Matching Accounting Curricula With Market Demands: A Study On The University of Rajshahi in Bangladesh

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Matching Accounting Curricula with Market Demands: A Study on the University

of Rajshahi in Bangladesh
Article in Archives of Business Research · December 2020

DOI: 10.14738/abr.811.9399
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Archives of Business Review – Vol. 8, No.11
Publication Date: November 25, 2020

DOI: 10.14738/abr.811.9399.

Hossain, S. Z., Haque, M. A., & Rahman, M. T. (2020). Matching Accounting Curricula with Market Demands: A Study on the University
of Rajshahi in Bangladesh. Archives of Business Research, 8(11). 232-247.
Matching Accounting Curricula with Market Demands: A Study on

the University of Rajshahi in Bangladesh

Syed Zabid Hossain
Department of Accounting and Information Systems,
University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi, Bangladesh

Md. Anwarul Haque
Department of Accounting and Information Systems,
University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi, Bangladesh

Md. Tahidur Rahman
Department of Business Administration,
Bangladesh Army International University of Science
and Technology, Cumilla, Bangladesh.

ABSTRACT
The study strived to explore whether the accounting curricula of the
University of Rajshahi fit the needs of both domestic and foreign job
markets. To accomplish this purpose, we prepared five sets of Likert-
type structured questionnaires and administered them to stakeholders
viz faculties, students, alumni, non-academic staff, and employers. The
Higher Education Quality Enhancement Program (HEQEP) of the
University Grants Commission of Bangladesh provided the
questionnaires. The study found a notable gap between the courses and
content covered in the accounting curricula and the skills acquired by
the graduates as well their skills and needs of the job market. The
Department of Accounting and Information Systems of the University
developed the accounting curricula without any participation of its
stakeholders and professional body members. Faculties designed
curricula, but it was just routine work. Recently it has mandatory to
include a member from alumni, employers, and professionals in the
curriculum committee. But they have very little freedom to exercise
their rights and give inputs to a curriculum to meet the needs of the job
market. Moreover, the prevailing lecture-based teaching-learning
pedagogy and exam-based assessment practiced by universities
expand the gap. The study recommends proper representation of
stakeholders in the curricula Committee and designing market-led
forward-looking curricula for accounting programs giving emphasis on
information technology and taking into account the demands of the
prevailing and prospective job markets.

Keywords: Accounting education, Curricula, Market demands, Tertiary
education

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Archives of Business Research (ABR) Vol 8, Issue 11, November-2020
INTRODUCTION
There is a growing awareness among educators, think tanks, and society at large of the relevance
of tertiary education for the metamorphosis of a knowledge-based society. Higher education
institutions across the globe are delighted to produce highly skilled graduates who can respond to
the ever-changing demands of the contemporary workplace [1]. Literature shows a noticeable gap
in learning linking graduate and employer perspectives in the context of accounting education in
Bangladeshi Universities to graduate job placement. Both the accounting professionals and
academics also recognize that there is a large gap between accounting education and accounting
practice [2–4]. Different segments of the society have shown grave concern on an increasingly wide
gap between the skills and abilities of accounting graduates and the needs of the work environment
in a more open and globalized society [5].

As a universal language of business, accounting is a complex and continually advancing subject of
teaching-learning that changes with the needs and aspirations of society, the accounting subject
has to evolve with the changing environment to keep relevance. The purpose of accounting
education is to develop essential expertise and aptitude to become accounting professionals.
Therefore, the teaching-learning at universities should educate their students by implementing
curriculums that fit the needs of the job market [6]. Accounting curricula provide contents and
graduate attributes of accounting degree programs both at the undergraduate and postgraduate
levels, which is a matter of much discussion among diverse stakeholders focusing on the demands
for accounting graduates with more comprehensive skills to pursue a career in the accounting
profession [7]. By exploring the perceptions and practices of accounting students, graduates,
academics, and employers in Bangladesh, this study demonstrates the gap between graduate
attributes and demands of the job market.

The objective of accounting education is to develop essential expertise, aptitude, skills, and
understandings that a student should arrest as a result of the teaching-learning and experiences
they engage with while at universities. Thus the curriculum content should provide students with
the academic structure needed for learning business management and simultaneously acquire
knowledge and techniques that are vital to start and run business enterprises efficiently and to
become accounting professionals. But the business environment has been changing continuously,
particularly with the most advanced digital transmutation. Hence, accounting education and
profession, as well as the auditing profession, should follow the improvement in business
technologies and implement curriculums that will strengthen the efforts of the accountants and
auditors to respond to such developments [8]. However, there has been constant criticism aimed
at accounting departments of universities in Bangladesh, especially at the University of Rajshahi,
for their failure to equip students with the skills needed in the job market. Perhaps this problem is
not unique in Bangladeshi universities. Any curriculum should be forward-looking since its main
objective is to equip students for the job market. It must strengthen the technical expertise of the
students so that they can work with up-to-date technologies, integrate new technologies, and
appraise and implement surfacing technologies over time [9].

