The accountant's competences from the point of view of professionals working in the city of Vitória de Santo Antão - PE

Abstract

Objective: The present research aimed to identify which competences are desirable to the accountant from the perspective of the accounting professionals who work in the offices of the city of Vitória de Santo Antão, in Pernambuco.
 Methodology: A descriptive field survey research was carried out, with a quantitative approach and the use of a specific questionnaire, applied to a sample of 26 accounting firms. The study considered the classification of competencies of the standard established by the IFAC International Federation of Accountants (2012), categorized as: intellectual; technical and functional; personal; interpersonal and communication; and organizational and business management, as well as the use of the set of competencies defined by the studies of Cardoso (2006), Callado and Amorim (2017). The research data were collected in person and by email, being treated with the aid of Microsoft Excel software, enabling the construction of tables for analysis.
 Results: The competences of the accountant indicated by the professionals of the area working in the offices located in the city of Vitória de Santo Antão, in Pernambuco, were consistent with those provided by IFAC (HEI 3), highlighting them with the highest level of importance, among the five categories classified in that standard: ability to identify problems, acting in accordance with the legislation, acting with ethics and integrity, working in a team, knowing how to manage and organize time well. One notices a trend towards the new role of the accountant, who is no longer seen as a mere "bean counter" but as a "business partner".
 Study Contributions: Identifying and understanding which are the competencies required of the accounting professional can assist in the growth and development of the same in organizations, since even though there are several investigations on this subject, it is consensual the understanding that the competence of the accountant is a construct in formation, thus not consolidated. Another contribution is to present to the accounting science courses in the region what the market expects from students, so that they can organise a political pedagogic project. By recognising which competences are considered relevant from the perspectives of the professionals themselves, discussions are enabled that seek to find suggestions for improvements to their education, and also about their social role, considering changes in the political, economic and technological spheres.