32. Using the Study
of International Accounting as the Capstone Course for a Major in Professional
Accountancy
Presenter: Sid R. Ewer, Southwest Missouri State University
Description: The major in
accountancy generally does not take a capstone course in accountancy, although
probably does complete one in management, which supports one of the AICPA's
three central competencies in its recently developed Core Competency Framework.
A capstone course in strategic management usually requires the student to
demonstrate cross-disciplinary knowledge, but it is usually not a comprehensive
exercise in all aspects of the accounting discipline. Many of the criticisms
leveled at accounting education, such as the need for critical-thinking skills,
study in depth, and the need for multicultural experiences could be addressed
by a pertinently designed capstone course. Moreover, despite cries for
accounting majors who have better communication and critical-thinking skills,
the reality is that technical competence in accounting issues is what will keep
the new graduate employed in his or her first years of employment. Learning
theory and scholarship suggest that an appropriately designed capstone course
would serve to reinforce student mastery of accounting issues, in that a study
of U.S. versus other countries' financial accounting, tax practices, and
auditing issues, and the underlying cultural, social, and legal structures that
drive these differences promote a higher level of cognitive practices that
influences logical thinking and critical analysis.