Based on the above backdrop, the objective of the study is to explore whether the contents and
graduate attributes of accounting curricula of the University of Rajshahi meet the skills, expertise,
and knowledge needs of the job market. It led to recognize the disparity between the demand of
the job market and existing curricula. As such, we administered a questionnaire survey with face
233

Hossain, S. Z., Haque, M. A., & Rahman, M. T. (2020). Matching Accounting Curricula with Market Demands: A Study on the University of Rajshahi in
Bangladesh. Archives of Business Research, 8(11). 232-247.
to face discussions with different stakeholders. As it is a case study on the Department of

Accounting and Information Systems at the University of Rajshahi, we give a brief description of
the University and the Department. It is the second-largest and second-oldest in Bangladesh and
the largest in the northern region. It has been offering under-graduation, post-graduation, and
diplomas to its students, and M. Phil. and Ph.D. Degrees to its research scholars since its inception.
The then Pakistan government established this University in the eastern part of Rajshahi City,
which is very near the Padma River and about seven km from the Rajshahi City Centre. The
University has nine Faculties and five Institutes. The programs offered by the University are four-
year Honors degree, one- year Masters Degree (both in thesis and non-thesis group), two-year M.
Phil Degree, and three-year Ph.D. Degree.

Business education at the University of Rajshahi started in 1957 with 2-year M. Com. under the
Department of Economics. In 1972, the Faculty of Commerce started its activities with two
Departments, viz., Accounting and Management. In 2005, the Department of Accounting converted
to the Department of Accounting and Information Systems (AIS). At present, the Department has
twenty-six qualified full-time faculties and five non-teaching staff. The Department is now offering
BBA, MBA, EMBA, M. Phil, and Ph.D. degrees. The remainder of this paper includes the review of
literature, methodology, results & discussion, and conclusion of the study.

LITERATURE REVIEW
The development of human capital through quality higher education and training is a must for
Bangladesh if it wants to ensure sustainable development and growth of its economy. The teaching-
learning of would-be accountants in Bangladesh and elsewhere in the world start as apprentice
training under qualified chartered accountants (CA) or certified public accountants (CPA).

Combining 20 years of evidence Siegel et al. (2010) found a notable gap between what accounting
educators teach and what practicing accountants do. They also affirmed that the main focus of the
accounting curriculum, at least at the undergraduate level, is not very dissimilar from what it was
10, 20, or indeed 40 years back [10].

In the early 20th century, the academic world was influenced by Dewey (1916), who introduced
the phrase learning through an occupation that requires education should be evolving and
intellectually challenging with the common welfare as its purpose. The profession demands
educators to guide students to improve their academic and conceptual knowledge as well as
analytical and appraisal skills. The author also demonstrated how practitioners recognized the
need for students to think critically as the mechanism of business, capital, labor, laws, politics,
insurance, economic institutions, money, credit, and accounts that require all-inclusive learning
and mind training to conceive logically and in a meaningful way [11].

Management accountants work in cross-functional teams are actively involved in decision-making
that necessitates them to give more time for interacting with others, meaning they need excellent
interpersonal skills for success. The most valuable knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) necessary
for success are the ability to deal with people followed by team-work expertise, analytical skills,
specialized accounting knowledge, and an understanding of how a business functions [12]. Market
expectations about the most valuable skills and competencies of accountants and auditors are
social, problem-solving, and time management skills [13].
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/abr.811.9399 234

An accountant should have the ability to get behind the data and concepts to form a holistic
judgment of economic settings as well as ITs [14]. To fulfill the role of top advisors to companies,
prospective accountants and auditors must work as generalists and specialists concurrently with a
strong understanding of a particular business and plan to evaluate information in the context of an
employing organization [15].

Active support of expert accountants is essential to become successful in operational and
organizational reforms. The most remarkable ideas in modern business, for example, Corporate
Governance (CG), Corporate Social Responsibility Disclosure (CSRD), Segment Reporting (SR),
Disclosures, Balanced Score Card (BSC), Intellectual Capital Reporting (ICR), and Global Reporting
Initiative (GRI), need an effective engagement of properly trained accountants.

The American Accounting Association (AAA, 1986) observed an increasing gap between what
professional accountants do and what accounting teachers teach [16]. Hence, change is necessary
for accounting education to satisfy the demands of the growing profession. They must acquire,
maintain, and continuously develop a more challenging level of skill to fulfill the expanding and
more assorted requests for services. The most notable reports of AAA (1986) and AECC (1990) that
sparked the criticism cover a lack of relevance to the demands of the profession, ineffective
teaching with more importance on particular kinds of research, and failure to attract and retain the
most desirable students [16, 17]. The inadequate preparation of accounting students has created a
gap between the expected and actual skills of accountants [18].

