Should utopians have perfect bodies?

Is one who imagines a “perfect” (or vastly improved) society also obliged or inclined to imagine a “perfect” (or vastly improved) body as part of her project? If there is in fact a utopian tradition imagining perfect bodies, what new alternatives are conceivable? Should utopian writers pursue any or all of them? Attempts to provide an answer provide critics with perhaps their most penetrating objections to the utopian project since imagining and reproducing perfect bodies entails an intrusiveness even greater than political or economic perfection. But the very intimacy of the body as a site also offers insights into the utopian imagination. Just as certain practices are excised in utopias (private property or money, for instance) and certain ones enhanced (education), so too are utopian bodies, which can be imagined as liberated prisons or improved forms. The utopian body, itself a complex site, becomes the most vivid focus for imaging the nature of perfection itself. New bodies, dramatically enhanced ones such as cyborgs or dramatically reduced ones such as cyber bodies, offer an intense examination of what perfection means and what lengths are worth pursuing to achieve it.     

Engineering,a civilising influence?

The global environment is increasingly under threat and we face a challenge with little time to respond. Are we prepared to change the actions and attitudes that have led to this parlous situation, and if we are, how do we do it? Is the world ready for a more ecologically benign, less economically driven, peaceful and spiritually oriented way of living? My challenge lies in higher education. How do you encourage such values in a tertiary education system which has spent many years applying and rewarding a ‘respond to the market’ discourse? My responses are grounded in transformative education research with large diverse cohorts of first year engineering students. This paper also uses a critical futures methodology, Causal Layered Analysis, to update my concerns about Australian engineering education and the profession, using two recent reports. The aim is to offer constructive insights that may be transferable to educators in other contexts.     

Raymond J. Chambers—A Personal Reflection

This study compared the academic achievements of accounting undergraduates taught through three different study modes; on-campus lectures and tutorials, traditional distance education using print material and open learning using a mixed mode of TV lectures broadcast by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, teleconferencing and print material. Significant differences in achievement were found between these study modes: on-campus lectures were associated with significantly higher overall pass grades. However, open learning was associated with significantly higher levels of achievement. Another interesting finding was the better performance of open learning students compared to that of traditional distance education students. Findings of the present study support the use of video technology as an effective teaching delivery mode. In addition, important questions relating to student screening procedures for entry to tertiary education are raised. The cost-effectiveness of the different modes is also discussed.     

The Roles of Some Key Stakeholders in the Future of Accounting Education in Australia

This article explores the role of institutional and systemic leadership in changing higher education in accounting in Australia. In particular, it discusses the roles of the Australian Learning and Teaching Council, the Australian Business Deans' Council Teaching and Learning Network, and the professional accounting bodies in meeting the challenges confronting accounting education in the tertiary sector today and in the coming years. The intersection of these leadership roles is exemplified in an accounting discipline research project that explores the critical non-technical skills stakeholders require in graduate students and discusses stakeholders' roles and responsibilities in their development .     

University Accounting Curricula: The Perceptions of an Alumni Group

Abstract

Many of the problems associated with accounting education could be due to at least two reasons: inadequate attention given to the design of accounting programmes, and the narrow view of stakeholder approach adopted in examining education issues. The existing literature mainly focuses on students' perception about issues such as teaching quality, alumni experience in major accounting firms, and so on. This paper deals with the design of accounting programmes, and proposes to ascertain the views of an important stakeholder group (i.e. alumni) on this issue. The findings of this study give credence to some of the generally held views, e.g. that it is no longer appropriate for tertiary education providers to adopt a one-size-fits-all approach. However, in some other areas, the findings represent a stark contrast to the views on certain issues promulgated by the professional bodies in New Zealand and overseas including the USA, (for example, the issue of appropriate proportions of accounting, business and liberal studies in an accounting programme). Notably, the respondents in general placed a low importance on auditing as part of an education programme. Further, in terms of the emphases that should be placed in an accounting programme, contrary to the endorsement in the literature, ‘work experience’ was not considered as important as other areas of emphasis, (e.g. global perspective, local perspective, professionalism and social and environmental perspective).     

