Various studies have highlighted the problems faced in accounting education. Some of these problems refer to the stagnating accounting curriculum, limited resources available to students from designated black empowerment groups, and the underdevelopment of skills required by practice. This study focuses specifically on the problems faced in secondary and tertiary accounting education in South Africa (SA) and the effects of these problems on practice. The first article of this study emphasises the various causes for the declining pass rate in firstyear chartered accountancy (CA) students. For this purpose, the researcher gathered information on the perceptions of first-year CA students and of lecturers involved in departments of accounting at SA universities. One of the possible causes identified is the apparent gap between school and university accounting education, especially in respect of curriculum, teaching quality and textbooks. The study revealed that students from designated black empowerment groups are facing the most problems in SA accounting education. The second article addressed the skills shortages in first-year CA trainees that practitioners have to deal with. According to the results, the majority of the participants felt that universities do not sufficiently equip students with the skills necessary to be successful in practice. The skills shortages identified included the inability of first-year trainees to determine the extent of testing needed in audits and to think independently. It also seemed as if first-year trainees lack professional communication skills and cannot sufficiently apply theory learnt at university in practice. These are only some skills with which universities are expected to equip students in order to be successful in practice. The researcher drew conclusions and made recommendations based on the information obtained from the above-mentioned two studies. / MCom (Accountancy), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Various studies have highlighted the problems faced in accounting education. Some of these problems refer to the stagnating accounting curriculum, limited resources available to students from designated black empowerment groups, and the underdevelopment of skills required by practice. This study focuses specifically on the problems faced in secondary and tertiary accounting education in South Africa (SA) and the effects of these problems on practice. The first article of this study emphasises the various causes for the declining pass rate in firstyear chartered accountancy (CA) students. For this purpose, the researcher gathered information on the perceptions of first-year CA students and of lecturers involved in departments of accounting at SA universities. One of the possible causes identified is the apparent gap between school and university accounting education, especially in respect of curriculum, teaching quality and textbooks. The study revealed that students from designated black empowerment groups are facing the most problems in SA accounting education. The second article addressed the skills shortages in first-year CA trainees that practitioners have to deal with. According to the results, the majority of the participants felt that universities do not sufficiently equip students with the skills necessary to be successful in practice. The skills shortages identified included the inability of first-year trainees to determine the extent of testing needed in audits and to think independently. It also seemed as if first-year trainees lack professional communication skills and cannot sufficiently apply theory learnt at university in practice. These are only some skills with which universities are expected to equip students in order to be successful in practice. The researcher drew conclusions and made recommendations based on the information obtained from the above-mentioned two studies. / MCom (Accountancy), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

In the 21st century change is inevitable and management accounting has not been immune to the changing business environment. The morphogenic change, has been brought about because of three distinctly identifiable drivers of change namely rapidly advancing communications and information technology, the onslaught of globalisation and an increased emphasis on the knowledge worker in organisations. Questions have been raised by business leaders about management accountants ability to keep pace with the challenges, as well as higher education's ability to provide graduate management accountants with the required skills for the new business environment. A triangulation method was used to conduct an investigation into the perception of the skills required and acquired by South African management accountants to meet the challenges of the changing business environment. As the fundamental nature of the study implied performance measurement, a balanced scorecard was employed to report on and measure if academia is delivering what practice wants. The study found that tertiary management accounting education has been slow to adopt the changes of the business environment and that a gap does indeed exist between what practice want and educators teach. Information obtained from the customer, learning and growth, internal business process and financial perspectives of the balanced scorecard was used to develop a framework for curriculum design. Academics involved in curriculum design should take note of the recommendations listed in this research in order to ensure that qualifications remain relevant to an ever-changing business environment. / Financial Accounting / D.Comm.

