Connecting China to the World Through Finance Education: IBSS Academic Staff Publish New McGraw Hill Textbook

Recently, seven academic staff from International Business School Suzhou (IBSS) at XJTLU have published Money and Finance in Modern Society: An Introduction with McGraw Hill, a world-renowned academic publisher. The textbook is authored by Stephen Gong, Zuben Jin, Yihan Li, Juan Tao, Rouzhi Wang, Shan Wu and Ning Zhang, all from the IBSS Department of Finance. It represents an important contribution to IBSS’s internationally oriented teaching and learning endeavours. reflecting the School's collective commitment to academic excellence, and adds to the School’s growing visibility beyond China.

The author team

Money and finance invariably affect social and economic life, and shape the decisions of households, firms, markets, and governments. Financial literacy is therefore important not only for individuals and firms making everyday decisions, but also for the public’s understanding of business and society. The new textbook was written to address this need. By leveraging the academic expertise of the author team spanning many decades and geographical locations as well as the collective wisdom of IBSS in finance education, it connects China and the rest of the world, combining classroom learning with real-world financial issues, as well as undergraduate education with lifelong learning.

A distinctive feature of the book is that it is rooted in China while written for the world. Rather than presenting finance only from a Western perspective, the textbook introduces major finance topics through a global lens, adopting a dual Sino-U.S. comparative perspective and giving sustained attention to China, the United States, and emerging markets. Organised into seven reader-friendly chapters, the book offers a comprehensive overview of core areas of modern finance—the nature and creation of money, global financial markets and institutions, corporate finance, ESG and sustainable finance, personal finance, and the anatomy of financial crises—while also covering the latest developments such as artificial intelligence (AI) in financial markets, digital finance, and cryptocurrency. In doing so, it reflects IBSS's evolving mission of "Connecting China and the World" and translates the expertise of IBSS academic staff into learning materials for students, professionals, and general readers globally.

Designed primarily for undergraduate students with no prior financial knowledge, and equally suitable for general readers, the textbook strikes a balance between clear explanation and analytical rigor, linking theoretical concepts to real-world applications. It is also supplemented by interactive audio-visual materials and web resources that can be updated continuously, allowing instructors and learners to engage with current developments in finance as they unfold. Beyond undergraduate teaching, the book has relevance for MBA and executive education audiences. Its coverage of AI, ESG, digital finance, corporate governance, personal finance, and financial crises speaks directly to contemporaneous issues facing businesses, regulators, investors, and society. Upon successful completion of the necessary learning, students will be well equipped with a financial mindset and thinking skills to effectively deal with financial problems in an ever-changing financial environment. In this sense, the book contributes not only to student learning but also to broader financial literacy and industry-facing knowledge translation.

“The textbook reflects our mission to connect China to the world by presenting money and finance through a global lens while giving meaningful attention to China’s financial system, institutions, and business context.” the authors said.

The publication of this textbook reflects the constant efforts of faculty in the Department of Finance to conduct high-impact research and contribute to financial education in China and beyond. A few other textbooks are currently being explored by Finance faculty, with support from the School and potential collaboration across departments. Looking ahead, IBSS will continue to leverage its international platform to encourage more faculty members to translate their research into quality learning resources, contributing XJTLU's wisdom to global finance education.