The Motives, Expectations And Preparedness Of Accounting Students Research Proposal

The Motives, Expectations And Preparedness Of Accounting Students While Going For Higher Education - Research Proposal Example Therefore, respective governments have always tried to implement policies which help in making their people informed citizens. But at the same time, professional education helps in training people for practical and training work so that they can independently live their life and thus help their governments. Civic engagement happens to be a prime factor for smooth functioning of any government. The MacFarlane Report (1992), described the nature of learning in higher education as depending on the ability to transform the knowledge presented - the ability to relate the knowledge to what is already known, to make personal sense of it, and so be able to use it in novel contexts. This study is therefore an effort to find out what are the key motives for students for taking 'accounting as a subject for higher studies. An effort would also be made to find out how the students prepare themselves for successful completion of the course in order to meet their expectations. Today we are in an era dominated by the technological advancements in almost all areas of our life. Accounting is one such field which has evolved over the years in line with the changes taking place around us. Accounting as such is used for maintaining the account of quantitative information about the transactions involving finances and resources. In other words it is the process of identifying, measuring, handling and communicating the financial information about different economic entities for being used by the concerned parties. How this information is used by the company and the persons handling the information helps in classifying it in managerial and financial accounting. Byrne and Flood (2005) in their study on similar lines found out that 'majority of the students enter higher education with laudable motives, feeling well prepared and reasonably confident about their success, but a number the students enrol themselves into such courses even with worries of low expectations. Today education can be imparted from anywhere to any part of the world, thanks to the advancements in Information Technology. The process can be simultaneous as well as at the user's convenience, depending upon the urgency and requirements. Therefore, besides the traditional campus based education, now we can also make use of e-campuses. This helps in going for higher education even after the individual starts working in the industry. In such cases the motive will surely be an expectation of reaching to the higher echelons in the hierarchy. Deci et al. (1991) came out with the suggestion that the 'extrinsic motivation' for undertaking a decision can be divided into three discrete, externally-stimulated regulatory processes, namely identified, interjected, and external regulation. Some of the earlier studies clearly identify that financial rewards, job availability, job security, opportunities for promotion and flexible career options are some of the motives which drive students towar ds pursuing higher studies in accounts and finances. When technology comes out with newer versions of the facts and figures at regular intervals, the students too are required to have updated information about the evolving truth and the process that has brought about the changes. For example, the process of accounting has undergone a major change with the use of computers and IT. In fact such changes also find a reflection in the way accounts books are maintained. New accounting standards like International Financial