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Factors Influencing Accounting Undergraduates’ Career Path: Evidence From Malaysia

This study examines factors that influence accounting undergraduates’ career path. The study uses questionnnaire survey for data collection purposes. The population of the study consists of accounting undergraduates from public and private universities. Simple random sampling was utilised to determine the respondents. Multiple regression was employed to determine factors influencing accounting undergraduates’ career path. The independent variables (predictors) were chosen based on previous literature. Results revealed that intrinsic motivation, influence of third party, career exposure and learning experience influenced accounting undergraduates’ career path, while extrinsic motivation did not influence their career path. The result suggests that accounting students’ decision on a career path is driven by interest and enjoyment of doing accounting, by advice from people they trust, by the exposure with practitioners and through knowledge gained during study, and not driven by wealth nor fame. Further, test of significant difference was administered to determine whether the students’ career path was the same across year of study. Result from the test concluded no significant difference was found across year of study. Results of the study provide crucial information to related parties to promote the accounting career by highlighting on non-extrinsic themes. Further, in line with MIA’s skill set requirements, institution of higher learning has to be proactive in updating and improving accounting undergraduates’ capabilities in line with industry needs. Keywords: Accounting education intrinsic & extrinsic motivation learning experience career path

Introduction

It is common for students who enrol to study in a particular field to not pursue a career in the same (similar) field. It is understandable that students may change their career intention after gaining further awareness and exposure all through their tertiary period. In the accounting field in particular, we see students shifting to other courses for various reasons; for instance, caused by inability to withstand the stress and difficulty of the course and its learning process. This phenomenon is becoming an issue, more so in Malaysia as we are short of qualified accountants (60,000 accountants by 2020) (Lee, 2018). Notwithstanding, brain drain to developed countries is also another issue faced. Thus, identifying factors influencing accounting undergraduates’ career path will enable related parties to motivate students to pursue accounting education and progress to the accounting profession.

Past studies claim that students who have high belief in accounting setting can offer a greater supply of work compared to other field of work ( Kochanek & Norgaard, 1985 ; Owusu et al., 2018 ; Paolillo & Estes, 1982 ; Wen et al., 2015 ). According to them, this judgement plays a critical role in the selection of accounting major. Previous researches in a Malaysian setting revealed that the accounting field is still favoured by the undergraduates ( Goon, 1975 ; Said et al., 2004 ). Goon ( 1975 ) for example, discovered that most of her respondents had selected accounting as a career. Further, Said et al. ( 2004 ) revealed that the accounting is ranked as the two most preferred professions of undergraduates. This study aims to investigate whether intrinsic and extrinsic motivations, influence of third party, career exposure and learning experience influence accounting undergraduates’ career path. Further, this study looks at whether career path intention is significantly different across year of study.

Problem Statement

The decreasing popularity of the accounting profession as asserted by Russell et al. ( 2000 ) nearly 2 decades ago was due to dramatic change in the business landscape where technological development and competitiveness were very intense to which accounting education failed to adjust to. Further, over a decade ago, Smith ( 2005 ) claimed that the accounting profession had taken a back burner as a result of much “publicised financial frauds and irregularities” (p. 943).

Since then, the issue of accounting students changing courses, choosing to pursue other fields of study and not pursuing a career in accounting is quite common. These circumstances have partly affected the number of accountants being created in Malaysia. For instance, Mohd Khalid et al. ( 2018 ) discovered that approximately 75% of high school students who enrolled in accounting subject for SPM had the intention to pursue tertiary education in accounting after completion of their SPM. Further, Mohd Hanapiah et al. ( 2017 ) revealed that over 77% of accounting undergraduates intend to pursue a career in accounting after completing their tertiary education. Although the percentages are high, it is still insufficient to cover the demand for accountants in Malaysia.

And for the record, there are approximately 36,000 registered members of the Malaysian Institute of Accountants (MIA) currently (MIA, 2019), several thousand shorts of the 60,000 certified accountants required by 2020 (Lee, 2018); which is, incidentally, next year! This shortage is partly due to a steady stream of brain drain to Singapore and other neighbouring countries such as Vietnam, Cambodia and Hong Kong as well as other more developed countries that provide more lucrative incentive and compensation packages, whilst other reasons include a preference to opt for early retirement after marriage (Tan, 2018). Further, Lent et al. ( 1994 ) revealed that other influencing factors include intrinsic and extrinsic motivations, third party influence and career exposure

Research Questions

Further research is needed to determine students’ career path after completion of their tertiary education as there is still a need for qualified accountants in Malaysia. Thus, the research questions are:

1.Does intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivations, third party influence, career exposure and learning experience influences accounting undergraduates’ career path?

