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V.
Action Plan for the AAA, Members' Institutions and AAA Members
In
formulating its recommendations, the Committee explicitly
recognizes that institutions and faculty will differ greatly
in the degree to which they have already responded to many of
the threats and opportunities identified in this report.
Hence, each institution and faculty member must weigh the
recommendations presented below in light of its own position
in the market for post-secondary education.
AAA:
Proactive
monitoring - The AAA should establish a permanent
committee to evaluate the competitive standing of members'
programs, to identify changes in the market for accounting
programs, and to disseminate the findings tothe membership.
The proposed committee should ensure that AAA members are made
aware of significant issues and trends taking place in
practice. The committee membership should be comprised of
leading-edge thinkers from both education and practice.
Furthermore, it is essential that this committee have rotating
term memberships since continuity is critical to the
understanding of long-term evolving trends. As trends are
identified and analyzed, they should be disseminated widely.
It will then be the responsibility of individuals and schools
to decide the extent to which those trends will effect
curricula (or research). Specific elements of the charge to
this committee should include:
- Examining the
status of accounting programs in responding to the
constructive criticisms since 1996;
- Determining
comparative enrollment data for students in directly
competitive segments of corporate university programs and
for-profit university programs;
- Assessing the
comparative economics of competing programs in terms of
student-faculty ratios, faculty contact hours, tuition,
research output, etc.
- Identifying "best
practices" in competing institutions.
AAA
members' institutions (also see: Nelson, et. al., 1998):
- Adopt a
customer focus - A fundamental power shift from
providers to consumers is taking place in all segments of
the economy, including post-secondary education. To remain
competitive, institutions need to adopt a customer focus,
which will become the key driver in the design and delivery
of post-secondary education. Gain an understanding of
the market - Each institution needs to understand: a)
the needs of those employer organizations with whom it
wishes to place its graduates; b) the needs of prospective
students, including degree requirements, credentialing, and
other life-long learning opportunities; and c) the strengths
and weaknesses of its competition.
- Develop a
strategic focus for accounting program(s) - Each
institution needs to define the unique market niche that
will set itsprogram(s) apart from other accounting programs
with whichit competes.
- Put in place
a timely, continuous process of curricula development -
Each institution needs to identify those "high priority"
segments of its curricula that will be pivotal in
establishing its market niche and then quickly build new
curricula in the identified "high priority" areas.
Reduction of cycle time in curricula development should be
an integral part of this initiative.
- Invest in
faculty development - Each institution needs to identify
new knowledge and skills required to teach the "high
priority" segments of its curricula, such as
information technology and globalization, and begin to build
those skills through faculty development initiatives, such
as:
- Faculty
internships in industry or public accounting
- Training
courses offered by industry (IMA) and public accounting
(AICPA or state society organizations).
- Training
offered on individual campuses (e.g. internet)
- AAA continuing
education sessions at annual meetings, regional meetings,
section meetings, and special conferences.
- Modify
faculty reward system - Each institution needs to review
and critically evaluate its faculty reward system and, if
necessary, modify the reward system to align it with the
market-driven mission and objectives of its program(s).
- Create
partnerships/alliances with key corporate employers -
Each institution should identify a small group of employers
that are key to the success of its programs. These key
employers represent potential partners with whom it should
pursue alliance initiatives, such as resource commitments by
the employers in exchange for access to an enlarged pool of
graduates that possess desired competencies.
AAA
members:
- Faculty
teaching faculty - Given the limited availability of
faculty development opportunities and scarcity of resources,
to the extent feasible, individual faculty should be
expected to leverage their development experiences by
teaching other interested faculty.
- Faculty as
team player - The notion of a faculty member operating
as an independent contractor is obsolete. Faculty members
must view themselves as team members willing to work
together to achieve strategic objectives through program
innovations that meet market demands.
- Utilization
of university-wide resources - Faculty should identify
and avail themselves of existing resources on their
campuses, including instructional development/curriculum
design expertise, technology resources and support, writing
centers, faculty development centers, etc.
Conclusion
As the AAA and its members move into the 21st century, they
face enormous opportunities for adding value in post-secondary
education in business and accounting. To add value, the AAA
should assist its members in understanding the ever-changing
business environment. In turn, members' institutions and AAA
members should adopt a responsive strategic focus that
reflects their particular strengths. In this way, the AAA,
members' institutions, and AAA members will position
themselves to remain competitive in the fast-changing market
for post-secondary education.
[Executive
Summary] [Appendix]
[Bibliography]
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