Accounting Education in Greece During the GFC (2009-2016)

Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2014

Changes in world economy caused by globalization, the requirements for sustainable development and the emergence of information as a critical resource have changed significantly the requirements for an accounting and finance professional. Moreover, the recession evidenced in the world economy, which Greece experiences at its extreme, combined with the conduct of serious malpractices of business ethics in the banking and finance sector, brought the role of accounting and finance professionals into the center of widespread debates. Accounting and finance higher education could not be left unaffected from these developments and calls for deep reforms have been made from many sources. The present study presents research in progress, aiming to investigate the compliance of the curricula delivered by the relevant Greek higher education institutes with the emerging trends in Accounting & Finance Education. Thus, gaps and weakness of the current traditional curricula are identified and the development of the orientations of a new curriculum in Accounting & Finance Education is put forth. This new curriculum should cultivate the necessary skills and competencies to the future accounting and finance professionals in line with contemporary developments in areas such as green accounting, ethics, information systems, auditing and forensic accounting.

Accounting Education, 1999

This paper questions the purpose of contemporary accounting education for society and re ects on what accounting academics are attempting to achieve in universities today. The authors suggest that a number of extant educational issues and beliefs (and the associated underlying assumptions) concerning the purpose and practice of tertiary education in accounting need to be challenged if we are to progress. The authors suggest the adoption of an alternative approach to educational practices in accounting in order to provide 'holistic education'. We believe that in our fast changing society we must produce graduates who have learned how to learn, and who are capable of continuously adapting themselves to help in the ongoing development of society. We outline an integrated accounting course that was developed to provide an holistic educational experience within an accounting context.

Education Sciences

The accounting profession is undergoing significant changes due to revolutions in technology and markets. It is ever more important for higher education institutions (HEIs) to understand how to prepare professionals and students for the not-so-distant future. A review of the literature was conducted using VOS Viewer, focusing on the accountant’s profile in the context of the fourth industrial revolution and digital transformation. Then, the literature review’s findings were compared with the curricula of all Portuguese HEI accounting courses. The results show that transversal skills will be crucial in maintaining the relevance of the accounting profession, but HEIs seem to focus their curricula almost entirely on technical competencies/hard skills. There are, therefore, substantial divergences between what literature preaches and what education practices, not unlike what is being reported the world over. The origins and solutions to this apparent paradox are explored so as to contri...

Abacus, 2004

Change in universities is often explained or justified as being a result of “globalization” and a claimed need to comply with market and other external forces. Accounting educators consider certain changes in the accounting curriculum. One significant problem concerning this desire in the recent past has been the reluctance of instructors to deal explicitly with values and virtues because of the general consensus that one should not impose one’s values on another. To effectively practice accounting one needs to take on the social moral expectations required for the profession. Historically, aspiring accountants have sought professional qualifications through training and private spare-time study, frequently with mail-order manuals (Kitchen and Parker, 1980). The emphasis was predominantly on learning techniques, laws, rules and regulations. Though some accounting academics participated in the design of professional accountancy education syllabuses, control of accountancy education r...

Current news about corporate scandals and unethical behaviors of major accounting firms have implied a murky image that hangs over the accounting profession. As a result, there is growing interest in understanding how accounting majors view the ethical behavior of the scandals in large corporations. The purpose of this study therefore, is to evaluate the perception of ethical behavior among students in the 5-year accounting program and their view on the accounting profession in the 21 st century and beyond. This study explores the stages of the theory of moral development by Lawrence Kohlberg and relates each stage that leads to students progressing in their moral reasoning. Approximately three hundred students enrolled in a five year accounting program in a selected four year accredited colleges and universities in New York State were surveyed. Findings suggest that accounting students surveyed in this paper are in line with Kohlberg's moral reasoning. Implications of this fin...

General and Professional Education, 2010

The article presents the results of a survey performed in a public university of economics among accounting students. Research confirms students' awareness of ethical dilemmas that occur in accounting practice. A contribution of this survey is students' little understanding of social responsibility incorporated in accounting related jobs. As a result of this pilot study, new research areas were described that are connected to incorporating ethics into accounting classroom.

Education + Training, 2014

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine whether the accounting curriculum fits business demand. More specifically, it determines competencies that Greek companies demand from higher education[1] graduates and addresses any mismatches between the market's needs and the academic accounting/business curriculum through a survey in Greece. Design/methodology/approach – Using a survey to reveal their perceptions’ differences, the sample included 166 students, 25 lecturers/professors from a department of Accounting and Finance (Higher Education) and 155 companies. Findings – The results provide evidence that all these groups have different perceptions of the curriculum. Practical implications – The study suggests ways to improve the academic accounting curriculum. Originality/value – To the best of the authors knowledge, there is not any previous study that examines these parameters in Greece.

In Poland, ethical education of accounting discipline has already gained some attention but still many universities do not offer stand-alone course of ethics for “Finance and Accounting” students. Survey conducted showed that implementing ethics into education might enhance students’ awareness regarding tax avoidance, one of ethical dilemmas connected with accounting profession.