McClelland's trichotomy of needs theory and the job satisfaction and work performance of CPA firm professionals

This paper examines the ability of McClelland's trichotomy of needs theory (need for affiliation, need for power, need for achievement) to provide a conceptual explanation of the job satisfaction and work performance of CPA firm professionals. Seventy-seven of the 89 professionals at an office of a large international CPA firm participated in the study. For partners and managers, need for affiliation correlated negatively with job satisfaction. For partners and managers, junior-level audit/tax specialists and junior-level management consultants, need for power correlated positively with job satisfaction. Job satisfaction correlated positively with the intent to remain with their current firm for all three categories. Need for achievement correlated positively with hours devoted to work for junior-level audit/tax specialists, and with the firm's work performance ratings for partners and managers and junior-level audit/tax specialists. The results suggest that McClelland's theory, which has not been previously applied to examine job satisfaction, might provide a conceptual explanation of why some individuals experience relatively high job satisfaction in an environment where their contemporaries experience relatively low job satisfaction.     

Validation of factors relevant to the exemption of accounting courses in MBA programs

Most MBA programs allow students to exempt required core courses like accounting. The exemption decision usually depends on prior accounting course work taken. This study analyzes the performance of students with prior accounting backgrounds in a MBA core course in accounting in order to identify and validate factors that could be used in an exemption policy. Fourteen factors related to aptitude, prior academic performance, prior accounting experience, and work experience were correlated with academic performance. A reduced set of five variables was then included in a step-wise regression. Prior accounting course work, quantitative GMAT score, and grade point average in undergraduate accounting courses emerged as factors that significantly impact grade performance. A set of logit models containing these three factors classified each student by course grade. The three-factor model significantly improved the classification accuracy of students when compared to simplistic models using solely undergraduate accounting course work.     

The Effects of Different Teaching Approaches in Introductory Financial Accounting

Abstract

The purpose of the research is to examine the effect of the two different teaching approaches in the first accounting course on student performance in a subsequent finance course. The study compares 128 accounting and finance students who took introductory financial accounting by either a user approach or a traditional preparer approach to examine their academic performance on a subsequent finance course. The results indicate that there is no significant difference in the finance course grade between students who took the traditional introductory accounting course and students who were taught under the user approach. These findings support the argument that the user approach has no impact on subsequent finance course grade and either method can be used to teach introductory financial accounting. Three factors were found to affect subsequent performance in an introductory finance course: GPA prior to taking the finance course, grades in macroeconomics, and statistics.     

Desired attributes of public accounting firms in the job selection process: an empirical examination of accounting graduates' perceptions

The purpose of this study is to identify attributes of public accounting firms that accounting graduates find most desirable in their job selection decisions, and the impacts of individual differences on these perceptions. Factor analysis performed on the responses of 167 final-year accounting students in Hong Kong to a 30-item questionnaire identified seven factors. The results indicate that accounting graduates considered help in finishing their professional accounting examinations and good staff relationships as the most important criteria in their choice of employers. In addition, female accounting graduates were more concerned about the possibility of being required to travel or be transferred, but were less concerned about the reputation and profile (such as the client base and the size) of the firms than their male counterparts. Accounting graduates with a higher grade point average (GPA) were less concerned about the working environment, but more concerned about a firms' reputation and profile than those with a lower GPA. The implications of these results are discussed.     

审计质量保障的权利配置研究视角

现行审计质量问题是审计委托权配置失范的外部性表现.提高审计质量的有效措施是对现行会计流程控制权配置范式进行变迁,改变目前企业管理当局集会计政策选择权、会计人员聘任权及审计委托权于一身的状况,使会计信息供应脱离管理当局的直接控制而由财务报告委员会及其所属的独立会计机构全程负责,此时高质量审计服务成为信息生产者、信息使用者、企业管理当局及注册会计师的共同需求,审计质量有了保障.     

Opportunities for artificial intelligence development in the accounting domain: the case for auditing

This paper reviews the nature of accounting and auditing problems and the need for application of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to the discipline. The discussion includes current accounting issues for which new AI development should be fruitful, particularly auditing and assurance. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A forecast of achievement from student profile data

A compelling case has been made by accounting leaders for the increased use of groups to enhance learning in the classroom. If an instructor wants to form groups based on achievement or skill levels at the beginning of an accounting course, the purpose of this paper is to show that achievement levels can be forecast from profile data obtained from students on the first day of class. Specifically, results of this study indicate that the intent of a student to major in accounting and the grade he or she made in Introductory Financial Accounting provide an accurate forecast of the achievement of that student in Introductory Managerial Accounting. Additionally, the study's findings suggest there is some basis for a template that can be applied to forecast achievement levels of students in other accounting courses.     

