Surveys of practitioners point to the importance of leadership skills in the accounting profession. However, leadership is not currently emphasized much within accounting curricula. Further, a review of the accounting education literature indicates a lack of instructional resources for accounting faculty desiring to help students develop leadership skills. As a result, accounting students may graduate without the mindset required to think of themselves as potential leaders. Therefore, there are opportunities to add value to accounting curricula by intervening in the area of leadership development. This article describes one such intervention that can be used as part of a comprehensive approach to leadership development. The primary goal of this three-week module is modest but important: to help instill a leadership mindset in accounting students. The class-tested module consists of targeted cases and supplementary readings covering six primary leadership topics. These topics were selected to build upon leadership material covered in a basic management course. While the module was used in undergraduate cost accounting, it (or a suitably reduced version of it) is appropriate for use in other accounting courses, particularly upper-level courses. This article offers implementation guidance and resources for the accounting instructor, including access to electronic files that can be used to teach the module. Assessment data from the students who recently completed this module indicate that they viewed the module as a beneficial learning experience.

Listening is a critical communication skill and therefore an essential element of management education. Active listening surpasses passive listening or simple hearing to establish a deeper connection between speaker and listener, as the listener gives the speaker full attention via inquiry, reflection, respect, and empathy. This article offers a method and tools for teaching active listening that can be implemented in online, hybrid, or face-to-face platforms. We begin by reviewing the great demand for listening skills, in light of how little time is spent on listening instruction compared with that on speaking instruction. We then present a set of learning materials and a procedure for using them that includes both pre-and posttests, multimedia learning materials, and exercises that enhance skill development. We follow the learning plan with analyses of both quantitative and qualitative data, showing support for the suggested method. These results fit with our personal experience of consistent success with the method across student levels (graduate and undergraduate) and platforms (online and face-toface). Finally, we conclude with a discussion of the presentation and some implications for teaching listening in management education.

Critical thinking is an essential component of managerial literacy, yet business school graduates struggle to apply critical-thinking skills at work to the level that employers desire. This article argues for a dispositional approach to teaching critical thinking, rooted in cultivating a critical-thinking culture. We suggest a two-pronged approach of (a) clearly defining critical thinking and selecting an accessible model for applying it and (b) integrating critical thinking consistently throughout the business curriculum. We illustrate implementation of this strategy in our revised MBA curriculum and conclude by challenging others to consider adopting a cultural and dispositional approach.

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Because of its potential for humor and drama, job interviewing is frequently portrayed on television. This article discusses how scenes from popular television series such as Everybody Loves Raymond , Friends , and The Mary Tyler Moore Show can be used to teach effective job interview skills in business communication courses. Television episodes may be used to examine in detail topics commonly covered in textbook discussions of job interviewing, such as attire, behavior, and interview questions; they may also be used to explore topics not typically addressed, such as gender issues and involvement of family members. The use of appropriate television scenes can enhance the job interviewing unit by attracting the students’ attention and generating productive class discussion. The article also provides an overview of the relevant U.S. legality issues.