astronomy

G. A. Swanson

G. A. Swanson is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand G. A. Swanson rather than just read about it. In short: Gale Alden (G.A.) Swanson (Jan 12, 1939 - July 3, 2009) was an American organizational theorist, and Professor of Accounting at Tennessee Technological University, known for his accounting theories based on James Grier Miller’s general living systems theory. Early life Gale Alden Swanson was born in Lemmon, South Dakota, on January 12, 1939, to Freda (née Wolff) and George H.A.

Key takeaways

G. A. Swanson belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect G. A. Swanson to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of G. A. Swanson from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Gale Alden (G.A.) Swanson (Jan 12, 1939 - July 3, 2009) was an American organizational theorist, and Professor of Accounting at Tennessee Technological University, known for his accounting theories based on James Grier Miller’s general living systems theory.

Early life Gale Alden Swanson was born in Lemmon, South Dakota, on January 12, 1939, to Freda (née Wolff) and George H.A. Swanson. He received a BA with honors from Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee, in 1969, a Master of Arts in college teaching from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in 1970 and a Ph.D. from the Georgia State University in 1982. In his PhD thesis he had developed the outlines for a "general theory of accounting" which was largely inspired in Miller’s the living systems theory.

Career Since 1982, he was a professor of accounting at Tennessee Tech in its Department of Accounting and Business Law. Also he was serving on editorial boards of Systems Research and Behavioral Science, Systems-Journal of Transdisciplinary Systems Science, Journal for Information Systems and Systems Approach and International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics. Swanson is a former president of International Society for the Systems Sciences in 1997. He was founder of the Tennessee Society of Accounting Educators, and former council member of the TSCPA Educational Foundation. He also served on the faculty of Roane State Community College, Lee University, Southwest Minnesota State University and the University of West Georgia. Swanson received several awards. In 1989-90 he was awarded an Institute of Internal Auditors Research Foundation Fellowship, in 1991 a D.Litt. at the Oxford Graduate School, in 1997 a College of Business Administration Excellence in Overall Performance Award, and a College of Business Administration Foundation Award for Outstanding Research in 1987, 1993, and 2004. He was actively teaching during the semester prior to his death, and retired from Tennessee Tech in early June 2009.

Personal life Swanson was married to Treasure Swanson. Together, they had 3 children: Connie, George, and Nolan.

Death Swanson died on July 3, 2009, in Cleveland, Tennessee.

Publications Swanson has published several books and numerous scholarly articles. A selection:

1989. Measurement and interpretation in accounting : a living systems theory approach. With James Grier Miller. New York : Quorum Books 1991. Internal auditing theory : a systems view. With Hugh L. Marsh. New York : Quorum Books 1992. Management observation and communication theory. With Heikki Heiskanen. 1993. Macro accounting and modern money supplies. Westport, Conn. : Quorum Books

References

External links Homepage Swanson at the Tennessee Technological University. Obituary at Ralph Buckner Funeral Home

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with G. A. Swanson

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what G. A. Swanson claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to G. A. Swanson before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about G. A. Swanson ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of G. A. Swanson

In research: G. A. Swanson appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses G. A. Swanson in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: G. A. Swanson is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1949 births, 2009 deaths, American business theorists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for G. A. Swanson outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study G. A. Swanson in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what G. A. Swanson means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain G. A. Swanson out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is G. A. Swanson in simple terms?

Why does G. A. Swanson matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study G. A. Swanson?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on G. A. Swanson.