PRACTITIONER OPINIONS ON IMPORTANT TECHNOLOGY RELATED TO DATA MANAGEMENT AND ANALYSIS SKILLS FOR THE ACCOUNTING CURRICULUM

Abstract

ABSTRACT Businesses operate in a global, data driven, and ever-changing technological environment, and Accounting is one of the most data driven business disciplines. Many academic accounting programs include a dedicated course for teaching technology related to the accounting profession, often referred to as Accounting Information Systems (AIS). Continual changes in technology necessitates a continual assessment of accounting course content with a view toward incorporating recent technological trends, including the management and analysis of accounting data. Based on a survey of certified accounting professionals in North Carolina, we identify a set of data-related topics considered to be of current importance for accounting graduates. These topics could be included in an existing AIS course, packaged as a stand-alone AIS course or incorporated into an applied Business Data Management/Analytics course, depending on the needs of the academic institution. Keywords Accounting, Data Analytics, IT Management, Practitioner views, Survey, Training, Undergraduate Business students