Taking the pulse of accounting education reform: liberal education,sociological perspectives,and exploring ways forward

This paper examines the ‘state of play’ with regard to accounting education reform, which has been advocated for decades but is notable for having failed to produce significant change. We build on prior calls to ‘liberalise’ accounting education, recommending a move to a more relevant curriculum that considers accounting in its social context. Based on an analysis of the accounting curriculum in 31 Australian and 8 New Zealand universities, we find that, despite widespread and continuing calls for a broader educational approach, there are very few examples of systemic curricular-wide change to the traditional technical and vocational focus of accounting education. As a way forward, a sociologically-informed accounting curriculum is proposed to overcome the widely-recognised limitations of current approaches and the apparent failure of efforts to liberalise the curriculum. We argue that our approach would facilitate the broadening of the curriculum, and the development of better-educated, well-rounded, and socially-aware graduates.     

Changes in accounting education: preparing for the twenty-first century ∗

The Accounting Education Change Commission (AECC) was formed in the USA to be a catalyst for change in accounting education. The AECC has called for fundamental changes in what is taught and how it is taught. The AECC has issued Position Number 1 that describes the desired objectives for accounting education and has made ten grants to four-year and graduate schools to stimulate curriculum changes.     

Teaching ethics in accounting: a discussion of cross-cultural factors with a focus on Confucian and Western philosophy

There has been pressure from various business and professional accounting bodies to place greater emphasis on ethics education. This has been reflected in academic research and curriculum development. The purpose of this paper is to expand the debate on accounting ethics education to take into account the globalization of business, accounting and educational services and to draw attention to the importance of cross-cultural factors. To illustrate this the paper discusses the impact that Confucius has had on the ethical thinking of East and South East Asia. Where appropriate, comparisons are made with Western attitudes and secular philosophies. This focus has been chosen because of the current and future importance of the Asian area to global commerce, and the fact that an understanding of its ethical thinking and behaviour is not possible without an appreciation of Confucian thought.     

Reform of Accounting Education in the Post-Enron Era: Moving Accounting 'Out of the Shadows'

This article reflects critically on the general state of university-based accounting education. It highlights the chiding of business school educators by the President of the U.S.A., George W. Bush, in his response to the collapse of Enron and subsequent corporate failures. It draws attention to Bush's plea for corporate accounting to be moved 'out of the shadows'.
An agenda of reform for accounting education is proposed, seeking a greater responsiveness by accounting educators to three broad matters: first, the political, rhetorical and ideological nature of accounting; second, the 'poverty of discourse' in accounting curricula; and third, the merits of a better understanding of accounting history. It is suggested that responsiveness to these matters be manifest in a stronger commitment to critique of accounting. This entails implementation of four curriculum themes commencing in the first class in accounting. The benefits of reading and reflecting upon the collected life's work of distinguished intellectual forbears of our discipline are canvassed. Wide-ranging general proposals for the reform of accounting education are advanced.     

The role and impact of professional accountancy associations on accounting education research: An international study

This paper explores the relative influence of the accounting academy and accountancy professional associations in the debate concerning the profile and quality of accounting education research. This research analyses 13 semi-structured interviews undertaken with members of key accounting professional associations in Australia, New Zealand (ANZ) and the United Kingdom and Ireland (UKI). The paper makes a theoretical contribution by the novel application of the institutional logics theory to the literature concerning professional accounting associations (PAAs) demonstrating the dominant commercial logic of the education function and the more traditional fiduciary logic of the technical function. The research finds that the primary stakeholders in the professional accounting curriculum development model are the PAAs and employers, whilst the accounting academy is relatively absent. The relative independence of the education and research and technical functions within PAAs is also identified: academic research and technical activity has little influence on professional education and vice versa. However, PAAs’ funding of academic research is common across all four countries for brand recognition and in some instances to influence policy rather than informing the professional curriculum.     

An examination of the work of the Accounting Education Change Commission 1989–1992

This paper reviews the literature concerning the Accounting Education Change commission(AECC)

and the most recent attempts to create a climate of change within accounting education in the United States.The background leading up to the creation of the AECC is briefly stated, followed by a commentary on the activities and pronouncements issued by the AECC so far. The paper concludes with an evaluation of the performance of the AECC project to date, and consideration of the implications for accounting education in other english-speaking countries.     

Some thoughts on social and environmental accounting education

Although there are probably more academics interested in the social and environmental dimensions of accounting than previously, there is still relatively little discussion of curricular and pedagogical issues in this branch of the accounting domain. This paper attempts to raise the structure of social and/or environmental dimensions within accounting education for debate. This is done by proposing the qualitative background to a social and environmental accounting course, and then suggesting curricular materials and assessment approaches that have been used in this area.     

