Is There an Expectation Gap between the Education and Practice of Management Accountants?
Author InfoGraham Francis, Clare Minchington Abstract The extent to which management accountants are receiving appropriate training in quantitative methods is examined. It finds a disparity between the wide range of quantitative techniques covered within the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants syllabi and the limited use made of many of the techniques in practice. It also reports a rich picture of differing expectations of the role of quantitative skills in the work of a management accountant. The study finds that quantitative skills are seen by both employers and accounting educators as contributing to the portfolio of skills required by management accountants. Also, they give a rigour to the examination process that is seen as a challenging rite of passage into the profession. It is concluded that knowledge and understanding of the range of quantitative techniques available to organizations is a powerful differentiator for the accounting profession, even if the occasions up
Graham Francis and Clare Minchington Vol.8, Issue 4, December 1999, pp. 301-319 Abstract: The extent to which management accountants are receiving appropriate training in quantitative methods is examined. It finds a disparity between the wide range of quantitative techniques covered within the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants’ syllabi and the limited use made of many of the techniques in practice. It also reports a rich picture of differing expectations of the role of quantitative skills in the work of a management accountant. The study finds that quantitative skills are seen by both employers and accounting educators as contributing to the portfolio of skills required by management accountants. Also, they give a rigor to the examination process that is seen as a challenging ‘rite of passage’ into the profession. It is concluded that knowledge and understanding of the range of quantitative techniques available to organizations is a powerful differentiator for the accountin