The university accounting curricula have been missing to develop future accountants properly to
work in a complicated global setting. A curriculum is a roadmap outlining various learning
exercises pointed towards assessable results, which are undertaken by students, and ultimately,
they are to go through testing to document whether the expected outcome is achieved or not. Some
researchers recognize that the development of teaching-learning, curriculum plan, and evaluation
practices (broadly speaking, curriculum development) prevails at the root of the work of
educational development (along with faculties and policy development) and that this needs
informed, research-based discussion and the promotion of scholarship in teaching-learning and
research [19–21]. Gammie et al. (2002) opined that the selection of teaching pedagogy and
teaching faculties for the program must be appropriate [22].

The curriculum should be forward-looking since its main objective is to equip students for
prospective job marker. It must strengthen the technical expertise of the students so that they can
work with contemporary technologies, integrate new technologies, and appraise and implement
surfacing technologies over time [9]. Thus the development of human capital through quality
higher education and training is a must for Bangladesh if the country wants to ensure sustainable
development and growth of its economy [23].

METHODOLOGY
It was a study of stakeholders' perception of curricula review and design with critical analysis of
documents of the Department of Accounting and Information Systems (Dept of AIS) at the
University of Rajshahi, Bangladesh. There are primarily four stakeholders of the academic
programs of the Dept of AIS, specifically academics (faculties), students, alumni, and employers.
We administered two sets of structured questionnaires to the respondents- the first set for
235

academics (faculties), students, alumni, and the second set for employers. We excluded the non-
academic staff from our survey as they do not have any role in curricula development. Besides, we
met around 95% of the alumni and employer respondents and all respondents from current
students and academics. The total number of respondents for the study was 285, of which 26
academics/ faculties, 152 current students, 73 alumni/ graduates, and 34 employers.

We developed two 5-point Likert-type scales for four categories of stakeholders. For academics,
students, and alumni, the value 5 denotes strongly agree, while the value 1 represents strongly
disagreed. In between the two extreme values 5 and 1, state 4 signifies agreed, value 3 indicates
neutral, and position 2 denotes disagreed. But for employers expectation from the graduates, value
5 means extremely important against 1 for not important at all, and in between the two extreme
values, value 4 indicates very important to them, and state 3 stands for important or significant,
and position 2 stands for less important or insignificant. For actual situation, 5 denotes excellent,
1 denotes poor, and in between the two extreme values, 4 suggests very good, 3 signifies good,
while 2 stands for fair.

To get unbiased responses from all segments of respondent stakeholders, we explained the
background of the study and the inner (genuine) connotation of all statements/questions to them.
We administered a structured questionnaire having 8 (eight) statements to the first three groups
of respondents– academics, students, and alumni. As stated earlier, employers represent the
remaining group of respondents. For them, we studied the gap between the skills possessed by the
accounting graduates and the skills needed in the work setting. We checked the collected data to
fill the data gap using an appropriate statistical tool and then tabulated and analyzed.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Curriculum design and review is a continuous, cyclic postmortem process and involves decision
making about how to design and review academic curricula in ways that could best serve the
national interests and address the skills expected from the students as well as serve the national
and international job markets. In the process of curriculum design and review of an academic
institute should ask a few essential questions, such as:

What are our options for student learning and achievements (founded on facts)? (2) What
expertise and skills do we require, and what efforts shall we use to promote student learning
upshots? (3) What has been the consequence of our changes (founded on facts)? (4) Where would
be our next move? What are our preferences for student scholarships now?

Curriculum design and review look dissimilar in diverse business schools around the world. There
is no set order to follow, and as such, business schools, especially the tertiary level accounting
education has been using a variety of approaches depending on its circumstance and expectation
of stakeholders. On this backdrop, we administered a structured questionnaire to three groups of
respondents, particularly academics, students, and alumni to know the curriculum design and
review process of the Dept of AIS at the University of Rajshahi. The questionnaire addressing all
the 8 (eight) standards were for academicians, the first 4 (four) standards for students, and the
first 5 (five) standards for alumni. We present standard-wise findings in the following table.