2.Is there statistically significant difference in career path across year of study?

Research Objectives

1.To examine whether career path is influenced by intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivations, influence of third party, career exposure and learning experience.

2.To ascertain whether there is significant difference in career path across year of study.

Purpose of the Study

The study refers career path as choice of profession that an undergraduate takes after the completion of his study. For an accounting undergraduate, this would mean a career path within the accounting field. A person plans his career path in the earliest part of his career journey ( Yusoff et al. 2011 ). Thus, the purpose of this study is to analyse factors influencing accounting undergraduates' career path.

The contribution of the research may give benefits of enriching the current literature, providing insight to practitioners and policy makers. For instance, the MIA may be able to review their standards in order to improve the number of certified accountants.

Review of literature

We will present previous literature at this point covering career paths (dependent variable) as well as intrinsic and extrinsic motivations, influence of third party, career exposure and learning experience (Independent variables).

Career Path

Joseph et al. ( 2012 ) define career path as an occupation that a person holds throughout his life. According to Joseph et al. ( 2012 ), career choice may be shaped by a person’s characteristics. Personal experience in doing work is also considered as career path according to Yusoff et al. ( 2011 ).

Previous literature used SCCT extensively in career path research. For example, Schoenfeld et al. ( 2017 ) used the SCCT to test the association of self-efficacy and intention to become a CPA. Ng et al. ( 2017 ) had also used SCCT to examine whether intrinsic and extrinsic motivations, influence of third party and career exposure influenced accounting students’ career choice. Further, James ( 2008 ) used the SCCT to try to discover why accounting is not a popular career choice among African American students.

The current study refers career path (or career choice) as choice of profession that an undergraduate take after the completion of his study. For an accounting undergraduate, this would mean a career path within the accounting field. Some of the accounting career information that the undergraduate students should consider before making this decision includes education requirements, tax accounting salary, typical career advancement, and duties performed.

Factors influencing career path

The independent variables that will be tested with career path are intrinsic and extrinsic motivations, influence of third party, career exposure and learning experience, similar to Ng et al. ( 2017 ). We included learning experience as an additional variable as it was also tested as a factor that affects career path in previous literatures. Table 01 depicts previous literature for the variables tested.

Theoretical Framework

The Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) was used extensively by previous literature testing factors influencing undergraduate students’. SCCT by Lent et al ( 1994 ) stemmed from Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory (1986) and was used to describe factors influencing career choice. SCCT is a framework that explains the process a person goes through in the pursuit of choosing a career. It relates both internal and external factors that may influence a person’s choice. There are three main variables in the SCCT namely: self-efficacy, outcome expectations and goals and these three variables are important to develop a person’s ability to achieve their outcome, however challenging it may be. In accomplishing tasks despite encountering countless obstacles, self-efficacy people tend to be the one placing great effort and accomplishing it ( Chantara et al., 2011 ).

Hypotheses Development

The hypotheses development for the variables are based on previous literature as per Table 01 and translated into a schematic diagram in Figure 01 .

Research Methods

This research uses primary data (questionnaire survey) as data collection method.

Population and Sampling

The target population for the study was accounting undergraduates. A total of 312 questionnaires collected were found to be usable from the 500 distributed. Convenience sampling was used for data gathering to ensure that comparisons can be made among the degree in accounting students from the first to the final year. It would be interesting to analyse responses of these students as first year students may be lacking in career path exposure than their senior counterparts.

Data Collection Procedures

Questionnaire survey is the primary source of data for this study. This type of data source is suitable for the study as it is a descriptive study that is designed to describe the characteristics of persons, events or situations ( Sekaran & Bougie, 2016 ), where the main objective of the research is to determine factors influencing accounting undergraduates’ career path.