An analysis of the association of traditional demographic variables with the moral reasoning of auditing students and auditors

Accountants may be inadequate moral reasoners (Armstrong, 1987; Ponemon, 1992). Accounting ethics education research has suggested several approaches to improving the moral reasoning of accounting students (Langenderfer & Rockness, 1989; Ponemon & Glazer, 1990). This study uses independent samples of 91 auditing students and 207 auditors to evaluate whether demographic variables traditionally associated with higher levels of moral reasoning in other populations are associated with auditing students' and auditors' moral reasoning. Age and education, demographics traditionally associated with moral reasoning, were nonsignificant for both samples. Moral reasoning scores increased through the third-year staff level, and decreased from the senior through the partner levels. Women, subjects with higher grade point averages, and those who had taken ethics courses demonstrated higher levels of moral reasoning in both samples. The results indicate that accounting educators can influence the moral reasoning of the profession by recruiting and retaining bright students, particularly women, and by designing ethics education interventions that will help accounting students incorporate more than simply rules in making ethical decisions.     

Internationalizing audit education

Audit education is typically offered only to accounting majors. We argue that auditing provides a way of thinking that could serve as a framework for an accounting curriculam. We describe two parts of a course content that could be incorporated into an existing auditing course or a begining accounting course. The first section emphasizes accountability; the second emphasizes the role of the auditor in the accountability process. The concepts are best taught within an international paradigm that permits examination of various institutional environments.     

上市公司内部审计机构设置及履行职责情况研究

将内部审计机构作为内部控制监督机构是国际内部审计发展的趋势,通过对沪市上市公司2010年报中披露的有关公司内部审计机构设置、命名、职责定位、履职情况、隶属关系等信息进行描述性统计分析,发现沪市公司在机构设置、职责定位、隶属关系方面合规率较高,但存在机构名称多元化、实际履职与职责定位不吻合等问题,主要原因是我国内部审计法律基础薄弱、政策依据缺乏统一性和刚性、政策理念滞后等。基于此,提出了应从完善审计法规、统一内部审计模式等方面予以改进的政策性建议。     

Judgment and Decision‐Making Research in Auditing and Accounting: Future Research Implications of Person,Task, and Environment Perspective

The discipline of accounting and auditing has increasingly recognized judgment and decision making (JDM) as highly important attributes in the profession because individuals such as managers, auditors, financial analysts, accountants, and standard setters make pivotal judgments and decisions. Many studies undertaken in this domain of research also substantiate the significance of JDM in accounting and auditing. This study evaluates all the papers published in 10 accounting journals among the leading ones from 1980 to 2010 that fall within the domain of JDM research. The categorization of the studies reviewed in this paper is based on Bonner's ( 1999 ) three major determinants of JDM: Person, Task, and Environment variables. The review highlights the progress in the literature over the past three decades and also identifies the methodological limitations of previous research. The identified limitations will be useful for improving the research method of future JDM studies in accounting and auditing. The review also draws inferences on how JDM research in auditing, which is well established, could usefully guide future JDM research in financial accounting.     

Teaching audit reports: A flowchart approach

The effective and efficient communication of audit report material for historical generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP)-based financial statements is a challenging task for auditing educators. A sizable number of auditing standards focus on this subject matter. Moreover, several recent expectation-gap standards, notably Statement on Auditing Standards (SAS) No. 58, impact directly on the reporting issue. Two instructional issues are of concern with regard to audit report materials. They are (a) the complexity of the material and (b) timing-when this material should be presented. With respect to the complexity issue, SAS No. 58 and related standards are so complex that many auditing students are overwhelmed by the topic. With regard to timing, some instructors feel a need to communicate an overview of the reporting process when the topic is first introduced and then deliver a more detailed discussion later in the course. To address the complexity and timing issues, this paper illustrates two different levels of flowcharts. These materials may be used in the classroom by accounting educators to effectively communicate the set of reporting conditions and the related audit report responses.     

Accounting education for professionals in Germany — current state and new challenges

In comparison to other countries, the requirements on the education of professional auditors in Germany have been considered to be the toughest in the world. However, German professionals risk losing this position since there are countries which seem to adapt more quickly and appropriately to changes in the accounting environment.The first part of the paper provides a review of the current state of the education for qualified auditors in Germany with special reference to the according EU-Directives and IFAC-Rules. It is shown that there are various issues which have to be accounted for in order to meet the challenges of the future.The remainder of the paper focuses on challenges due to changes in the accounting and auditing environment, on challenges due to an enlargement of the scope of statutory audit and — finally — on challenges due to the need for diversification from auditing to assurance services.     

Does Lecture Capturing Impact Student Performance and Attendance in an Introductory Accounting Course?