Table 7: Stakeholders Response on Curriculum Design and Review
Areas of Evaluation Acad Stu Alu
S-1 Curriculum load is optimum and induces no pressure 4.1 3.7 3.8
S-2 Courses in the curriculum from lower level to higher are properly arranged 3.8 3.6 3.5
S-3 Teaching strategies are clearly stated in the curriculum 3.2 2.7 2.6
S-4 Assessment strategies are clearly stated in the curriculum 4.0 4.1 2.9
S-5 The curriculum is effective in achieving day-one skills 3.4 3.0
Curriculum is reviewed and updated regularly in compliance with the
S-6 3.6
rules of the universities
Opinions from the relevant stakeholders are taken and honored duly
S-7 2.4
during review of the curriculum
Curriculum addresses the program objectives and program learning
S-8 3.2
outcomes
Grand Mean 3.5 3.5 3.2

Analysis and Outcome Concerning Curriculum Design and Review of the Dept of AIS
S-1: Curriculum load is optimum and induces no pressure
It is observed in the above table that 89.4 percent (26.9 % + 62.5%) of the academics, 66.5 percent
(23.7%+42.8%) of current students, and 69.8 percent (20.5% + 49.3%) of alumni were either
strongly agreed or agreed with the statement against only 3.5 percent ( 3.5% + 0%) of academics,
17.1 percent (13. 2% + 3.9%) of current students, and 19.3 percent ( 16.4 %+ 2.7%) of alumni were
either disagreed or strongly disagreed agreed with this statement with average scores of 4.1 for
academics, 3.7 for current students, and 3.8 for alumni in the scale of 5.0. It is a somewhat safe area
of the Department. However, a curriculum load without stress is not appropriate for quality
education. The curriculum load should be optimum with an acceptable level of stress for quality
teaching-learning. The Dept. of AIS should follow this principle while designing a new curriculum
or reviewing existing curricula. In the context of growing concern among academics regarding the
nature of learning and scholarships of students, and a useful discussion of contemporary study
findings, it is evident that a reasonable workload is a precondition of good teaching and learning
[24].

S-2 Courses are systematized properly in curricula from the lower level to higher.
The Dept systematized academic curricula following the hierarchy from the lower level to a higher
level. The interdisciplinary courses are at the lower level, while the advanced/specialized are at a
higher level in the course curricula. It is evident from table 2 above that 76.9 percent (26.9%+
50.0%) of academics, 65.1 percent (18.4% + 46.7%) of current students, and 65.8 percent (9.6%+
56.2%) of alumni were either strongly agreed or agreed with this statement as against only 15.3
percent (11.5%+ 3.8%) of academics, 18.5 percent ( (13.2%+ 5.3%) of current students, and 19.1
percent (16.4% + 2.7%) of alumni were either disagreed or strongly disagreed with this statement
with average scores of 3.8 for academic, 3.6 for current students, and 3.5 for alumni in the scale of
5.0. We believe still there is scope for rearrangement, change, and improvement of the course
curriculum.

S-3: Teaching strategies clearly stated in curricula.
It is evident from table 1 that it is one of the grey areas of the Dept because 46.2 percent (30.8% +
15.4%) of academics, 50 percent (28.9%+21.1%) of the students, and 53.4 percent (32.9% +
237

20.5%) of the alumni were either disagreed or strongly disagreed with this statement. But 30.8
percent (7.7% + 23.1%) of academics, 33.6 percent (5.3% + 28.3% ) of students, and 27.4 percent
(5.5% + 21.9%) of alumni were either strongly agreed or agreed with this statement with average
scores of 3.2 for academics, 2.7 for current students, and 2.6 for alumni in the scale of 5.0. It is a
very gray area of curricula development and teaching-learning of the Dept of AIS. It is a basic
premise of strategic teaching is what we decide to teach in the classroom should be an interplay of
what we know about the components of learning, teaching, accomplishment, and contextual
conditions. This proposition has made our quest as individuals and groups to develop an
instructional structure [25].

S-4: Assessment strategies are stated clearly in curricula.
It is evident from the table above that 73.1 percent ( 38.5% + 34.6%) of the academics, 67.6 percent
( 49.3% + 28.3%) current students, and one third (13.7% + 19.2 ) of the alumni either agreed or
strongly agreed with this statement. However, only 3.8 percent (0%+ 3.8%) percent of the
academics, 11.2 percent (5.9% + 5.3%) of current students, and 47.9 percent (39.7% + 8.2%) of
alumni were either strongly disagreed or disagreed with this statement. The average scores were
4.0 for academic, 4.1 for current students, and 2.9 for alumni on the scale of 5.0 for this statement.
However, the assessment strategies in a curriculum should be more comprehensive and easy to
understand. In the context of paradigm shift around the world towards student-centered results-
oriented teaching-learning strategies, and at a time when many academic disciplines of the UK
universities are promoting teaching, learning, and evaluation strategies, Rust (2002) in his paper
reviewed the literature on the impact of assessment on learning of students in the UK Universities.
After studying thoroughly, he concluded that academic disciplines should promote suitable
evaluation strategies and learner-centered appraisal systems that match general principles on the
assessment of the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) [26].