Text in Afrikaans / Die doel met hierdie studie was om didaktiese riglyne te formuleer waarvolgens die afstandsonderrig van ouditkunde, as deeldissipline in die opleiding van rekenmeesters en ouditeure, beplan, uitgevoer en deurlopend geevalueer kan word. Sodanige riglyne kan dien as rigtingwysers vir die verdere ontwikkeling van geskikte afstandsonderrigstrategiee. Ten aanvang is die leerinhoud van die ouditkunde vakgebied ontleed en afgebaken. Daarna is 'n didakties-gefundeerde onderrigmodel beskryf en op die ouditkunde vakinhoud, afstandsleerders en dosente toegepas. Hieruit is riglyne geformuleer wat gevolg kan word vir die wetenskaplike beplanning, uitvoering en evaluering van ouditkunde afstandsonderrig. Uit 'n evaluering van die huidige afstandsonderrigstrategiee vir ouditkunde aan Unisa het dit gebly~ dat sekere leemtes bestaan. Ten slotte is daar op grond van die didaktiese riglyne voorstelle gemaak om hierdie leemtes te oorbrug en is verskeie onderwerpe vir verdere navorsing ook geidentifiseer. / The aim of this study was to formulate didactic guidelines according to which the distance teaching of auditing, as part-discipline in the training of accountants and auditors, can be p 1 an ned, imp 1 emented and continually evaluated. These didactic guidelines can serve as guidelines for the further development of suitable distance education strategies. First, the auditing syllabus was analysed and delineated. Next, a didactically founded instructional model was described and applied to the subject matter of auditing, distance students and tutors. From this, guidelines were formulated which can be followed to scientifically plan, implement and evaluate the distance teaching of auditing. An evaluation of the existing distance teaching strategies for auditing at Unisa indicated that certain shortcomings exist. Finally, recommendations based upon the didactic guidelines were made to overcome the shortcomings. identified. / Auditing / M. Com. (Auditing)

Made available in DSpace on 2015-12-03T18:35:28Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Alexandre_Augusto_Haick_Fernandes.pdf: 2661726 bytes, checksum: fc6ef4734f4449716c26539f458d3304 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-08-30 / The knowledge about the theme Information Systems has gained strength in accounting framework in recent years, due to large business demands in the constant pursuit of instrumentalization for improving their informational flows, aiming to obtain competitive differentials in their decision-making processes, or to meet the ancillary obligations digital beside the Taxman, in case the Public Digital Bookkeeping System. On the other hand, the academies of Sciences Accounting of Northern region of the country are making enormous efforts to keep pace with these changes, it being understood that his role is to reduce the existing gap between content Information Systems taught in the classroom and the real needs of the professional market regarding the matter, knowing that the solution to this problem will generate a greater appreciation of the professional accounting at the same time that you will open up new business opportunities. To this end, we have prepared a field research of type survey applied to 18 coordinators and 7 teachers, using as an instrument for data collection was a questionnaire with 37 questions, being the 36 first closed analyzed by statistical treatment and the last question by content analysis. The research problem, was developed in order to verify the conditions of teaching discipline Information Systems in undergraduate courses in Accounting Sciences in Higher Education institutions of the North Region of Brazil, under the perspective of coordinators and teachers of this region. The results obtained were that in spite of a greater integration between the teachers of the discipline, and an apparent improvement interdisciplinarity this, has not influenced the education plans and practices in the classroom; the strategy most often used is still the expositive classes, but still that timidly were identified other methodologies, such as: Seminars, technical visits, lectures from professionals working in the area of SI, workshops and discussion lists on social networks; as far as the infrastructure it was found that despite the use of other works that not only the books, the periodicity of the update and the quantity of the acquis communautaire is inefficient; in the case of laboratories of informatics is pointed out by the respondents as partially adequate, and for this reason, suggest improvements concerning the updating of hardware and software, to spaces to teach, the availability of simulation software and commercial for learners; in question open as well as suggestions on the infrastructure coordinators and teachers suggested improvements on issues related to the relationship: theory, practice and professional market, teacher preparation, predisposition learner and teaching methodology and content / O conhecimento sobre o tema Sistemas de Informa????o tem ganhado for??a no ??mbito cont??bil nos ??ltimos anos, seja