Tax education in the UK: a survey of tax courses in undergraduate accounting degrees

This paper presents the results of a postal survey designed to examine the teaching of taxation in UK universities. The project looks at taxation in undergraduate accounting degree programmes and adopts an objective centred focus. The principal aim of the survey was to examine the relationships between some characteristics of individual tax courses, including the course objectives and coverage, staffing, teaching and assessment methods, in an attempt to draw some conclusions on the nature of tax education in UK accounting degrees. The results of the survey and consequent analysis may provide taxation and accounting educators, professional bodies and researchers into accounting education with an insight into approaches to, and methods used in, taxation teaching. It may also present a framework for comparative international research in tax education.     

Effects of exposure to the International Education Standards on perceived importance of the global harmonization of accounting education among Japanese accounting academics

This exploratory study empirically examines the degree to which the Japanese accounting academics is exposed to the IESs and explores their perception of the importance of global harmonization in accounting education in terms of ensuring quality global control of the accounting profession. Responses from 76 questionnaires found that accounting staff, particularly in the post graduate Accounting Schools, have a basic understanding of the IESs and view this global harmonization as favorable whereas staff who teach at undergraduate level or at ordinal postgraduate level in tertiary schools have a much lower understanding and perception. This is of concern to the accounting profession as it is in these undergraduate schools and ordinal postgraduate schools from where the majority of successful CPA examinees graduate each year. The findings also indicated that the IESs can be effectively used as a benchmarking tool within the Japanese accounting academics.     

Excel in the accounting curriculum: perceptions from accounting professors

Public accounting firms emphasize the importance of accounting graduates being proficient in Excel. Since many accounting graduates often aspire to work in public accounting, a question arises as to whether there should be an emphasis on Excel in accounting education. The purpose of this paper is to specifically look at this issue by examining accounting faculty's perceptions of Excel in public accounting and accounting education. We survey 245 faculty members at over 100 accounting programs. We find that a majority of faculty incorporate Excel in their accounting classes consistent with their perception of Excel importance. However, we find that students are not fully proficient in Excel based on faculty's perceptions. This study contributes to the accounting education literature by identifying possible disconnections between Excel skills faculty include in the accounting curriculum and specific Excel skills faculty believe new hires (i.e. recent accounting graduates) most often use in public accounting.     

A Review of Big Data Research in Accounting

The impending fourth industrial revolution has enhanced the role of big data analytics in today’s business practice. Consequently, many now consider big data as the most strategic resource in business to the extent that organizations that fail to utilize it may become competitively disadvantaged. Following these developments, questions have been raised about the future of the accounting discipline, especially in terms of how it can continue to add value to organizations. While some scholars have attempted to address this question, it remains an abstract concept requiring further investigation. Therefore, this study conducts a systematic literature review to determine the status of accounting research on big data analytics and provides avenues for further studies. By conducting co-occurrence network analysis on 52 peer-reviewed articles published from 2010 to 2020, three broad themes emerged, entailing big data implications for accounting practice, education, and research design. A further examination of the themes revealed few empirical studies on the phenomenon, as conceptual research dominates the field. Although external audit implications of big data are widely discussed, other accounting domains (e.g., managerial accounting and taxation) are underexplored. Therefore, future studies may focus on the implications of big data on variables such as performance measurement, information governance, tax behavior, curriculum design, and pedagogy.     

Accounting graduates' perceptions of skills emphasis in undergraduate courses: an investigation from two Victorian universities

This study investigated the emphasis placed on technical and generic skills developed during undergraduate accounting courses from the graduate perspective. It is motivated by two issues. First, calls by the accounting profession and international education committees regarding the professional adequacy of graduates. Second, the challenge facing educators and professional bodies to design accounting courses that address a diverse range of needs from students, the educational philosophy of the institution, and the changing dynamics of global business. Data obtained from 310 graduates from two Victorian universities provided insights into the types of skills development considered necessary for a successful accounting career.     

Competency‐Based Education and Assessment for the Accounting Profession: A Critical Review*

In recent years many professional accounting associations have become interested in establishing competency‐based professional requirements and assessment methods for certifying accounting professionals. A competency‐based approach to qualification specifies expectations in terms of outcomes, or what an individual can accomplish, rather than in terms of an individual's knowledge or capabilities. This idea has an obvious appeal to many practitioners and administrators of professional qualification programs. However, there is limited knowledge about competency‐based approaches in the accounting profession and among accounting academics, which is constraining discussion about the value of these approaches and about the strengths and weaknesses of the different competency models that have sprung up in various jurisdictions. In this paper we review and synthesize the literature on competency‐based approaches. We identify a number of theoretical benefits of competency‐based approaches. However, we also find many alternative definitions and philosophies underlying competency‐based approaches, and a variety of visions of how competencies should be determined and assessed. We note that there is limited evidence supporting many competency‐based approaches and we identify 14 research questions that could be used to help policy makers to more effectively address policy matters related to competency‐based education and assessment.     

