The Accounting Educator

The Newsletter of the Teaching and Curriculum Section
American Accounting Association
Vol. IX No. 1 - Fall 1999

The 1999 AAA Innovation in Accounting Education Award -- As Described by Awardee Bruce Behn

The Master of Accountancy Business Core and The Marketplace

Motivation and Overview
The profession wants students who have an understanding of business and broader-based business skills. Faculty teaching in the Master of Accountancy (MAcc) Program at University of Tennessee were concerned about students taking non-value-added courses as their two elective courses. The faculty therefore had an opportunity to make the need for change a win-win situation, creating a value-added non-elective course that would give students broad-based business acumen needed for entry to the profession.

The University of Tennessee Master of Accountancy (MAcc) business core consists of a four-day orientation and two 3-hour courses, one course taken each semester. Although these courses are considered separate for University purposes, they are implemented as a continuous sequence. Throughout the fall semester and the first part of the spring semester the students undertake a variety of active learning exercises, within a team-based environment, designed to demonstrate "cutting edge" business approaches. Students are exposed to the assessment and delivery of customer value, continuous system improvement, statistical process control, human resource management, the role of quality in competitive organizations, performance measurement, and overall corporate strategy. In the spring semester, the business core culminates with a business simulation, the Marketplace. This computer simulation places students in a realistic business setting, where they run a company for two years in compressed time using the skills developed in the business core. All of this material is taught by faculty and business leaders in an integrated fashion exposing accounting students to cutting edge business approaches, ideas, and strategies.

The objectives of the business core are two-fold. First, the business core is designed to help the students think "out of the box" and to become better business advisors. Second, the core helps students gain a better understanding of the "big business picture" and how accounting information can assist management in these important business endeavors. Businesses are requiring accounting students to provide value-added services beyond traditional accounting needs, and the business core assists in developing students abilities in this area.

The business core also emphasizes the personal growth of the students as well as the development of their teamwork skills. Students participate in a number of team building exercises, synthesis projects, and oral presentations. Students also receive personal coaching by participating in assessment exercises, individual presentation and interviewing coaching, and individual writing assistance. Business leaders have consistently indicated that communication skills are the most important factor in a student's success and the business core helps develop these skills.

Evidence of Successful Results, Benefits, and Adaptability
Since we are just starting the third year of the business core, it is difficult to evaluate its overall success. While recruiters and our business advisory council have spoken very highly of this innovation, they keep asking for more.

We, therefore, expect that the business core will evolve to meet our customers' needs.

Editor's Note: This description has been abbreviated to fit the space needs of the newsletter. To learn more about the innovative approach at the University of Tennessee, contact Professor Behn directly. The Section congratulates Bruce and the University on their accomplishment.

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