Relationships between Vocational Interests and Learning Approaches to Advance the Quality of Student Learning in Accounting

Abstract

This study investigates the influence of vocational interests on the learning approach of accounting students at the undergraduate level. It brings together two theoretical models: vocational interests and approaches to learning, to investigate student learning in the accounting discipline. The research focus is supported by more general findings from the education literature which suggest that interest-oriented learning leads to superior approaches to learning. The research was tested using 917 tertiary accounting students across two universities. The associations between vocational interests and learning approaches provide support for the theoretical model linking vocational interests (e.g. conventional) with deep learning approaches in a tertiary accounting environment. There are practical implications for the teaching of accounting with particular reference to whether the current curriculum reinforces the values of those individuals with conventional interests.     

Developing a Global Model of Accounting Education and Examining IES Compliance in Australia,Japan, and Sri Lanka

The introduction of International Education Standards (IES) signals a clear move by the International Accounting Education Standards Board (IAESB) to ensure high quality standards in professional accounting education at a global level. This study investigated how IES are perceived and valued by member bodies and academics in three counties: Australia, Japan, and Sri Lanka. It examined: (1) levels of awareness of IES; (2) drivers of compliance and convergence and non-compliance and non-convergence with IES; and (3) key factors influencing IES adoption. Both quantitative and qualitative data have been collected from interviews and questionnaire surveys to report on these findings. Further, as part of the study, comprehensive case studies of the accounting education systems of Australia, Japan, and Sri Lanka were developed. These case studies not only provided an insight into issues of diversity, culture, and language as they relate to IES, but also preceded the development of a global model of accounting education.¹1 In this paper, accounting education refers to education that is provided at both university level (or equivalent) and that offered by member bodies. This model is proposed as a way to assist interested parties in any country to readily identify their own unique system of professional accounting education.     

On the optimal provision of social insurance: Progressive taxation versus education subsidies in general equilibrium

In this paper we compute the optimal tax and education policy transition in an economy where progressive taxes provide social insurance against idiosyncratic wage risk, but distort the education decision of households. Optimally chosen tertiary education subsidies mitigate these distortions. We highlight the quantitative importance of general equilibrium feedback effects from policies to relative wages of skilled and unskilled workers: subsidizing higher education increases the share of workers with a college degree thereby reducing the college wage premium which has important redistributive benefits. We also argue that a full characterization of the transition path is crucial for policy evaluation. We find that optimal education policies are always characterized by generous tuition subsidies, but the optimal degree of income tax progressivity depends crucially on whether transitional costs of policies are explicitly taken into account and how strongly the college premium responds to policy changes in general equilibrium.     

The Importance of Understanding Student Learning Styles in Accounting Degree Programs

Improvements in the tertiary education of accounting students benefit the profession. Analysis of the interaction of learning styles and teaching methodologies in accounting degree programs revealed that when learning styles matched teaching methods used, usefulness was assessed as high. When they differed, usefulness deteriorated. To maximise educational benefit this interaction should be considered, but this has resource implications. Accounting education is critical and any improvements in the tertiary education of accounting students should result in better prepared graduates entering the profession. This study evaluates accounting students’ learning styles and the interaction of learning styles and teaching methodologies in degree programs. Nine classes of accounting students (648 students) spread across four years and two degree programs were evaluated. Students self‐evaluated their learning styles, pre‐instruction. They were then subject to two separate teaching techniques (one active and one passive) in each course. Learning styles were then re‐assessed and teaching techniques evaluated. Accounting students displayed a preference for passive learning, even those far advanced in their degrees. Furthermore, when learning styles matched teaching methods used, usefulness was assessed as high but when learning styles and teaching methods differed, usefulness deteriorated. Overall, active learners rather than passive learners deemed the teaching methods to be more effective. The implications are significant. To maximise educational benefit for the accounting profession, student learning styles should be assessed before designing appropriate teaching methodologies. This has resource implications, which would have to be considered.     