The questionnaire survey for this study is adapted from Ng et al. ( 2017 ), and included one other independent variable, which is learning experience. The first part covers demographic data. The second part covers the independent variables and dependent variables consisting of 30 statements.

Pilot test was performed prior to questionnaire distribution to ensure the internal validity of the questionnaire, discard ambiguous questions so that respondents do not have any problems in answering the questions and accelerate data collection process ( van Teijlingen & Hundley, 2001 ). The questionnaire’s reliability was also tested even though the instrument utilised was adopted from previous literature and had gone through reliability testing. Reliability test administered to the data provided very good results, where the Alpha (Cronbach) for all variables were between .808 - .886, showing high level of internal consistency.

Variable Measurements

The questionnaire is divided into three sections: demographics, the dependent variable and the independent variables. The demographics comprise of age, gender and year of study. The variable measurement for both dependent and independent variables is based on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = Strongly Disagree to 5 = Strongly Agree). This type of measurement is used to measure the distance between any two points on the scale and it also has equal distance between numbers. Also, it does not pressure the respondents to take a stand on a particular issue but allows them to reply in a degree of agreement. In this situation, it makes easier to the respondent to answer the questions.

Statistical Tests

This study uses regression analysis and test of significant difference to achieve the aims of the study. For example, regression analysis is used to identify predictors (intrinsic and extrinsic motivations, influence of third party, career exposure and learning experience) of accounting undergraduates’ career path. Meanwhile, test of significant difference is used to determine whether career path intention is the same across year of study.

This part of the study presents results from statistical analysis performed using SPSS Version 24. There are two objectives of the study. Firstly, the study aims to determine predictors of accounting undergraduates’ career path using multiple regression test. Secondly, the study aims to identify whether the accounting undergraduates’ career path is different across year of study. Test of significant difference is carried out to establish whether significant difference is present.

Demographics

Demographics of the 312 respondents are tabled below (see table 02 ). It provides the distribution of respondents based on gender, age and race. A majority of the respondents are female (at 71%). Approximately half of the respondents (50%) are within 18 to 23 years old and are in their third year of study (48%).

Normality Test

Shapiro-Wilk test was used to determine data distribution. Results indicate that the data were not normally distributed (p<0.01).

Correlations

Spearman’s correlation coefficient was used to determine association of dependent and independent variables as the data is non-normally distributed. Results provide evidence that all independent variables were significantly correlated with career path at the 0.01 level.

Multiple regression test

Multiple linear regression test was performed to determine predictors of career path among the independent variables. The test is administered to determine the predictors (i.e. Intrinsic and extrinsic motivations, influence of third party, career exposure and learning experience) that influence accounting undergraduates’ career path. However, it is important that the assumptions of multiple regression are to be complied with in order to ensure the appropriateness of the regression model.

First, normality and linearity were inspected via the Histogram and Normal Probability Plot (refer Figure 02 ). We established that sample normality and linearity existed in the residuals, indicating normal and linear distribution.

Next, we determined that no multicollinearity problems were present in the residuals as the tolerance and VIF values observed were greater than 0.20 and less than 10 respectively ( Field, 2009 ). The Durbin-Watson test was also used to check for autocorrelation presence in the residuals. The test value of 1.788 indicates that no autocorrelation were present.

Finally, scatter plot of residuals in Figure 03 illustrates the residuals are roughly rectangular distributed, with scores concentrated along the 0 axis (red line). This ensures the homoscedasticity of the sample as the standardised residuals values are between -3.29 and +3.29 and considered to be acceptable ( Field, 2009 ).

In summary, based on the Table 03 we have fulfilled and complied with the regression assumptions throughout the analysis to ensure appropriateness of findings of the study. The results can be referred in Table 03 .

Table 04 depicts results of the multiple regression test determining predictors of career path. Results show that all variables except extrinsic motivation statistically significantly predicted career path at F(5, 306) = 48.864, p<0.000, R2 = .444. The R2 of .444 indicates that 44.4% of the outcome (career path) is accounted for by intrinsic motivation, influence of third party, career exposure and learning experience, while the other 56% by other factors.

