A gap in management accounting education: fact or fiction

Botes, Vida; Sharma, Umesh

doi:10.1108/par-01-2016-0002

Cited by 17 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 51 publications

(131 reference statements)

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“…Against this backdrop, there has been considerable attention to the preparedness of accounting graduates for contemporary work, the skills most needed and surplus and gaps in higher education provision (De Lange et al , 2006; Wells et al , 2009; Botes and Sharma, 2017; Kotb et al , 2019). Employee skill development and deployment contributes to an individual’s human capital, which is one way of highlighting valued differences among those in the labour force (Becker, 1964).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

New technology and desired skills of early career accountants

Jackson

Michelson

Munir

2022

PAR

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Purpose Technological advances have led to accounting roles shifting from transaction focussed tasks to using data generated by technology to inform stakeholder strategies, resulting in changing skill requirements. This study aims to investigate how early career accountants (ECAs) and organisations value different skills among ECAs, how technology is impacting on these skills and the preparedness of ECAs for future technological work in different organisational settings. Design/methodology/approach The research adopted a multi-stakeholder, mixed-method approach, surveying 315 ECAs and 175 managers/recruiters and interviewing 10 from each group. The sample drew from different industry sectors and organisation types in Australia, with all states represented. Findings There was broad agreement among ECAs and managers on requisite skills for technology. Most ECAs and managers believed new technology is influencing the skills required in accounting, yet the impact was considered greater among ECAs and effects varied by organisational setting. Overall, the research did not support ECAs as “digital natives” and illuminated the importance of exposure to technology, a change mindset and lifelong learning to better prepare them for new technology. Originality/value This study makes an important contribution to understanding how and why skills for success in accounting are evolving in the context of new technology and how prepared ECAs are for technology from both their own and managers/recruiters’ perspectives. It highlights the need for greater dialogue, benchmarking and evaluation of performance in technology-related skills among new accountants and their managers. Further, it identifies areas where ECAs would most benefit from targeted support, aiding personal career success and organisational competitiveness.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

New technology and desired skills of early career accountants

Jackson

Michelson

Munir

2022

PAR

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“…Understanding the interconnection between hard and soft skills is important for educators and should be incorporated in syllabi, thereby helping students to adapt to future roles. Botes and Sharma (2017, p. 107) “raised questions about the ability of tertiary education to meet the educational needs of practice”, and the agility to move between hard and soft skills is another aspect that academics will have to grapple with.…”

Section: Discussion Of Findingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

How accountants responded to the financial fallout owing to the COVID-19 pandemic

Botes

Davey²,

Esposo³

et al. 2022

PAR

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Purpose Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the last time a crisis affected businesses worldwide by putting economies into hibernation was in 1918 – the Great Influenza Pandemic. Environmental, social and governance frameworks require businesses to respond to such crises as it significantly changes the business environment. With approximately 2.84 million accountants existing across 130 countries, this study aims to determine whether the accounting profession responded to this crisis. As these responses can provide insights into the type of activities accountants performed during the lockdown, the authors analysed them for emerging themes and identified changes in the way that accountants performed tasks. Design/methodology/approach Using search engines, the authors examined publicly available secondary sources such as websites of professional bodies, the Big Four and mid-tier accounting firms and government organisations using the keyword “COVID-19” to identify responses on issues faced by accountants during the 2020 lockdown period in New Zealand. The authors used interpretive text analysis to examine the responses for emerging themes. Findings The accountants’ responses to the COVID-19 pandemic emphasised information technology and soft skills but most importantly the interaction, integration and immersion of technical skills with information technology and soft skills. The findings also highlight changes in the way accountants performed their tasks. Originality/value The study insights enable accounting academics to better understand the interconnection between hard and soft skills for incorporating it in syllabi, thereby preparing students for future roles. In addition, the study findings will assist both practitioners and researchers to explore the emerging changes in the way accountants perform their tasks.

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“…Boulianne and Keddie (2018) found in their study of the Canadian CPA education program that sustainability is not a key component and that its sustainability content has shrunk over the years. They concluded that for years, professional accounting associations and accounting departments have had to deal with an important recurrent question with regards to the type of educational program that is needed to train skilled, accountable professional accountants who will graduate with the required competencies (see also Black, 2012; Lawson et al , 2014; Lawson et al , 2015; Botes and Sharma, 2017). Of concern is Boulianne and Keddie identification of a “competency crisis” (p. 106) where they note that there is a gap between competencies required for responsible professionals and those taught in business schools today.…”

Section: Importance Of Sustainability Accounting Educationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perceptions of salient stakeholders on the integration of sustainability education into the accounting curriculum: a Jordanian study

Al-Hazaima

Low

Sharma

2021

MEDAR

Self Cite

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Purpose This paper aims to examine the perceptions of salient stakeholders in Jordan concerning the importance of integrating sustainability education (SE) into the accounting curriculum. Design/methodology/approach This paper uses salient stakeholder theory as a lens and seeks to explore the possible integration of SE into the Jordanian tertiary accounting curriculum. A final sample of 702 salient stakeholders including university accounting educators, accounting students, industry accountants, government representatives and accounting association professional members were used to glean an insight of their views and the extent to which sustainability is present in accounting education. Findings Findings indicate that there is a strong belief by these salient stakeholders that there is significant importance for the integration of SE into the accounting curriculum in Jordanian universities. There is concern that the current curriculum does not meet the educational needs of future accountants and business executives from a sustainability perspective. Research limitations/implications This study contributes to the research debate on the competencies crisis in accounting education by focusing on the lack of SE in the accounting curriculum. This study draws attention to the need of up-skilling and applied knowledge in this critical area. There are strong viewpoints from the salient stakeholders in this study. They emphasise that a progressive education solution is required and which integrates SE into the accounting curriculum. Practical implications The research is useful to accounting educators, professional accounting associations, industry, accounting students and the government. The salient stakeholders in Jordan wish to include SE within the accounting curriculum. This would lead to future accountants and business executives having stronger competencies to respond in a resilient and resourceful manner to changes in the way business is conducted, especially in an area where societal and environmental impacts are highly scrutinised. Originality/value This study provides evidence on how salient stakeholders of an emerging economy can influence, provide guidance and leadership in integrating SE in the accounting curriculum. Engaging actively and extensively with research studies such as this allows them to voice their opinions about the importance of sustainability and how their country can better engage in this increasingly important field.

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A gap in management accounting education: fact or fiction

Cited by 17 publications

References 51 publications

New technology and desired skills of early career accountants

New technology and desired skills of early career accountants

How accountants responded to the financial fallout owing to the COVID-19 pandemic

Perceptions of salient stakeholders on the integration of sustainability education into the accounting curriculum: a Jordanian study

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