Cengage Learning

Anderson's business law and the legal environment; comprehensive volume, 20th ed.

Twomey (law, Boston College) and Jennings (legal ethical studies, Arizona State U.) present a textbook on business law for business students. Coverage of all the legal topics on the CPA exam is included, as well as a chapter on cyberlaw, which has been shortened in this edition. Discussions of sports and entertainment law and references to films that can be used to understand chapter concepts are new. In addition to the subject index, a case index is provided. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

The challenge of effective speaking, 14th ed.

This is the new edition of a textbook first published in 1996. Verderber (U. of Cincinnati) et al. enumerate six steps — topic selection, audience analysis and adaptation, effective research and organization and outlining, choosing presentation aids, and language and delivery — and include chapters on ceremonial speaking and delivering group presentations. Sample speeches and preparation activities are provided. This edition has a new coauthor (Sellnow) and has been updated in its examples and sample speeches to incorporate current trends and events, changes in theories and practice, and new technology. It also blends concepts from Sellnow's text Confident Public Speaking. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

A concise introduction to logic, 10th ed.

Logic serves at the core of disciplines ranging from mathematics to theology, and Hurley (U. of San Diego) keeps this in mind with samples and exercises in this 10th edition text. He works through informal logic, including meanings and definition of language and fallacies, formal logic, including categorical propositions and syllogisms, propositional logic, natural deduction in propositional logic and predicate logic, inductive logic, including analogies, legal and moral reasoning, causality and Mill's methods, probability, statistical reasoning, and hypothetical and scientific reasoning. In the final chapter Hurley contrasts science and superstition. Included are exercises with answers to selected problems, an index that doubles as a glossary, and an appendix useful for those taking standardized tests such as the GRE, GMAT, MCAT, or LSAT. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Design basics, 7th ed.

Designed for use in the two-dimensional design course, Lauer and Pentak's (both Ohio State U.) textbook is also suitable as a resource for visual arts majors throughout their college career and beyond. The text is filled with images from art, design, nature, and popular culture from various time periods and cultures to illustrate the major concepts of design. The seventh edition features some 100 new images, including examples of student work; new sections on pattern; new material on movement; and the use of a pair of artworks repeated in every chapter to emphasize the concept that any example of work in the book can be a learning tool for many elements and principles. Oversize: 9x11 inches. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

From thought to action, exploring beliefs and outcomes in the foreign language program.

The range of beliefs and theories about foreign language pedagogy and study is wide, and as a result applications such as curricula and programs vary widely as well, sometimes to the point that the inevitable conflicts amongst theories become obvious to students. This collection of 13 essays examines how theories and beliefs apply to the classroom, addressing such topics as student beliefs and how they matter in development and implementation of projects, how teachers are currently expressing their beliefs in the classroom, and in curricula, teacher beliefs in specific programs (Spanish and Japanese), students' beliefs about foreign languages and their influence on transition to college-level instruction, students' beliefs about persistence and changes in their attitudes after the first year, the peculiar case of teaching assistants, and the influence of beliefs on administration and assessment. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Investments; an introduction, 9th ed.

Mayo (The College of New Jersey) presents a textbook on investments that serves as an introduction to terms, alternatives, and techniques professionals use to value assets and construct portfolios. The book is aimed at students who may not have a background in accounting, finance, or economics, in addition to those studying for the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) professional designation. It covers theory and efficient markets as well. The new edition expands the chapter on investment companies into two, omits the section on the similarities between investments and corporate finance, and adds new internet assignments and problems. Also, the material on financial intermediaries and money market mutual funds has been decreased, and a new section on uneven cash flow has been added. Other changes include omission of the section on corporate income taxation, revision of chapters on mutual funds and closed-end investment companies, and a new section on behavioral finance. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Payroll accounting, 2008 ed. (CD-ROMs included)

This textbook covers all aspects of payroll accounting, from computing wages and salaries to unemployment compensation taxes. For this edition, Biegs and Toland (accounting, Bucks County Community College) incorporate technology further and include a shortened payroll project, as well as updates to the text to reflect the latest laws. It comes with two CDs containing a tutorial for ADP PC/Payroll for Windows and Klooster & Allen's Computerized Payroll Accounting Software. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Sociology; a global perspective, 7th ed.

Gerrante (Northern Kentucky University) presents sociological concepts and theories as powerful tools for analyzing events in students' lives, local communities, country, and world. Twelve of the 16 chapters pair a sociological topic with a country or territory — more specifically, with an issue centered on the chosen place but having relevance for understanding the US and its position in the world order. The other four chapters pair a sociological topic not with a country, but with a broad theme related to global interdependence, such as the world's richest and poorest countries. This seventh edition now organizes material around eight to 10 core concepts per chapter. There are four types of boxes, on the intersection of biography and society, global comparisons, border-crossing activities and events, and working for change. This edition features more color photos, chosen to stimulate readers' interest. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

West Federal Taxation; Internal Revenue code of 1986 and treasury regulations; annotated and selected, 2008 ed.

This text for undergraduate and graduate students studying federal tax law offers a portable alternative to the multiple volumes forming the unabridged IRS Code of 1986 and treasury regulations. The selections focus on rules governing income, itemized deductions, corporations, pensions, methods of accounting, capital gains, estates, and gift taxes. The 2008 edition reflects changes in the tax law enacted by the Tax Increase Prevention and Reconciliation Act of 2005, the Pension Protection Act of 2006, and the Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

World civilizations, 5th ed.

This introductory undergraduate text surveys the history of human civilizations from Mesopotamia to the present. Relative to older texts, chapters include a good number of alternative perspectives to those of conquering societies. Updates to this fifth edition include expanded coverage of early Indian and Southeast Asian civilizations, the addition of testimonial narratives of African Slaves, an a new chapter on Asia in the age of imperialism. Each chapter concludes with a summary and a review quiz. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)