Results for intrinsic motivation (b=.304, p<.000) and career exposure (b=.133, p<.05) were statistically significantly consistent with Ng et al. ( 2017 ), Lukman and Juniati (2016) and Țicoi and Albu ( 2018 ). Significant affect was also found on influence of third party with career path (b=.149, p<.000) consistent with Lukman and Juniati (2016) but was inconsistent with Ng et al. ( 2017 ). Further, learning experience was found to affect students’ career path (b=.230, p<.000), consistent with Sugahara et al. ( 2009 ). Thus, H1,3,4,5 are supported.

The non-significant result for extrinsic motivation (b=.105, p>.05) is consistent with studies by Dibabe et al. ( 2015 ), Ahmad et al. ( 2015 ), Ng et al. ( 2017 ) and Srirejeki et al. ( 2019 ) but not consistent with Țicoi and Albu ( 2018 ). Thus, H2 is rejected. The summary of hypotheses can be referred to in Table 04 .

The general form of the equation to predict career path from intrinsic motivation, influence of third party, career exposure and learning experience is:

Predicted Career Pathi = b0 = b1 intrinsic motivationi + b2influence of third partyi + b3career exposurei

+ b4learning experiencei

= .318 + (.340intrinsic motivationi) + (.149influence of third partyi) +

(.133career exposurei) + (.230learning experiencei)

The beta value in the equation implies that a 1 unit increase in intrinsic motivation will result in an increase in the intention to pursue an accounting career path (DV) by .34 unit, when influence from third party increases by 1 unit, the respondents’ intention on accounting career path will increase by .15 unit; when career exposure increase by 1 unit, respondents’ career path intention will increase by .13 unit and when learning experience increase by 1 unit, intention to pursue accounting career will increase by .23 of a unit.

Test of significant difference

Kruskal-Wallis test was conducted to examine any significant difference in preference of career path across year of study. The test result found no significant difference in career path across year of study (retaining the null hypothesis at p>.05). Thus, H6 is rejected. The finding is consistent with Ahmad et al. ( 2015 ) but is contradictory to findings by Russell et al. ( 2000 ), Marriott and Marriott ( 2003 ) and Danziger and Eden ( 2007 ) who revealed that students’ attitudes towards accounting changed as they advance in their studies. The result corresponds with the earlier regression results indicating that accounting undergraduates will be motivated to choose accounting as a career when their level of self-efficacy increases in line with the SCCT theory.

The study has two objectives (1) to examine factors influencing accounting undergraduates’ career path, (2) to determine whether the accounting undergraduates’ career path is the same across year of study. Multiple regression test indicates that the predictors of career path are intrinsic motivation, influence of third party, career exposure and learning experience. Results imply that the greater the intrinsic motivation, the more encouragement given by third party, further career exposure and the longer duration the of study, the higher the chances of them choosing the accounting career path.

The result also reveals that accounting undergraduates do not consider extrinsic motivation (such as high salary, status, etc) as an important aspect when choosing a career path, contrary to findings over a decade ago ( Jackling & Keneley, 2009 ; Tan & Laswad, 2006 ). The present findings provide a signal to parties involved to find new “selling points” of the accounting profession that are more appealing and can draw more interests to promoting the accounting career path. The MIA, practitioners and professional bodies have to play their parts to create more career exposures via seminars, events and roadshows as these may create more awareness and interests for the profession as early as during the school years.

Further, MIA strongly supports the adoption of technology in the advent of Industrial Revolution 4.0 (IR 4.0), as iterated by the CEO of MIA in her recent speech, “future accountants must be equipped with technological skills, communications and soft skills, critical thinking, strategic and analytical skills, and resilience as well as flexibility” ( Mahzan, 2019, p. 12 ). This means that an increase in self-efficacy via intrinsic motivation through skill enhancement, as well as influence of third party (subjective norms) and more learning experience under their belts, more accounting undergraduates’ may intend to choose an accounting career path in the future.

The decreasing popularity of the accounting profession as asserted by Russell et al. ( 2000 ) nearly 2 decades ago was also due to dramatic change in the business landscape where technological development and competitiveness were very intense to which accounting education failed to adjust to. Over a decade ago, Smith ( 2005 ) claimed that the accounting profession had taken a back burner as a result of much “publicised financial frauds and irregularities” (p. 943). Thus, the accounting fraternity has to regain the public’s trust through highlighting intrinsic advantages of being an accountant and depicting a “virtue-based professional identity” ( Lopez & Perry, 2018 ).