The teaching-research gestalt in accounting: A cluster analytic approach

This paper considers accounting academics' views of the mutuality of accounting research and education. These views are captured by administering a survey instrument that measures eleven dimensions of the relationship between teaching and research in the accounting discipline. This model was developed from the extant education literature considering those factors that encourage or militate against the integration of accounting research and education (the teaching-research gestalt). These factors relate to issues relating to students, researchers, the curriculum and extrinsic rewards available. Cluster analysis was performed to identify distinct subgroups of academics with similar teaching-research relations profiles. Three distinct clusters were identified. One cluster labelled ‘teaching-research incongruity’ sees teaching and research as mutually exclusive activities. In contrast ‘teaching-research connexion’ sees teaching and research as mutually reinforcing and compatible. A third cluster, allied to the world of teaching-research incongruity, emphasises the lack of extrinsic rewards for integrating teaching and research. This third cluster we label ‘Extrinsic-reward focus’. The clusters are described in terms of their demographics. There are significant barriers to integrating accounting research into education; these include the role of professional education and resistance from many accounting academics in universities.     

The plight of accounting education in Australia: a review article ∗

This paper summarizes the history and effects of the Australian Government's higher education lsquo;reformrsquo; agenda on the accounting discipline. After providing a brief historical perspective, the paper summarizes the contents of the Task Force for Accounting Education in Australia, a Report commissioned by the two major Australian professional accounting bodies. An overview of the Government's higher education Green and White Papers and their implications for the accounting discipline in higher education, is then provided. We then survey some of the key recommendations of the Report of the Review of the Accounting Discipline in Higher Education(The Mathews Report), an enquiry commissioned by the Australian Government after an intensive lobbying campaign by the accounting profession. The paper concludes with summary contents.     

Will more liberal arts courses fix the accounting curriculum?

The appropriate curricular balance between general and accounting education has been long contested and needs resolving as evidence suggests the model used at most schools is broken. One suggested fix would devote more of the accounting curriculum to liberal arts courses to produce accountants who could, for example, think critically and communicate effectively. However, ample evidence indicates that classical “liberal education” scarcely exists today, and what is offered in its place is often counterproductive, at worst, or adds little value at best. This paper reviews the current state of liberal education and concludes that what is actually delivered today by many arts and sciences colleges does not achieve the claimed benefits of a liberal education. Thus it falls on accounting educators to structure courses in ways that will make them exercises in liberal learning. The paper also discusses several strategies for enhancing the value of the general education component of each student’s education.     

Accounting Education Lags CPE Ethics Requirements: Implications for the Profession and a Call to Action

Abstract

The accounting profession in the USA has experienced a crisis of legitimacy in the aftermath of a barrage of business scandals. Recent legislation has forced reforms reinforcing the need for additional ethics education. At the same time, the external pressure on university accounting degree programs has been to maintain the status quo of inadequate ethics in the curriculum, even while ethics courses in state CPE programs have grown dramatically. This creates a problem of bad pedagogy in that these new CPE ethics courses, focused on rote delivery of professional codes of conduct, are not grounded in conceptual frameworks which should be provided by university accounting programs. This state of affairs is circular in that it perpetuates inadequate ethics education for the profession. We propose that this deficiency be remedied by the requirement of a stand-alone ethics course delivered early in the accounting curriculum as a foundation for other degree requirements and subsequent CPE courses. The first step in this direction should be the creation of a White Paper that recommends specific content for such a course.     

TEACHING RESOURCE Using MONOPOLY TM and Teams-GamesTournaments in accounting education: a cooperative learning teaching resource

A three-week financial accounting simulation was conducted using university accounting majors (n=36) in one section of a junior-level financial reporting issues course. The curriculum involved using the board game Monopoly as a teaching resource in cooperative learning teams. Findings indicate students' attitudes toward financial accounting and learning, mutual concern for fellow students and perceived achievement were very positive upon completion of this cooperative learning exercise. Additionally, gender and student ability were found to impact the level of some measures of student attitudes and perceived achievement.     

The Development of a Conceptual Framework for the Design,Delivery, and Assessment of a Typical Management Accounting Syllabus

This article identifies common issues relating to management accounting education in order to determine whether using a competency‐based approach would assist educators in the design, delivery, and assessment of syllabi at educational institutions. A conceptual framework is developed and discussed with regard to the critical success factors methodology to design syllabi that assist educators in attaining the main outcomes in the delivery and assessment of the curriculum. This framework is applied to a typical management accounting curriculum to demonstrate how this approach will enable educators to design, deliver, and assess their syllabi in line with the critical outcomes required. In following this approach, lecturers would constantly have to focus on the knowledge and issues that are relevant and critical for students to understand and apply in order to achieve the aim of the syllabi.