universities around the world. As a university press dedicated to serving higher education, we deeply feel that the introduction of Harvard cases is of great significance to the improvement of business management education theory and practice in our country. In fact, we introduced and published a set of Harvard Business School cases in 2002, divided into Business Basics and Practical Application series, totaling 21 cases, which caused a great response at the time. However, due to constraints, the cases were not selected according to the curriculum, making it inconvenient for teachers to use them in teaching. Based on this, we have developed this set of cases specifically for MBA core courses. During the operation of these cases, we widely listened to the opinions and suggestions of teachers and found that simply importing and publishing some cases could not meet the actual needs of teaching. For many teachers, how to teach Harvard cases is a challenge. At the same time, during the preliminary research and preparation work, we also deeply felt that the promotion of cases was no longer limited to the traditional sense of book promotion work; it has gone beyond the traditional concept of simple publishing of books and has become the promotion of teaching concepts and methods. It requires us to provide more and longer-term follow-up services and change traditional publishing models. Just as we were planning to publish this set of case books, the long-awaited PCMPCL Program on Case Method and Participant-Centered Learning training program launched by Harvard Business School officially kicked off. To support the PCMPCL project, Harvard Business School Press invited professors from 16 universities, including Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore, to participate in case teaching training at Harvard Business School. The first training was scheduled for August 2005, and the second training on case teaching and writing was also held in China in December of the same year. At the same time, to help teachers better use Harvard cases, China Renmin University Press will also import supplementary materials such as teacher manuals and teaching videos (due to authorization restrictions, only for teachers using this case teaching). After the case books are published, we will also provide teaching support to help Chinese teachers use the cases better and more conveniently. The process of operating case publishing is arduous, but the results are beautiful and unforgettable. In our cooperation with Harvard Business School Press, we have repeatedly heard them sincerely talk about their mission: to improve management practice. During the case publishing process, many people worked hard, and we thank Steven C. Wheelwright, Senior Vice Dean and Baker Fund Professor at Harvard Business School, for writing the preface to our case books. He played a decisive role in selecting the 10 courses for this set of case books, and without his efforts, the publication of this book would not have been possible. We thank Professors John Quelch, Michael Tushman, Debora Spar, Pankaj Ghemawat, David Hawkins, and David Up ton for their advice and guidance during the initial selection of cases. We thank the following personnel from Harvard Business School and Harvard Business School Press for their hard work in selecting cases: Paul Andrew s, Tim Cannon, Tad Dearden, Mike DeRocco, Pat Pathaway, Amy Iakovou, and Carol Swee t. We thank Mr. Chen Xin Zhang, General Manager of the International Department of Harvard Business School Press, for the final publishing agreement and its implementation, as well as for coordinating the entire process. Finally, we also thank all the professors who participated in the translation of the Chinese version of the cases. They all have heavy teaching tasks, and under the tight publishing schedule, all professors completed the translation work with high quality and on time. We hope that the publication of this set of case books and the follow-up training work can influence hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of MBAs. We hope they can use a new perspective to adapt to the international trend, understand modern business management methods, rationally accept the concept of credit-based business, and promote greater development of the Chinese economy. We hope to guide Chinese management practice through our publications. If this can be achieved, then the various hardships and efforts involved will be worthwhile. Thank you for choosing or paying attention to our set of case books. We greatly value any feedback you provide. Our contact information: 010-62510566 ext. 551 or 541; E-mail: rdcbsjg@crup.com.cn or visit: http://www.rdjg.com.cn.
Overall, I believe the book has the following characteristics:
1. Most of the cases come from large companies in real life, including Microsoft, Intel, and Walmart. Through learning these cases, one can gain a relatively deep understanding of the financial reporting and control strategies and business operation models of these companies.
2. The content is extensive and covers a wide range of topics. In terms of disciplines, the book covers relevant knowledge of basic accounting theory, financial accounting, management accounting, and financial management. In basic accounting theory and financial accounting, it elaborates on the accounting equation, accounting principles, and the accounting concept framework, as well as the long-standing debates and unresolved issues between the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB). These issues include the capitalization and expense recognition of certain expenditures, the application of the purchase method in consolidated accounting, and the recognition of deferred revenue, among others. In management accounting, it discusses core and cutting-edge issues such as activity-based costing, standard costing, and budget control. In financial management, it covers the impact of convertible bonds, treasury stock, and other equity transactions on companies, as well as financial analysis. In terms of industries, it involves multiple industries such as manufacturing, information technology, retail, pharmaceuticals, and banking, thereby broadening our analytical perspective. Therefore, overall, the 23 cases in the book are relatively independent yet integrated. This book is highly suitable for MBA and MPACC students to comprehensively understand the relevant content and practical operations of accounting and finance, and can also serve as supplementary teaching materials and reference books for theoretical research in management at higher education institutions. At the same time, it can also provide reference and guidance for chief financial officers and chief accountants of large companies in accounting and financial management.