devido ??s demandas corporativas na busca de instrumentaliza????o para melhoria seus fluxos informativos, objetivando obter diferenciais competitivos em seus processos de tomada de decis??o, ou para atender as obriga????es acess??rias digitais junto ao Fisco, no caso o Sistema P??blico de Escritura????o Digital - SPED. As academias de Ci??ncias Cont??beis da regi??o Norte do pa??s envidam esfor??os para acompanhar essas mudan??as, entendendo que seu papel ?? o de diminuir a lacuna existente entre conte??dos de Sistemas de Informa????o ensinados em sala de aula e as reais necessidades do mundo do trabalho gerando uma maior valoriza????o do profissional de contabilidade ao mesmo tempo que lhe abrir?? novas oportunidades profissionais. Para isso, foi elaborada uma pesquisa de campo do tipo survey aplicada a 18 coordenadores e 7 professores, utilizando-se como instrumento de coleta de dados um question??rio com 37 quest??es. O problema de pesquisa, foi desenvolvido no sentido de verificar as condi????es de ensino da disciplina Sistemas de Informa????o nos cursos presenciais de gradua????o em Ci??ncias Cont??beis nas IES da Regi??o Norte do Brasil, sob a perspectiva de coordenadores e professores. Os resultados obtidos foram que apesar de uma maior integra????o entre os professores da disciplina, e de uma aparente melhora interdisciplinaridade isso, n??o tem influenciado os planos de ensino e as pr??ticas em sala de aula; a estrat??gia mais utilizada continua sendo a aula expositiva, por??m ainda que timidamente foram apontadas outras metodologias, como: semin??rios, visitas t??cnicas, palestras de profissionais da ??rea de SI, workshops e listas de discuss??es em redes sociais; quanto a infraestrutura verificou-se que apesar de se utilizarem de outras obras al??m de livros, a periodicidade da atualiza????o e a quantidade do acervo ?? ineficiente; no caso dos laborat??rios de inform??tica ?? apontada pelos respondentes como parcialmente adequados, e por este motivo, sugerem melhorias relativas a atualiza????o dos hardwares e softwares, aos espa??os para lecionar, a oferta de softwares de simula????o e comerciais para discentes; na quest??o aberta al??m de sugest??es sobre a infraestrutura coordenadores e professores sugeriram melhorias em quest??es ligadas a: rela????o teoria, pr??tica e mercado profissional, preparo docente, predisposi????o discente e metodologia de ensino e conte??dos

Cette thèse explore les formes d’engagement et apporte une réponse à la question : Que devient aujourd’hui le contrat normatif de profession des comptables libéraux dans un contexte de mutation de leur profession ? Nous avons croisé deux champs théoriques : celui du comportement organisationnel avec la théorie du contrat psychologique et la sociologie des professions avec le modèle intégré de De Rozario (2006). Nous avons conduit 20 entretiens qualitatifs auprès de comptables libéraux et mobilisé une grille d’analyse construite à partir de la théorie du contrat psychologique qui prend en compte les actants humains et non humains. Les résultats nous permettent de dire que malgré les violations contractuelles actuelles et les transitions, la profession de comptables libéraux continue de faire engagement par son contrat normatif. Il est composé de trois contrats psychologiques individuels qui sont : transactionnel, transitionnel et relationnel. Les mutations actuelles incitent à des contrats psychologiques transactionnels plus denses avec des réseaux d’experts et un contrat psychologique relationnel avec les outils de gestion surtout digitaux pour répondre aux conjonctures problématiques. Finalement, le contrat relationnel avec la profession réduit aujourd’hui à sa composante diplôme, mute vers des contrats relationnels de réseaux experts de proximité. / This thesis explores the forms of commitment and provides an answer to the question: What is becoming of the normative contract of chartered accountants in a context of change of their profession? We crossed two theoretical fields: that of the organizational behavior with the theory of the psychological contract and the sociology of the professions with the integrated model of De Rozario (2006). We conducted 20 qualitative interviews with chartered accountants and mobilized an analysis grid based on the psychological contract theory that takes into account human and non-human contract makers. The results allow us to say that despite the current contractual violations and transitions, the profession of liberal accountants continues to lead to a commitment through its normative contract. The latter comprises three individual psychological contracts which are transactional, transitional and relational contracts. Current changes are leading to increasingly complex transactional psychological contracts with networks of experts and a relational psychological contract with management tools, especially digital devices, to respond to the crisis they face. Finally, the relational contract with the profession reduces today to its diploma component, moving towards relational contracts of expert networks of proximity.

