Soft skills and knowledge required for a professional accountant: Evidence from Jordan

AbstractDue to the rapidly changing economic environment, increasing competition, and the pervasive influence of new technologies in businesses, the accounting profession is encountering challenges in adapting to these changes. Accountants worldwide face new market demands, leading to numerous organ...

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Main Authors: Sally Abu Asabeh, Raneem Alzboon, Rahaf Alkhalaileh, Hashem Alshurafat, Hamzeh Al Amosh
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2023-12-01
Series:Cogent Education
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/2331186X.2023.2254157
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author Sally Abu Asabeh
Raneem Alzboon
Rahaf Alkhalaileh
Hashem Alshurafat
Hamzeh Al Amosh
author_facet Sally Abu Asabeh
Raneem Alzboon
Rahaf Alkhalaileh
Hashem Alshurafat
Hamzeh Al Amosh
author_sort Sally Abu Asabeh
collection DOAJ
description AbstractDue to the rapidly changing economic environment, increasing competition, and the pervasive influence of new technologies in businesses, the accounting profession is encountering challenges in adapting to these changes. Accountants worldwide face new market demands, leading to numerous organizations and individuals in many countries advocating for modifications in accounting curricula to equip students with the necessary skills and knowledge. This quantitative study aims to assess the soft skills possessed by Jordanian accounting graduates and evaluate their adequacy in meeting employer expectations, as employers play a crucial role in enhancing employability. It also investigates the extent to which accounting graduates perceive their university programs to have promoted soft skills and knowledge. A total of 101 students, 75 professionals, and 54 academics participated in the online questionnaire. The participants were asked to assess the importance of 45 skills, categorized into five groups: interpersonal and communication skills, intellectual skills, personal skills, technical and functional skills, and organizational skills/business management skills. The study uncovered disparities between students’ perceptions of skill importance and the perceptions of academics and employers. Moreover, the study’s findings align with existing literature, indicating that employers and academics emphasize interpersonal and communication skills, while graduates prioritize technical and functional skills.
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spelling doaj.art-4675948d197648ecb2b5b45d0b008aba2023-12-15T10:31:08ZengTaylor & Francis GroupCogent Education2331-186X2023-12-0110210.1080/2331186X.2023.2254157Soft skills and knowledge required for a professional accountant: Evidence from JordanSally Abu Asabeh0Raneem Alzboon1Rahaf Alkhalaileh2Hashem Alshurafat3Hamzeh Al Amosh4Department of Accounting, Business School, The Hashemite University, Zarqa, JordanDepartment of Accounting, Business School, The Hashemite University, Zarqa, JordanDepartment of Accounting, Business School, The Hashemite University, Zarqa, JordanDepartment of Accounting, Business School, The Hashemite University, Zarqa, JordanMinistry of Education and Higher Education, Doha, QatarAbstractDue to the rapidly changing economic environment, increasing competition, and the pervasive influence of new technologies in businesses, the accounting profession is encountering challenges in adapting to these changes. Accountants worldwide face new market demands, leading to numerous organizations and individuals in many countries advocating for modifications in accounting curricula to equip students with the necessary skills and knowledge. This quantitative study aims to assess the soft skills possessed by Jordanian accounting graduates and evaluate their adequacy in meeting employer expectations, as employers play a crucial role in enhancing employability. It also investigates the extent to which accounting graduates perceive their university programs to have promoted soft skills and knowledge. A total of 101 students, 75 professionals, and 54 academics participated in the online questionnaire. The participants were asked to assess the importance of 45 skills, categorized into five groups: interpersonal and communication skills, intellectual skills, personal skills, technical and functional skills, and organizational skills/business management skills. The study uncovered disparities between students’ perceptions of skill importance and the perceptions of academics and employers. Moreover, the study’s findings align with existing literature, indicating that employers and academics emphasize interpersonal and communication skills, while graduates prioritize technical and functional skills.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/2331186X.2023.2254157soft skillsinterpersonal skillstechnical skillsorganizational skillsbusiness management skillsaccountants
spellingShingle Sally Abu Asabeh
Raneem Alzboon
Rahaf Alkhalaileh
Hashem Alshurafat
Hamzeh Al Amosh
Soft skills and knowledge required for a professional accountant: Evidence from Jordan
Cogent Education
soft skills
interpersonal skills
technical skills
organizational skills
business management skills
accountants
title Soft skills and knowledge required for a professional accountant: Evidence from Jordan
title_full Soft skills and knowledge required for a professional accountant: Evidence from Jordan
title_fullStr Soft skills and knowledge required for a professional accountant: Evidence from Jordan
title_full_unstemmed Soft skills and knowledge required for a professional accountant: Evidence from Jordan
title_short Soft skills and knowledge required for a professional accountant: Evidence from Jordan
title_sort soft skills and knowledge required for a professional accountant evidence from jordan
topic soft skills
interpersonal skills
technical skills
organizational skills
business management skills
accountants
url https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/2331186X.2023.2254157
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AT hashemalshurafat softskillsandknowledgerequiredforaprofessionalaccountantevidencefromjordan
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