S-5: Curricula are effective in achieving day-to-day skills
This statement was only for academics and alumni. It is found in the above table that 57.6 percent
(3.8% + 53.8%) of the academic staff and 41.1 percent (16.4% + 24.7%) of alumni were either
strongly agreed or agreed with this statement. While 19.2 percent (15.4% + 3.8%) of academics
and about half (41.1% +8.2%) of the alumni were either disagreed or strongly disagreed with this
statement. Average scores were 3.4 for academics and 3.0 for alumni on a scale of 5.0. This situation
suggests that there is scope for improvement of the course curriculum to make it more effective in
achieving the required day-to-day skills. There are many different understandings of life skills, but
no definition is universally accepted. Various organizations attach diverse meanings to the term.
The International Bureau of Education (IBE) derives its perception based on the Delors (1996) four
pillars of learning - learning to know, learning to do, learning to be, and learning to live together -
and defines life skills as personal management and social skills are necessary for adequate
functioning on an independent footing [27].

S-6: Curriculum is reviewed and updated regularly in compliance with the rules of the
universities
The Department is reviewing and updating its curricula in compliance with the rules of the
universities, but the process should be more comprehensive and rigorous. This question was only
for academics. It was found in the above table that 61.6 percent (23.1% + 38.5%) of the academics
were either strongly agreed or agreed with this statement. While 19.2 percent (15.4% + 3.8%) of

them were either disagreed or strongly disagreed with this statement. The average score was 3.6
on a scale of 5.0.

As stated earlier, there is still scope for review and update the curricula in compliance with the
rules of the University of Rajshahi. In this digitized age, not only educators and learners need to be
changed as an effect of undergraduate and postgraduate curriculum design and improvement, but
that the higher education curriculum design and improvement process itself needs to evolve as
well because higher education transforms educators into skilled human assets, not only in
accounting but also in different areas of knowledge considering the need of a country as well as
global perspective to get highest human dividend and contributes to individual development as
also to the development of the economy, democracy, and culture [28].

S-7: Opinions of the stakeholders are taken and honored duly during the review of curricula
The Dept of AIS informally considers the concern of the stakeholders, especially employers, during
the yearly review of its course curriculum. But no formal participation of the stakeholders has been
evident. Yet, the concern of stakeholders was not acknowledged while designing curricula. A little
less than one third (7.7% + 23.1%) of the academics were either strongly agreed or agreed with
this statement. Contrarily, 61.5 percent (26.9% + 34.6%) of stakeholders was either strongly
disagreed or disagreed with this statement. The average score was only 2.4 on a scale of 5.0. This
is one of the weakest areas of the Department that should be addressed immediately. Many of the
difficulties linked with accounting education may be owing to at least two main reasons:
inadequate concentration provided to the design of accounting programs, and the narrow view of
stakeholder involvement chosen in examining education issues [29].

S-8: The curriculum addresses the program objectives and programs learning outcomes
This question was only for academics and it was found in the above table that (19.2% + 30.8%) of
the academics were either strongly agreed or agreed with this statement. While 30.8 percent (7.7%
+ 23.1%) of them were either disagreed or strongly disagreed with this statement with an average
score of 3.2 on the scale of 5.0. As stated earlier there is still scope for review and update of the
curriculum in compliance with the rules the program objectives and learning outcomes in the
curriculum. The curriculum content equips learners with the fundamental theoretical structure
mandatory for knowing business management and, at the same time, gives them the knowledge
and techniques which are essential to start up and manage businesses, especially effectively [30].

Discussion of Detailed Survey Results on Employers
Employers are the main stakeholder of the Dept of AIS as they provide job opportunities to the
graduates and they are the main player in establishing industry-university collaboration and as
such their opinion and feedback have a great impact on the teaching-learning and research
Endeavour. The employers were asked to give their actual feedback on four key areas based on
their expectations. The areas were Knowledge, Communication Skills, Interpersonal Skills, and
Work skills of the graduates of the Dept of AIS working at their organizations. A detailed discussion
of the survey findings is presented below.

Knowledge
Three statements- job knowledge, IT Job knowledge, and Knowledge of our graduates in designing
a system component or process – was presented before the employers on a scale of 1 to 5. In the
239

case of employers' expectations, 5 denotes extremely important, 4 refers to very important, 3

signifies important, 2 suggests less important, and 1 stands for not important at all. But in the case
of actual (what the employers are getting from our graduates), 5 for excellent, 4 for very good, 3
for good, and 1 for poor. The actual scenario against the expectation of employers is shown below.

S-1: Job knowledge (knowledge on the subject matter)
It is evident from table 2 that the expectation of the employers on the job knowledge of the alumni
was 3.9 on the scale of 5.0, which suggests job knowledge was very important to the employers. As
against their expectation, the actual job knowledge of our graduates (alumni) was 3.8 on a scale of
5.0, which testimonies that the alumni have very good job knowledge to perform their tasks. It is
one of the strong areas of the Dept of AIS, but still, there is scope for improvement of their job
knowledge so that they can fully beat the expectation of their prospective employers.