El objetivo de la tesis es profundizar en el estudio de la materialidad en auditoría, y, más concretamente, de los factores cualitativos asociados al concepto. En el primer capítulo, se analizan los fundamentos teóricos y normativos. En el segundo capítulo, se revisa la literatura previa. En el tercer capítulo, se desarrolla un estudio empírico dirigido auditores de cuentas y directores financieros de empresas españolas. Como conclusión principal se establece que la utilización efectiva de los factores cualitativos de la materialidad en auditoría constituye un instrumento válido que puede contribuir al esfuerzo de los auditores para mejorar la calidad de sus trabajos y ofrecer un mejor servicio a los usuarios, que redunde en una información financiera más fiable y transparente, para dar respuesta así a las críticas recibidas, recuperar la credibilidad de sus actuaciones y superar la actual situación de crisis que atraviesa la función. / The aim of the thesis is to study in depth the materiality in auditing, in general, and the qualitative factors associated to the concept, more specifically. In Chapter I we analyse the theoretical and normative foundations. In Chapter II we review the previous literature. In Chapter III we develop an empirical research over financial auditors and directors in Spanish companies. The main conclusion is that the effective use of qualitative materiality factors appears to be a useful tool in improving the quality of audits and in service provided to the financial statements' users. Through this improvement, the reliability and transparency of financial information could be increased, the numerous critiques received could be replied, the confidence in audit practice could be restored, and the current crisis of audit function could be overcame.

Problem: That the stakeholder’s expectations don´t answer to what auditors can and may do have been a problem for several years. This problem was defined for the first time by Liggio at 1974. Since 1974 there have been several researches about the expectation gap for auditors. Purpose: The purpose of our study is to research what the audit effort in HQ Bank means for the expectation gap. Theory: The theories in our study discuss the audit profession, the definition of the expectation gap, how trust develops between individuals, the regulations that the authorities discuss and a review of earlier researches in this subject. Method: We have done a qualitative study in which we interviewed approved auditors at PwC and Convensia in addition we interviewed the chief lawyer at the Swedish financial supervisory authority to answer our purpose. Conclusions: The conclusion of our study is that the expectation gap exists between the auditors and the stakeholders. Another conclusion is that the incidents in HQ Bank have influenced the expectation gap in a negative direction, to reduce the expectation gap we suggest that adjustments of the regulations must be done and that the auditors themselves must inform their stakeholders what auditors can and may do. / Problem: Att intressenters förväntningar på revisorn inte svarar mot vad revisorn faktiskt kan och får göra har varit ett problem för revisorsyrket i många år. Detta problem definierades först av Liggio 1974. Sen dess har flertalet forskningar gjorts inom ämnet förväntningsgap. Syfte: Vår studie syftar till att undersöka vad debatten om revisionsinsatsen i HQ Bank innebär för förväntningsgapet. Teori: Uppsatsens teoretiska referensram behandlar teorier som beskriver revisorsyrket, definition av förväntningsgapet, hur förtroendet utvecklas mellan individer, de lagändringar som diskuteras samt en översikt av tidigare forskning inom ämnet. Metod: För att besvara syftet gjorde vi en kvalitativ studie där vi intervjuade godkända revisorer på PwC och Convensia revision. Dessutom intervjuade vi Finansinspektionens chefsjurist. Slutsatser: Denna studies slutsatser blev att det råder ett förväntningsgap mellan revisorerna och dess intressenter. Vi har även kommit fram till att händelserna i HQ Bank har påverkat förväntningsgapet i en negativ riktning, för att få bukt med förväntningsgapet anser vi att det krävs ändring av regelverken tillsammans med att revisorerna själva upplyser deras intressenter om vad en revisor faktiskt kan och får göra.