ABSTRACT

The study empirically examines the interplay between lecture capturing viewership, performance and attendance for students in the Middle Eastern country of Qatar. The sample consists of 254 students enrolled in an introductory accounting class either in the Fall semester or in the Spring semester. We show a weak positive relationship between lecture capturing and performance, especially in the presence of other variables such as GPA, attendance, gender and seniority. However, we do not find that lecture capturing reduces attendance. Actual performance results are contrasted with students’ perception of the usefulness and effectiveness of lecture capturing. Survey responses reveal that, overall, students attribute a great deal of credit to this pedagogical resource. They stated that lecture capturing clarifies concepts discussed in class, assists in studying for exams, enhances exam results and increases interest in the course. However, the majority of low-performing students believe lecture capturing to be a substitute for attending traditional lectures.     

Problem-centred research and knowledge-based theory in the professional accounting setting

The paper discussess the emerging need for theory development and much more extensive task and context analysis with respect to cognition in the professional accounting setting (“accounting” being taken to include the various accounting, auditing, tax and related subjects about which accounting professionals exercise judgment). The paper examines how such theory development and task and context analysis can improve the research and its contribution to understanding the professional settings that are the province of accounting research. Our analysis reflects our proposal that accounting judgment research contribute more strongly to the general body of accounting research, and deal better with practitioners' problems. From our analysis, we conclude that the lack of theory development is associated with several problems in the research, including an over-emphasis on transference of simplified models from psychology, inappropriate use of normative criteria for evaluating performance, and an over-emphasis on accountants and auditors rather than accounting and auditing. We offer a large number of constructive comments about task analysis, theory development and other steps to guide future accounting judgment research.     

我国审计市场制度安排与审计质量需求——中天勤客户流向的案例分析

本文分析了中天勤会计师事务所原来的63家客户的走向。作者的主要发现是:上市公司在选择会计师事务所时,对地域因素考虑较多,同时,经办的注册会计师与上市公司选择同一家事务所的比例相对比较高。这些现象都与高质量审计市场的特征存在一定的差异。此外,作者还发现国际五大在承接原中天勤客户的行为上,存在一些值得关注的现象。     

Analysis of the complexity of writing used in accounting textbooks over the past 100 years

The Accounting Education Change Commission (AECC) and the large international accounting firms have all emphasized that accountants must be able to work with unstructured problems to be successful in today's business environment. Measures of this ability are essential if accounting educators are to assist students in improving their abilities to work with unstructured problems. However, there appears to be no measure that has been widely accepted as being the ‘best’ measure. This study considers whether two linguistic performance measures might be usable by accounting educators for this purpose. We use data obtained from a student assessment centre to consider two measures of linguistic performance, idea density and grammatical complexity. We incorporate five criteria in deciding whether these measures could be usable: (1) whether the measures are related to students' performance when solving unstructured problems; (2) whether the measures distinguish between the ability to work with unstructured compared to structured problems; (3) ease of obtaining necessary information from students; (4) ease of scoring, and (5) robustness of the findings after considering other variables that may have an effect. Our results indicate that subjects' linguistic performance as measured by idea density meets these five criteria. However, grammatical complexity is not related to performance for either type of problem. These results were found even after controlling for the effects of other variables such as grade point average (GPA), experience, and personality variables. Because the measures can be obtained from virtually any written work produced by students, the information to be scored is relatively easy to obtain. Scoring is also relatively straightforward.     

The impact of political connections and business groups on cash holdings: Evidence from Chinese listed firms

We investigated the impact of political connections and business group affiliation on the cash holdings of firms listed on two main Chinese stock exchanges. We applied panel data regression analysis on a dataset comprising 10,832 observations for these companies from 2008 to 2015. We found political connections to be positively correlated with cash holdings, while business group affiliation is negatively correlated. Firms with both political connections and business group affiliations hold more cash. These findings are consistent with the tenets of agency theory and the speculative motives of corporate managers.     

Achievement Goal Theory: The Relationship of Accounting Students’ Goal Orientations with Self-efficacy,Anxiety, and Achievement

Abstract

Students’ goal orientations are examined using two major frameworks for learning: achievement goal theory (AGT) and students’ approaches to learning (SAL). Previous student success research is extended, by examining goal constructs from the AGT framework to determine if they help explain the learning process in accounting. Data were gathered using an established instrument and used to examine how mastery and performance goals are related to students’ academic expectations, achievement, self-efficacy, and test anxiety. Cluster analysis was used to identify four motivation groupings (multiple-goal, mastery, performance, and low motivation). Pairwise comparisons of groups, for expected grades, self-efficacy, anxiety, final exam grade, and course grade, identified differences among some of the clusters. Results suggest that a combination of mastery and performance goal motivations, rather than a singular perspective, may provide better outcomes related to course grades, while reducing dysfunctional outcomes. Based on the results, suggestions are provided to help instructors influence student success.