Public education spending in a globalized world:

This paper studies the effect of globalization on public expenditures allocated to different stages of education. First, we derive theoretically that globalization’s influence on education expenditures depends on the type of government. For benevolent governments, the model suggests that expenditures for higher education will increase and expenditures for basic education will decline with deepening economic integration. For Leviathan governments, on the other hand, the effects of globalization on public education spending cannot be unambiguously predicted. In the second part of the paper, we empirically analyze globalization’s influence on primary, secondary, and tertiary education expenditures with panel data covering 104 countries over the 1992–2006 period. The results indicate that globalization has led in both industrialized and developing countries to more spending for secondary and tertiary and to less spending for primary education.     

Undergraduate performance in accounting and business-based information technology

The pervasiveness of information systems (IS) in organizations mandates the need for high levels of IS skills. In recognition, professional bodies impose IS course requirements for accreditation. For both students and employers, performance in IS courses has become important. The tertiary entrance overall performance score accounted for 19.7 per cent of the variance in students' passing grades. Thereafter, proficiency in office automation software and programming accounted for 1.5 and 0.8 per cent of the variance, respectively. Students living in a stable, family home-based environment performed better and it is likely that this environment underpinned other factors affecting performance.     

Competence-based Approaches to the Assessment of Professional Accountancy Training Work Experience Requirements: The ICAS Experience

Most professional accountancy bodies' qualification processes encompass three components: a prescribed programme of professional education, some form of work experience, and a formal final examination to determine professional competence. The International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) suggests that purely theoretical and knowledge-based education does not meet the needs of all employers. Thus professional bodies are encouraged to find ways to deliver and assess relevant competences in the most appropriate manner. Despite educationalists suggesting that performance measurements based on direct observation within the work place are more effective at measuring competences than traditional paper-based examinations, assessment strategies within the accountancy domain remain conservative. The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (ICAS) was one of the first professional bodies to introduce a competency-based approach to work based assessment in 1999 and subsequently undertook a review of the process in 2004. The data collected for the review was undertaken by way of a questionnaire to authorized training offices, in-depth interviews with employers, and discussions which emanated from a Working Party which included internal ICAS employees, an academic and a representative from a large accountancy firm. This paper presents the findings of the review, discusses the pertinent issues in relation to work based assessment and outlines the changes that were made to the competency-based approach adopted by ICAS. It concludes with recommendations for future practice.     

Developing critical thinking: An examination of contemporary practices in accounting

Employers and professional bodies call for higher education accounting courses to emphasise the importance of critical thinking skills. This study provides an in-depth assessment of how critical thinking is currently taught and assessed across an entire accounting degree. Our study contributes to our understanding of how teaching and assessment can support students in developing their critical thinking. Using a case study approach, we identify resource restraints and disruptions to traditional forms of engagement as key challenges to developing critical thinking skills in accounting education. We conclude with suggestions for teaching practice, such as formative scaffolds and teacher-led discussions.     

An analysis of the implications of diversity for students' first level accounting performance

The present study investigates the impact of student diversity on performance of first-year undergraduate accounting students. The paper is motivated by (i) increasing diversity amongst the accounting student cohort because of the trend to internationalise education services in industrialised countries; and (ii) inconsistent and inconclusive prior evidence on the determinants of accounting student performance. The major contribution of the present paper is to provide a theoretical framework from the published educational literature that can explain much of the variation in the findings of prior studies. We employ this framework to develop and test several propositions in relation to students’ prior content and metacognitive knowledge. The results indicate students studying on-campus significantly outperform students studying by distance education. On average, international students studying on-campus perform better than domestic students (studying either on- or off-campus), with international students studying off-campus performing worst of all. Prior high school accounting, tertiary entrance score and motivation (reflected by both major of study and tutorial attendance) also influence student performance.     

Assessment of behavioural outcomes of financial education workshops on financial behaviour of the participants: An experimental study

The present study attempts to evaluate the behavioural outcomes of financial education workshops on the financial behaviour of participants (homemakers) in the state of Gujarat, India. A series of financial education workshops were conducted for 300 homemakers in November–December 2012. A pre- and post-survey design was used. In the pre-survey, the participants were asked to complete a questionnaire before they were invited to attend the financial education workshops. The follow-up survey data were collected 3 months after completion of the workshops. The effect of the financial education workshops on the financial behaviour of participants was assessed using 22 variables of financial behaviour, including cash, credit, saving and investment behaviour. The data were analysed using paired t-tests. The study finds that there is a positive effect of financial education workshops on the financial behaviour of participants. Specific findings may help financial education providers to design and implement such programmes more effectively and may provide guidelines to assess their impact.     