Table 8: Survey Results of Employers on the Quality of Graduates of the Dept of AIS
Knowledge
Dimensions of Quality Expectation Actual
Job knowledge (knowledge on subject matter) 3.9 3.8

IT Knowledge 3.6 3.4
Knowledge in designing a system component or process 2.6 2.8
Mean 3.4 3.3
Communication Skills
Oral communication 4.3 3.7
Report writing 3.9 3.5
Presentation skills 4.1 3.5

Mean 4.1 3.5
Interpersonal Skills
Ability to work in teams 4.4 3.9
Leadership 4.1 3.6
Independent thinking/ Self Confidence 4.2 3.6
Self-Motivation/ Commitment to job 4.3 3.8
Reliability 4.6 4.15
Appreciation of ethical values 4.6 3.9
Adaptability 4.2 3.9
Mean 4.4 3.8
Work Skills
Time management skills 4.3 3.8
Judgment 3.9 3.6

Problem formulation, solving and decision making skills 3.9 3.5
Collecting and analyzing appropriate data 3.9 3.5
Ability to link theory to Practice 3.9 3.47
Discipline 4.8 4.2
Sense of Responsibility 4.6 4.1
Mean 4.2 3.7

S-2: IT Job knowledge
The expectation of the employers on IT knowledge of our alumni was 3.6 on the scale of 5.0, which
suggests IT knowledge was very important to the employers. As against their expectation, the

actual IT knowledge of our graduates (alumni) was 3.4 on a scale of 5.0, which recommends our
graduates have very good IT knowledge to perform their tasks. It is one of the strong areas of the
Dept of AIS, but still, we have to work more seriously to enrich the IT knowledge of our current
students so that they could fulfill the expectation of their prospective employers.

S-3: Knowledge in designing a system component or process
Table 2 reveals that the expectation of the employers on knowledge of the graduates of this Dept
in designing a system component or process was 2.8 in the scale of 5.0, which suggests the
knowledge in designing a system component or process was important to the employers. As
against their expectation, the actual knowledge of the graduates of this Dept in designing a system
component or process was 2.8 on the scale of 5.0, which unveils that the graduates have good
knowledge of in designing a system component or process to perform their tasks. Mainly, this skill
is required for an expert employee, not for an apprentice or new employee.

Communication Skills
Three statements- Oral communication, Report Writing, and Presentation skills – were presented
before the employers of our graduates on a scale of 1 to 5. Relating to employers' expectations, 5
for extremely important, 4 for very important, 3 for important, 2 for less important, and 1 for not
important at all. But in actual scenario (what the employers are getting from the graduates of the
Dept of AIS), 5 for excellent, 4 for very good, 3 for good, and 1 for poor. As against the expectation
of the employers, the actual scenario was as under.

S-1: Oral communication
It is evident from Table 2 that the expectation of the employers from the alumni on oral
communication was 4.3 on the scale of 5.0, which suggests job knowledge was almost extremely
important to the employers. As against their expectation, the actual oral communication skill of the
graduates (alumni) of the Dept of AIS was 3.7 on the scale of 5.0, which testimonies that the alumni
have very good oral communication skills to perform their tasks. Though the oral communication
skill of the graduates of the Dept of AIS is very good, the Dept should try to enrich the oral
communication skills of its current students so that they may reach an excellent level.

S-2: Report writing
It is evident from Table 2 that the expectation of the employers on report writing skills of the
alumni was 3.9 on the scale of 5.0, which suggests report writing skills, which was very important
to the employers. As against their expectation, the actual report writing skill of the graduates
(alumni) of the Dept of AIS was 3.5 on the scale of 5.0, which testimonies that the alumni have very
good report writing skills to perform their tasks. Though the report writing skill of the graduates
of the Dept of AIS is very good, the Dept should try to enrich the report writing skill of its current
students to an excellent level.

S-3: Presentation skills
It is noticeable from Table 2 that the expectation of the employers on presentation skills of the
alumni was 3.9 on the scale of 5.0, which suggests presentation skill was almost extremely
important to the employers. As against their expectation, the actual presentation skill of the
graduates (alumni) of the Dept of AIS was 3.5 on the scale of 5.0, which testimonies that the alumni
241

have very good presentation skills to perform their tasks. Though the presentation skill of the
graduates of the Dept of AIS is very good, still there is scope for improvement.

Interpersonal Skills
Seven statements- ability to work in teams, leadership, independent thinking/self-confidence, self-
motivation/ commitment to job, reliability, appreciation of ethical values, and adaptability – were
presented before the employers of our graduates on a scale of 1 to 5. Relating to employers'
expectations, 5 denotes extremely important, 4 for very important, 3 for important, 2 for less
important, and 1 for not important at all. But in actual (what the employers are getting from the
graduates of the Dept of AIS), 5 denotes excellent, 4 for very good, 3 for good, and 1 for poor. As
against the expectation of the employers the actual scenario was as under.

