Future Challenges of Accounting Education at the University of Debrecen

Abstract

The actuality of our research is given by the fact that in the 21st century, the field of accounting is changing continuously and rapidly. Thanks to the global processes occurred over the last few decades, changes took place in the economic processes and the area of accounting was formed much as well. Nowadays, a lot of undertakings perform such activities, which are cross-border and building international connections up. The differing content and rules of the statements applied in different countries make the comparability and the performance measurement more difficult, particularly for the undertakings, their owners, their existing and potential investors, other decision-makers as well as authorities. The above-mentioned differing application of the accountancy enhances the necessity for establishing a uniform harmonized accounting system, which is unanimous worldwide as well. International Financial Reporting Standards (hereinafter: IFRS) are intended to make the financial reports more transparent and unequivocal for its users; it helps to understand the content of reports and makes the decision-making more open and more predictable. However, we need to be attentive not only to the benefits of unification efforts but the economic, cultural, traditional and legislative differences of the single nations and the difficulties of adopting the different and unusual norms The task of accounting is to give a true and fair image about the property, income and financial situation of an undertaking. Information provided by accounting is essential for both the management decision-making and the market operators. In the frame of accounting education, financial accounting has to deal with SAP Financial Accounting. SAP is the most popular enterprise business system used by the biggest organisations in the world to help run their companies. At the university, our teaching task is to give the knowledge and skills to the students they need in the practical, entrepreneurial life with training courses, education programs. At the University of Debrecen, the Institute of Accounting and Finance is faced with these educational challenges, such as introduction of SAP, and IFRS into the BA and MA education, and by using these systems to support managerial decision-making process and the management accounting. The purpose of this research is to examine how can the education reflect to the worldwide changes, and what is the mainstream in the accounting education nowadays. In order that the leaders of the businesses can make quick and appropriate economic decisions, it is essential in this intensively changing world that an enterprise should have a well-functioning accounting system based on up-to-date information. and that the university can teach new, practical knowledge.