Achieving the United Nations' sustainable development goals through financial inclusion: A systematic literature review of access to finance across the globe

Access to credit may have a direct effect on achieving United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in ending poverty, improving health and education, and reducing inequality. In this paper, we systematically review the growing empirical evidence on whether individuals' demographic characteristics (such as gender and race) and socio-economic features (such as income and education) effect their ability in accessing credit. Our survey covers peer-reviewed articles providing empirical evidence, using quantitative and qualitative data, published between 2000 and 2020 (February). We find that having more education and/or being more financially literate increases households' and entrepreneurs' access to credit. Individuals with lower income and less wealth are less likely to obtain credit from the mainstream financial institutions. In emerging countries, women are more likely to be rejected and deprived from formal credit, and pay higher cost. Non-Whites, ethnic minorities, disabled people and immigrants are also more likely to be excluded from the formal credit markets. We find that abovementioned credit deprived segments of the society resort to fringe finance providers, such as pay-day lenders or pawnbrokers, with higher costs. These findings are remarkably similar across developed and developing countries. Finally, we provide direction for further research in achieving SDGs through financial inclusion and access to credit by highlighting various shortcomings of the existing literature and empirical evidence.     

The academy in a wired world

Global demands for tertiary education have been met by a variety of new intellectual entrepreneurs including virtual Megauniversities, corporate universities, and academic ‘brokers'. The coupling of this evolution with the emerging shift to third party evaluation of graduates based on competency, internationally, breaks the hegemony of the traditional post secondary educational institutions. The inter connectivity of the wired world must be seen not only as a link across space, but, more importantly, as a time bridge across generations. Only from this perspective can the tertiary institutions balance their ability to provide long half-life, core or value, knowledge against the more dynamic and changing short half-life knowledge. Traditional roles of academics will split organisationally with a few stellar researchers and lecturers and a majority of faculty becoming mentors. Structured linkages with K-12 institutions and parallel post secondary providers such as corporate universities will change both the structure of the institutions and the role of the ‘scholar' The static ivy covered walls have been breached and post secondary education will become a dynamic and evolving industry.     

Accounting measures of unfunded pension liabilities and the expected present value of future pension cash flows

The associations between three alternative measures of the unfunded pension obligation discussed in the accounting literature and a measure that reflects the present value of expected cash flows (economic liability) are examined in this study using simulated data. The sensitivity of the correlations to funding methods, growth rates of the plan population, interest rates, plan initiation dates, and extent of sweetening are also studied. It is shown that all the accounting measures of the pension obligation are highly correlated with the total economic liability when funding is excluded, but the correlations decrease significantly when the net (unfunded) liability is examined. Furthermore, it is shown analytically that one cannot predict ex ante which measure of the unfunded liability will be most highly correlated with the economic liability. The implication for accounting standard-setting bodies is that both the pension plan assets and pension obligations should be disclosed to facilitate users in making predictions about changes in the economic liability. A recent official pronouncement, SFAS 87, provides for such disclosure in most circumstances.     

Do hybrid flexible delivery teaching methods improve accounting students' learning outcomes?

This study investigates the association between the learning outcomes of students and two teaching models: a traditional face-to-face lecture/tutorial teaching model and a hybrid flexible delivery model. The hybrid flexible model is delivered using a combination of face-to-face seminars and electronic delivery and communication tools. It is found that academic performance is higher for students who studied under the flexible delivery model, achieved higher marks in prerequisite units, were female, or were younger. Evidence is provided that flexible delivery teaching models utilizing electronic delivery media can be used to achieve the benefits of small class sizes when teaching large student numbers. The results should be of interest to administrators and educators as they attempt to address the challenges of supplying tertiary education to an increasing number of students as well as meeting the perceived demand for flexible course delivery in a manner that can enhance students' learning outcomes.