Preparing Accountants of the Future: Five Ways Business Schools Struggle to Meet the Needs of the Profession

摘要

ABSTRACT In the past few years, the demand for accountants has decreased significantly. Much of the decrease can be explained by offshoring and use of robotic and automated cognitive processes. To prepare for changing needs of the financial community, several groups have identified professional competencies they believe will be needed by future accounting professionals. The intent of this commentary is to illustrate changes in the profession and emphasize how academic institutions might preemptively address those needs. I discuss five ways business schools have struggled to meet the needs of the accounting profession. These include obstacles related to (1) developing competency-based curricula, (2) formulating reliable indicators of student performance, (3) offering convenient delivery of educational services, (4) delivering economical tuition value, and (5) providing meaningful opportunities for lifelong learning. I conclude by suggesting ways academic institutions might improve their value to the accounting profession.