廣受日式企業採用之目標成本制，提早於產品設計、開發時即檢討成本降低的可能性，並以產品生命週期為考量，有效降低成本。不但為一有效降低成本之技法，更為企業利潤規劃之利器。 有系統、具彈性的新產品開發流程是影響產品獲利的重要關鍵，目前大部分企業已不再採取傳統的接力賽式新產品開發流程，而偏向於橄欖球之方式運作，因此跨功能團隊之合作極為重要，而在目標成本制之下，會計人員更為團隊中之重要成員，其所從事之作業將影響目標成本制之順利實施。為深入了解採行目標成本制之不同公司其新產品開發流程以及會計人員作業之差異，本研究以裕隆與中華兩家汽車企業為個案對象。 研究結果如下： 一、裕隆與中華兩企業之新產品開發流程其基本架構上相同。惟兩家公司 偏重的策略有所不同，故在概念發想者、可行性分析、目標成本控管 情形有所差異。 二、目標成本制下，會計人員於新產品開發流程所從事之作業包含「目標 成本之訂定、展開與控管」、「對策略之了解與跨功能團隊合作」、 「資本支出分析、相關法令與匯率資訊之提供」、「成本資訊之提供 」以及「編製相關財務報表」等五個因素構面。 三、兩企業認為會計人員於新產品開發流程從事之作業有相同亦有不同之 處，其會受到兩企業所偏重的策略所影響。 四、會計人員與非會計人員對於會計人員所從事之作業無太大歧見，皆達 成共識，有助於目標成本制之順利運作。 / Target costing is widely adopted by Japanese enterprises. It advances the time of cost-down evaluation to the product design and development stage. By considering into the product life cycle, it lowers the cost effectively. Therefore, for enterprises target costing is not only an effective means of cost reduction but also an useful method of profit projection. A systematic and flexible new product development (NPD) process is the key of profitability of the product. Most enterprises have abandoned the traditional sequential phases of NPD for overlapping phases of development. In overlapping phases of development, cooperation between cross-functional teams is important. Among all, accountants are especially essential because their work affects the practice of target costing. In order to further understand the differences of NPD process and accountant’s activities in different companies, this study has conducted case studies of Yulon and China-motor. The conclusions of this study are: 1.Yulon and China-motor basically adopt the same NPD process. However, the strategies emphasized are different, which cause differences in the idea generator generating, feasibility analysis and the management of target cost. 2.Under target costing, the accountant’s activities in the NPD process include “setting, allocating, controlling and managing the target cost”, “understanding the strategies and cooperating with other participators in cross-functional team”, “analyzing the capital expenditure and providing related law and foreign currency information”, “providing the cost information” and “preparing related financial statements”. 3.The defined roles of accountants in NPD in both enterprises are influenced by their selected strategies. 4.The consensus of accountant’s activities between the accountants and other team members is helpful to the practice of target costing.

In the 21st century change is inevitable and management accounting has not been immune to the changing business environment. The morphogenic change, has been brought about because of three distinctly identifiable drivers of change namely rapidly advancing communications and information technology, the onslaught of globalisation and an increased emphasis on the knowledge worker in organisations. Questions have been raised by business leaders about management accountants ability to keep pace with the challenges, as well as higher education's ability to provide graduate management accountants with the required skills for the new business environment. A triangulation method was used to conduct an investigation into the perception of the skills required and acquired by South African management accountants to meet the challenges of the changing business environment. As the fundamental nature of the study implied performance measurement, a balanced scorecard was employed to report on and measure if academia is delivering what practice wants. The study found that tertiary management accounting education has been slow to adopt the changes of the business environment and that a gap does indeed exist between what practice want and educators teach. Information obtained from the customer, learning and growth, internal business process and financial perspectives of the balanced scorecard was used to develop a framework for curriculum design. Academics involved in curriculum design should take note of the recommendations listed in this research in order to ensure that qualifications remain relevant to an ever-changing business environment. / Financial Accounting / D.Comm.