Running head: GLOBAL ISSUES REPORT 1

Global Issues Report:

Accounting Education

Abigail Padilla

University of Texas at El Paso

RWS 1301

Dr. Vierra

November 12, 2019

GLOBAL ISSUES REPORT 2

Abstract

This paper describes the teaching and learning processes in the USA, based on experience and

research, regarding accounting education and the difference between the education system in the

US compared to the UK. The aim of this paper is to show that accounting education is better in

the UK than in the USA based on the student feedback tables and the information that provides

the processes of learning and teaching for accounting in the UK and the ratio sizes between

students and faculty.

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Global Issues Report:

Accounting Education

Learning is pointless if it is not effective. There is a difference between the education

system regarding accounting in the United Kingdom than in the United States. According to the

information that will be provided in this paper, the education system in the UK is more likely to

be effective to students because of the processes that are taken in teaching students. Furthermore,

the UK learning system possesses the use of many different learning approaches that are not

exhibited in the US such as role-playing, tutoring, seminars, and myriad more that will be

discussed. The UK also uses a smaller student-teacher ratio which can be helpful in the acts of

learning because the face to face communication between students and professors increases.

Accounting education is in the UK is better than the accounting education in the USA.

Discussion

Accounting education in the UK is better than the USA. According to Misirlioglu (2008),

the teaching and learning of accounting is taught in small groups that ranges from four to twenty-

five students per classroom which allows for seminars, workshops, tutorials, and tutoring (p. 25).

Furthermore, the accounting learning process encourages students to engage in participation and

discussion such as case studies, role-playing, problem solving, modules, and presentations, as

shown in figure 1, that allows teaching and learning more effective for students (p. 27). This

implies that the learning experience in the UK regarding accounting education is better and more

effective than the education in the USA.

The completion of a college ethics course is a requirement to become a certified public

accountant (CPA). According to Mastracchio, Jiménez-Angueira, and Toth (2015),

businesspeople must act ethically in all areas of business and for them to know how to act
GLOBAL ISSUES REPORT 4

ethically, they must understand what the meaning of ethics is (p. 50). Furthermore, public

accountants must be educated on ethics for the reason of trust because a public firm’s trust is

critical to accountants and therefore, understanding ethics can strengthen the trust (p. 48). This

implies that certified public accountants must be educated on ethics.

For accountants or CPAs to provide services to the public, they need to know specific

legal knowledge because law is relevant to business. According to Kocakulah, Austill, and Long

(2009), accountants need to be familiar with legal concepts such as defamation, invasion of

privacy, misrepresentation, fraud, negligence, criminal intent, administrative sanctions, breach of

contract to manage risk and many more because the content of law is tested on the Certified

Public Accountant (CPA) Exam (p. 137). This implies that in order for accountants to become a

CPA and provide services, they must be familiar with legal terminology and concepts.

Accountants should be educated on general management

Accounting specialists must have general management skills and are suggested to be

educated on the same concepts that general management specialists are required to know about

because accountants contribute to the decision-making process. According to Danos and

Measelle (1990), accountants have the goal to help the management of the organization make

wise decisions (p. 83). This implies that accountants should have educational exposure and

experiences of a general manager in order for accountants to further understand the role of

controlling, designing, and providing the information needed for the managers to make a proper

decision.

Having communication skills is a necessity to be successful in the business

field. According to Mary Jae Kleckner and C. R. Marshall (2014), the skills needed to be a

successful person in any business major must have general communication skills (p. 77). This
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implies that in order to meet workforce needs, employers must be able to communicate orally

and through writing not only to meet the needs of the job but also to be good at the

job. Furthermore, having communication skills builds stronger business relationships and

improved productivity which may lead to an expansion in your business, therefore, being a

successful businessperson.

The use of technology helps benefit good practices used in accounting education in order

to improve the knowledge and skills of students. According to Mcvay, Murphy, and Yoon

(2008), technology plays an important role in the myriad tools used for supporting and enhancing

the teachings and learnings in the classroom (p. 44). Moreover, technology allows the use of

gathering information from other resources needed and the use of PowerPoint and many other

applications that might be used in accounting education. This implies that the use of technology

in the classroom can be beneficial among the students by helping improve their accounting skills

and their knowledge of accounting.

Important skills graduates need to meet the expectations of employers are generic skills,

which include team skills, leadership, and communication and technical skills, which deal with

the usage of technology. Jackling and Lange (2012) conducted questionnaires for employers to

respond to; Furthermore, the analysis of responses showed that team skills were rated as being an

important generic skill for the profession (p. 55). In terms of technical skills, employers looked

for a variety of skills but focused on the basic skill knowledge of technology (p. 55). This

implies that for graduates to go into a profession, they must meet the skill requirement of generic

and technical skills.

Research is an important factor when it comes to knowing about businesses or carrying

out a successful plan. Wallace (1991) argued that any kind of project in the field of business
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requires a research approach (p. 1). This implies that business requires all kinds of research in

order to execute the best plans without a negative effect on the business. The researcher must

understand the nature of the problem and how to gather facts in order to solve the problem and

should become knowledgeable of basic relevant facts that all businesspeople should know about

to avoid any consequences.

The change of accounting rules can affect an organization’s statistics and financial

reports. According to Sraders (2019), an accounting rule change affected

WeWork’s organization and resulted in the loss of millions of dollars (para. 3). Furthermore, the

accounting rule change consisted of a company needing to address the right-of-use assets and

lease liabilities for leases of more than 12 months and need to be recognized on the lessee's

balance sheet (para. 4). The accounting rule was changed in 2016 but still affects companies in

today; This implies that accountants need to be aware of accounting rule changes because they

can be at fault for the impact of the rule change to the company regarding finance and statistics.

