The book demystifies business principles through: - the combined skills of distinguished authors who draw on their teaching and writing experience to build student confidence- straightforward explanations of daunting topics (accounting, financial statements, taxes, mortgages, etc.) tailored to students without a business background- generous use of examples to convey ideas and applications- a helpful list of terms in the appendix, conveniently keyed to the pages where they are used and explained- frequent use of visual aids, such as tax forms, newspaper financial quotes, tables, and graphs- an accessible design featuring lists of topics keyed to headings at the beginning of each chapter, key terms and concepts bolded for easy identification, and frequent use of lists to clearly enumerate points and examplesThoroughly updated to respond to recent developments, the Fourth Edition features: - new material on recent scandals and reforms in the chapters on accounting, forms of organization, trading, and mutual funds- the latest information on executive compensation- extensive revisions to the chapters on tax and retirement planning, in light of recent and proposed reforms, especially in connection with Social Security- an expanded chapter on insurance that now includes health insurance, auto insurance, and more- new material on spinoffs and other divisive reorganization in the chapter on mergers, as well as discussion of taxable and tax-free transactions- new coverage of securities regulation, antitrust, intellectual property law, and international business transactions integrated throughout the text