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The purpose of this paper is to investigate the overall perceptions of accounting academics from Japan and Australia about global convergence of accounting education; and their beliefs about the contextual factors affecting the goal of global convergence.

The sample of this research was collected via a questionnaire-based survey of accounting academics who were teaching at the undergraduate and postgraduate level in tertiary institutes in Japan and Australia. This study adapted the questionnaire originally used by Sugahara (2013) to extend the survey of accounting academics in Japan, to accounting academics in Australia. The questionnaire administered in this research asked their overall perceptions regarding the convergence of accounting education and associated contextual factors.

Findings reveal some similarities and differences across contextual factors that influence academic perceptions about global convergence. Further the authors identify a link between academic position and respondent views of global convergence.

The findings of this cross-country study provide insights for the International Accounting Education Standards Boards (IAESB) about the views of a key stakeholder group, accounting academics. Further the authors recommend the development of a communications strategy that targets accounting academics, and better explains the work of the IAESB and the intended value of global convergence using IES.

This study explores how Canadian CPAs (Chartered Professional Accountants) are trained in sustainability. The main research questions are: What place should sustainability take in the accounting program? What place does sustainability occupy in the CPA accounting program? And, over time, has sustainability gained or lost ground within the Canadian professional accounting education program?

Content analysis and interviews.

We find that sustainability is not a key component of the CPA education program since its sustainability content has shrunk over the years. We believe that the groupthink phenomenon may have influenced the selection of CPA Competency Map participants (whose backgrounds reveal a lack of sustainability expertise) as well as the participants’ discussions. Additionally, a lack of consideration for society as a key stakeholder may have also influenced the shortage of sustainability content. Finally, power dynamics might have contributed to the financial accounting and reporting competencies dominating the new map.

We did not have access to the live meetings when the Map was created, although we conducted interviews with representatives involved in the process. This research is bound by a confidentiality agreement that limits us from providing sensitive details. However, we do not consider that these limitations undermine our contribution or reduce the relevance of our research.

Our research contributes to the under-researched domain of sustainability education and to understanding how groupthink, stakeholder theory and power dynamics may have contributed to the dearth of sustainability coverage in the new Canadian CPA program.

The purpose of this paper is to report the findings of a survey on the perception of the globalisation of accounting education among academics teaching at tertiary schools in Japan. With the acceleration of globalism in accounting education, the aim of this exploratory research is to investigate the perceptions of Japanese academics toward this global convergence.

The sample was collected from accounting educators who were teaching at the undergraduate and postgraduate level of the tertiary institutes in Japan. The subjects chosen for the survey were 300 members of the Japanese Accounting Association (JAA) and were randomly selected from the 2010 JAA Members’ Directory. A total of 87 responses were received producing an effective response rate of 29 per cent.

The analysis of this study found that the majority of Japanese accounting academics’ believed that the International Education Standards had no substantial effect on accounting education. Further it was found that most of the academics did not know how they could confront these obstacles to achieve global convergence, although they were aware of the impediments.

This study failed to portray any possible suggestions or solutions on how to improve future accounting education. Also the sample size was not large enough to generalise the findings. Finally, this study simply used the samples collected from the one single nation of Japan.

The findings will provide a positive direction for standard setters, policy makers and regulatory authorities on how they should proceed in both the design of their promotion strategies and on how to address obstacles that have arisen according to these perceptions.

The primary strength of this study was the fact that it was the first study in the literature to shed light on the perceptions of accounting academics in Japan on the global convergence of accounting education.

The purpose of this study is to examine empirically the relationship between cultural factors and students’ learning style preferences in the context of the current global convergence in accounting education.

Kolb's Learning Style Inventory and Hofstede's Value Survey Model for Young People were administered to 244 undergraduate students studying accounting in Japanese, Australian and Belgian universities.

The outcome of this research revealed that the student groups from Australia and Belgium tended to be more individualistic in their learning and were more willing to learn by doing, while Japanese students do not prefer to learn by doing, but prefer learning by watching.

The results might be of interest to accounting educators to assist them with the smooth introduction of the International Education Standards (IES) by the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) and the International Accounting Education Standard Board (IAESB).

The purpose of this paper is to provide a contextual analysis of the professional accounting education system of South Africa (SA).

The paper uses the Global Model of Accounting Education (Watty et al., 2012) to describe the accounting education system of SA, which is then compared with similar case studies of Australia, Japan and Sri Lanka. Information about the SA accounting education system is contextualised from multiple sources, using data triangulation.

Several similarities between the SA accounting education system and that of Australia are found, such as the role and involvement of the professional bodies in the accreditation processes, with less similarities with that of Japan and Sri Lanka. The comparisons illuminate the economic development of each country and the level of involvement in the education programmes by the profession. Specific challenges in SA include the entrance hurdles to higher education and emphasis on an accounting degree.

The application of the Global Model of Accounting Education helps to identify the similarities in the global accounting arena and illuminates the uniqueness of the SA accounting education system. This study illustrates the establishment of an accounting education system that aligns with the International Education Standards (IESs).

The study contributes to the discussions around challenges in accounting education, specifically those associated with accreditation and a strong controlling relationship between academe and the profession.

Purpose – This chapter examines the extent to which ethical issues are integrated in accounting education at a university in a developing country. It also explores the perception of a broad spectrum of stakeholders on the need to integrate ethics into the accounting curriculum.

Methodology/approach – The study adopts multiple data collection tools. Questionnaires were predominantly used to solicit information from students, faculty and alumni of University of Ghana Business School (UGBS) as well as accounting firms. There was a content analysis of the course outlines of the accounting major subjects. In addition, policy makers and a professional accountancy body were interviewed to obtain additional insights.

Findings – The accounting course outlines reveal limited ethical issues; confirmed by majority of respondents that the level of ethics in accounting education is woefully inadequate. With regard to integrating ethics, there was consensus among stakeholders. Accounting firms argue that ethical issues are crucial to the practice of accountancy, thus the need for their integration into the curriculum. Moreover, the dearth of ethics in the curricula of universities in Ghana is attributed to the limited collaboration between academia and professionals.

Research limitations – This study focused on only one university, and some aspects of ethics in accounting education; not examining the quality of ethics, how and at what level it must be taught, and therefore generalising the findings must be done cautiously.

Practical implications – The varying stakeholders’ perceptions offer invaluable suggestions for managers and policy makers in developing the human resource for accountancy in Ghana and possibly, other developing countries. The need to reconsider ethics fully is overwhelming.

Originality/value – This study is first of its kind in a developing country.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the accounting education systems in three countries – Australia, Japan and Sri Lanka – to inform the development and testing (by application) of a Global Model of Accounting Education.

An action research methodology is applied with a case study and model development approach.

The case studies reveal variations in accounting education systems, which exist across the three countries examined in this research. Key differences (some significant and others nuanced) were found between accounting education systems and include: entry requirements to professional programs; accreditation processes; and benchmark discipline standards. These differences are provided for in the questions that underpin the model developed and applied as a key part of the research.

This model is presented as a tool to assist interested parties in any country to take initial steps to identify their own unique system of accounting education. It may also be of particular use in those countries in the early stages of developing an accounting education system. This understanding of accounting education systems enhances the opportunity for global convergence of accounting education.

The model, informed by the case studies, is an original contribution to the literature and discussions around global convergence in accounting education. The model is designed for practical application and the value is that it provides an important starting point for considering issues of importance in the development of a system of accounting education, and/or, better understanding the similarities and differences across existing systems.