S-1: Ability to work in teams
It is evident from Table 2 that the expectation of the employers from the graduates of the Dept of
AIS on their ability to work in teams was 4.4 on the scale of 5.0, which suggests that the ability of
the graduates of the Dept of AIS to work in teams was more or less extremely important to the
employers. As against their expectation, the ability of the graduates (alumni) of the Dept of AIS to
work in teams was 3.9 on the scale of 5.0, which demonstrates that the alumni have a very good
ability to work in teams.

S-2: Leadership
It is evident from Table 2 that the expectation of the employers on the leadership skill of the alumni
was 4.1 on the scale of 5.0, which suggests that the leadership skill was very important to the
employers. As against their expectation, the actual leadership skill of the graduates (alumni) of the
Dept of AIS was 3.6 on the scale of 5.0, which demonstrates that the alumni have nearly very good
leadership skills to perform their tasks. Still, there is scope for improvement even though the
leadership skill of the graduates of the Dept of AIS is nearly very good.

S-3: Independent thinking/self-confidence
It is evident from Table 2 that the expectation of the employers on independent thinking/self-
confidence of the alumni was 4.1 on the scale of 5.0, which suggests that independent thinking/
self Confidence was very important to the employers. As against their expectation, the actual level
of independent thinking/self-confidence of the graduates (alumni) of the Dept of AIS was 3.6 on a
scale of 5.0, which exhibits that the alumni have a nearly very good level of independent
thinking/self-confidence to perform their tasks. Still, there is scope for improvement even though
the level of independent thinking/self-confidence of the graduates of the Dept of AIS is nearly very
good.

S-4: Self-Motivation/ Commitment to Job
It is observed in Table 2 that the expectation of the employers on self-motivation/ commitment to
the job of the alumni was 4.3 on the scale of 5.0, which suggests that the self-motivation/
commitment to job was very important to the employers. As against their expectation, the actual
level of self-motivation/ commitment to the job of the graduates (alumni) of the Dept of AIS was
3.8 on the scale of 5.0, which exhibits that the alumni have nearly a very good level of self-
motivation/ commitment to the job to perform their tasks. Still, there is scope for improvement

even though the level of self-motivation/ commitment to the job of the graduates of the Dept of AIS
is almost very good.

S-5: Reliability
It is observed in Table 2 that the expectation of the employers on the reliability of the alumni was
4.6 on the scale of 5.0, which suggests that the reliability of the graduates of the Dept of AIS was
nearly extremely important to the employer. As against their expectation, the actual level of
reliability of the graduates (alumni) of the Dept of AIS was 4.2 on the scale of 5.0, which reveals
that the alumni have a very good level of reliability.

S-6: Appreciation of ethical values
It is found in Table 2 that the expectation of the employers on the appreciation of ethical values by
the alumni was 4.6 on the scale of 5.0, which suggests that the appreciation of ethical values was
nearly extremely important to the employer. As against their expectation, the actual level of
appreciation for ethical values by the graduates (alumni) of the Dept of AIS was 3.9 on the scale of
5.0, which reveals that the alumni have a very good level of appreciation for ethical values.

S-7: Adaptability
It is found in Table 2 that the expectation of the employers on the adaptability of the alumni was
4.2 on the scale of 5.0, which suggests that the adaptability of employees was more important to
the employers. As against their expectation, the actual level of adaptability of the graduates
(alumni) of the Dept of AIS was 3.9 on the scale of 5.0, which reveals that the alumni have a very
good level of adaptability.

Work Skills
Seven statements- time management skills, judgment, problem formulation, collecting and
analyzing appropriate data, ability to link theory to practice, discipline, and sense of responsibility
– were presented before the employers of our graduates on a scale of 1.0 to 5.0. Relating to
employers' expectations, 5 denotes extremely important, 4 for very important, 3 for important, 2
for less important, and 1 for not important at all. But in actual (what the employers are getting from
the graduates of the Dept of AIS), 5 denotes excellent, 4 for very good, 3 for good, and 1 for poor.
As against the expectation of the employers the actual scenario was as under.

S-1: Time management skills
It is found in Table 2 that the expectation of the employers on time management skills of the alumni
was 4.3 on the scale of 5.0, which suggests that the time management skills of the employees were
very important to the employers. As against their expectation, the actual level of time management
skills of the graduates (alumni) of the Dept of AIS was 3.8 on the scale of 5.0, which reveals that the
alumni have very good time management skills. But still, there is scope for improvement of the
time management skill of our current students.