Financial reporting that is credible in the accounting area plays an important role in the

success of an organization and the economy. According to Lasmane and Jakusonoka (2013), the

management of an organization is almost unlimited to the options it has to make

decisions because the only limitation that every company has is the reliability of accounting

information according to a research conducted by them (p. 29). Furthermore, a business must

provide ethos and logos in accounting in order to thrive and have a successful company. This

implies that the quality of accounting data is crucial for the success of the economy and most

importantly, the business.

The accounting course at UTEP provides students with training for them to develop an

understanding of their responsibilities as a member of the business field. According to the Texas
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College of Mines or University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) (1944), the Division of Business

Administration offers a four- year to provide the students with enough intelligence and

understanding of concepts in the social and industrial order of business which allows for mental

development and success (p. 4). Furthermore, UTEP (2019) identifies the purpose of the

accounting course and what it provides to the students in today’s world. It is distinguished that

the course provides students with the same developments in the past and are still developing

students today (para. 1). This implies that students in the accounting course will be allowed for

improvement and develop their intelligence in business to be successful.

Conclusion

Accounting education in the UK is better than the USA. UTEP can help students going into

accounting by improving accounting education by changing and bettering the student-teacher ratio,

adding seminars, workshops, tutorials, tutoring, case studies for educational purposes, role-

playing, and improving problem solving, modules, and presentations. According to the information

proven in this paper, students in the UK are much better off with the accounting education system

because they are all more likely to be successful and more knowledgeable regarding accounting

than those students in the USA because of the modules and learning process students take. Until

UTEP decides to change the accounting learning system, then students will suffer from the lack of

knowledge going into an actual accounting job because of the learning process deficiency.
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References

Danos, P., & Measelle, R. L. (1990). Globalization of the business environment: Implications for

the accounting profession and business education. Human Resource Management, 29(1),

77-84. doi:10.1002/hrm.3930290108

Evans, E., Juchau, R., & Wilson, R. M. S. (2012). The interface of accounting education and

professional training. 711 Third Ave., New York, NY 10017: Routledge. Retrieved

from http://0-

search.ebscohost.com.lib.utep.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=cat04704a&AN=nug.b256

6763&site=eds-live&scope=site

Kocakulah, M. C., Austill, A. D., & Long, B. (2009). The present state of the business law

education of accounting students: The business law professor's perspective. Journal of

Legal Studies Education, , 137. Retrieved from http://0-

search.ebscohost.com.lib.utep.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edshol&AN=edshol.hein.j

ournals.jlse26.8&site=eds-live&scope=site

Lasmane, N., & Jakusonoka, I. (2013). Discussion on development of certified public

accounting. Economics & Rural Development, 9(2), 27-34. Retrieved from http://0-

search.ebscohost.com.lib.utep.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=99834509&site

=eds-live&scope=site

Kleckner, M. J., and C. R. Marshall. (2014). Critical communication skills: Developing course

competencies to meet workforce needs. Journal of Research in Business Education,56(2),

59-81. Retrieved from http://0-

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search.ebscohost.com.lib.utep.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eft&AN=115062845&site

=eds-live&scope=site

Misirlioglu, I. U. (2008). Teaching and learning experience in accounting education:

A ukperspective. World of Accounting Science, 10(4), 19-35. Retrieved from http://0-

search.ebscohost.com.lib.utep.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=37167047&site

=eds-live&scope=site.

Mastracchio Jr., N. J., Jiménez-Angueira, C., & Toth, I. (2015). The state of ethics in business

and the accounting profession. CPA Journal, 85(3), 48-52. Retrieved from http://0-

search.ebscohost.com.lib.utep.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=101708408&sit

e=eds-live&scope=site

Mcvay, G. J., Murphy, P. R., & Wook Yoon, S. (2008). Good practices in accounting education:

Classroom configuration and technological tools for enhancing the learning environment.

Accounting Education, 17(1), 41-63. doi:10.1080/09639280600843369

Sraders, A. (2019, Aug. 15). This accounting rule change is ‘Crushing’ the company’s

financials. Fortune, Retrieved from https://fortune.com/2019/08/15/accounting-rule-

change-crushing-wework-financials/

UTEP. (1944, 1). Business administration and economics. Texas Mines Today and Tomorrow, 1-

7. Retrieved

from https://digitalcommons.utep.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1001&context=utep_a

dd_items.

UTEP. (2019). College of business administration. Retrieved

from https://www.utep.edu/business/.
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Wallace, W. A. (1991). In Nelson K., Regis R. (Eds.), Accounting research methods : Do the

facts speak for themselves? Irwin. Retrieved from http://0-

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4878&site=eds-live&scope=site
GLOBAL ISSUES REPORT 11

Figures

Figure 1

Table 1 shows how to apply the learning cycle for teaching and learning in accounting. This type

of leaning will help future accountants with experience and will help the teaching be effective.

Figure 2
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Table 2 provides 24 comments made by the students related to the content or structure of the

module and the teaching methods used by the lecturer. This implies the students seemed satisfied

with the module content and structure designed on basis of the program specifications, and the

teaching methods in the UK.

Figure 3

Figure 3 shows a classroom size in the USA and the number of students in the classroom exceeds

the number of students in a classroom in the UK because the UK typically has approximately 20-

30 students per classroom for the accounting course

Running head: GLOBAL ISSUES REPORT 13

Instructor Comments

Do not delete

CBFA #1: Satisfactory progress

Add your APA presets

CBFA #2: Satisfactory progress.

Incorporate one of your figures into the conversation of one discussion paragraph.