S-2: Judgment
It is found in Table 2 that the expectation of the employers on the judgment of the employees was
3.9 on the scale of 5.0, which suggests that the judgment of the employees was very important to
the employers. As against their expectation, the actual level of time management skills of the
graduates (alumni) of the Dept of AIS was 3.6 on the scale of 5.0, which reveals that the alumni
243

have nearly very good judgment skills. But still, there is enough scope for improvement in the
judgment skill of our current students.

S-3: Problem formulation, solving, and decision
It is found in Table 2 that the expectation of the employers on problem formulation, solving, and
decision-making skills from the employees were 3.9 on the scale of 5.0, which suggests that the
problem formulation, solving, and decision-making skills were very important to the employers.
As against their expectation, the actual level of problem formulation, solving, and decision-making
skills of the graduates (alumni) of the Dept of AIS were 3.5 on a scale of 5.0, which reveals that the
alumni have nearly a very good level of problem formulation, solving and decision-making skills.
But still, there is enough scope for improvement of this particular skill of our current students.

S-4: Collecting and analyzing appropriate data
It is found in Table 2 that the expectation of the employers on collecting and analyzing appropriate
data by the alumni was 3.9 on the scale of 5.0. As against their expectation, the actual level of
collecting and analyzing appropriate data by the graduates (alumni) of the Dept of AIS was 3.5 on
the scale of 5.0, which reveals that the alumni have nearly very good data collecting and analyzing
skills. But still, there is scope for improvement.

S-5: Ability to link theory to practice
It is evident from Table 2 that the expectation of the employers on the ability to link theory to
practice by the alumni was 3.9 on the scale of 5.0, which suggests that the ability to link theory to
practice skill was very important to the employers. As against their expectation, the actual level of
the ability to link theory to practice by the graduates (alumni) of the Dept of AIS was 3.5 on the
scale of 5.0, which reveals that the alumni have nearly a very good ability to link theory to practice.
But still, there is enough scope for improvement.

S-6: Discipline
It is evident from Table 2 that the expectation of the employers on the discipline of the alumni was
4.8 on the scale of 5.0, which suggests that the discipline of the alumni of the Dept of AIS was
extremely important to the employers. As against their expectation, the actual level of discipline of
the graduates (alumni) of the Dept of AIS was 4.2 on the scale of 5.0, which reveals that the alumni
have very good discipline. But still, there is enough scope for improvement.

S-7: Sense of responsibility
It is evident from Table 2 that the expectation of the employers on the sense of responsibility from
their employees was 4.6 on the scale of 5.0, which suggests that the sense of responsibility of the
employees was almost extremely important to the employers. As against their expectation, the
actual level of sense of responsibility of the graduates (alumni) of the Dept of AIS was 4.1 on the
scale of 5.0, which reveals that the alumni have a very good sense of responsibility. But still, there
is enough scope for improvement.

CONCLUSION
Cooperation and collaboration among people, corporations, and governments around the world,
linked with advanced technology, have a role to promote innovations in the way accountants and
auditors accomplish their tasks. Now they are asked to work in a highly complicated, taxing, and

ever-evolving condition. The profession itself has been continuously challenging professional
accountants and auditors to set their skills and expertise into new uses [31–32]. Accounting as an
academic discipline is connected to all business trading as it provides very important information
for business and financial decisions. Accounting education has a role to play in the professional
development of accountants and even more in the upgrading of their professional skills. This study
has introduced the conceptual dimensions of skills and competencies and traced the reviews and
the reforms in accounting education and the skills development of forthcoming accountants.

Key performance indicators (KPIs), as well as placement and compensation & benefits (C & B) at
both national and organizational contexts, should get proper consideration. Moreover, to increase
employment for accounting graduates in a growing competitive global job market, the Accounting
Discipline needs to design such curricula that could encourage learners to acquire and intensify
their soft skills. Only a high level of business knowledge by itself is inadequate. Accounting
graduates should have outstanding interpersonal skills so that they can communicate well with
others.

But curriculum development alone cannot improve the quality of higher education, specially
accounting education in Bangladesh. In this country, some other significant challenges are poor
governance, unproductive use of public university budget, unemployment, self-centered national
politics, violation of public university autonomy, poor planning besides priority of political identity
over merit, academic credentials, and research while recruiting and promoting faculties [28]. The
program offering entity should address all these challenges with due meticulousness.

Further research is required in different domains to explore the ways to inclusive curriculum
design, and that should cover plans, such as panel discussion, conferences, and support of
practitioners, alumni, and job providers. The nature of work conducted by accountants
continuously changes, and there is a need to adjust to the changing global context. To fully explore
the changing role of the accounting graduates, it is expected to undertake an observational study
on accountants and auditors at work to discuss curriculum design and then link this to more
innovative delivery of accounting and auditing techniques and skills to make it more relevant to
the profession, but not losing the academic spirit of an accounting degree program.

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