The limitation of this study is the sample size. Although assumptions of linear regression has been faithfully adhered to, the regression model may only be applicable in a Malaysian perspective for it to be generalised. Thus, future research may endeavour to improve the model in other settings. Further, as the study’s four predictors were only able to account for 44% of career path intention, other predictors such as cost of the program or duration of study, may be introduced for future research.

Acknowledgments

We would like to extend our appreciation to the students who have helped us in collecting data for our study.

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30 December 2020

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https://doi.org/10.15405/epsbs.2020.12.05.26

978-1-80296-099-0

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Multi-disciplinary, accounting, finance, economics, business, management, marketing, entrepreneurship, social studies

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Khalid, F. M., & Abdul Rauf, F. H. (2020). Factors Influencing Accounting Undergraduates’ Career Path: Evidence From Malaysia. In N. S. Othman, A. H. B. Jaaffar, N. H. B. Harun, S. B. Buniamin, N. E. A. B. Mohamad, I. B. M. Ali, N. H. B. A. Razali, & S. L. B. M. Hashim (Eds.), Driving Sustainability through Business-Technology Synergy, vol 100. European Proceedings of Social and Behavioural Sciences (pp. 246-258). European Publisher. https://doi.org/10.15405/epsbs.2020.12.05.26

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Performance hacking (or p-hacking for short) means overzealous advocacy of positive interpretations to the point of detachment from actuals. In business as in research there are strong incentives to p-hack. If p-hacking behaviours are not checked, a crash becomes inevitable.

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• Sharpening Your Skills

How Following Best Business Practices Can Improve Health Care

Why do Harvard Business School scholars spend so much time and money analyzing health care delivery? Open for comment; 0 Comments.

• 18 Feb 2020

A Preliminary Framework for Product Impact-Weighted Accounts

Although there is growing interest in environmental, social, and governance measurement, the impact of company operations is emphasized over product use. A framework like this one that captures a product’s reach, accessibility, quality, optionality, environmental use emissions, and end of life recyclability allows for a systematic methodology that can be applied to companies across many industries.

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Core Earnings? New Data and Evidence

Using a novel dataset of earnings-related disclosures embedded in the 10-Ks, this paper shows how detailed financial statement analysis can produce a measure of core earnings that is more persistent than traditional earnings measures and forecasts future performance. Analysts and market participants are slow to appreciate the importance of transitory earnings.

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Investor Lawsuits Against Auditors Are Falling, and That's Bad News for Capital Markets

It's becoming more difficult for investors to sue corporate auditors. The result? A weakening of trust in US capital markets, says Suraj Srinivasan. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

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Corporate Sustainability: A Strategy?

Between 2012 and 2017, companies within most industries adopted an increasingly similar set of sustainability practices. This study examines the interplay between common and strategic practices. This dynamic distinction helps for understanding whether and how sustainability practices can help companies establish a competitive advantage over time.

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Financing the Response to Climate Change: The Pricing and Ownership of US Green Bonds

Green bonds are used for environmentally friendly purposes like renewable energy. Complementing previous research, this paper explores the US corporate and municipal green bond and shows that a subset of investors is willing to give up some return to hold green bonds.

• 03 Dec 2018

How Companies Can Increase Market Rewards for Sustainability Efforts

There is a connection between public sentiment about a company and how the market rewards its corporate social performance, according to George Serafeim. Is your company undervalued? Open for comment; 0 Comments.

• 19 Nov 2018

Lazy Prices

The most comprehensive information windows that firms provide to the markets—in the form of their mandated annual and quarterly filings—have changed dramatically over time, becoming significantly longer and more complex. When firms break from their routine phrasing and content, this action contains rich information for future firm stock returns and outcomes.

• 24 Sep 2018

How Cost Accounting is Improving Healthcare in Rural Haiti

The cost of healthcare in rural Haiti was found to vary widely, even inside the same health organization. A pioneering cost accounting system co-developed by Robert Kaplan was called in to determine the cause. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

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Career Decision of Accounting Students and Its Influencing Factors: A Study of University Accounting Students in DKI Jakarta, Indonesia

2017, International Journal of Finance and Accounting 2017, 6(2): 59-65

The purpose of this study was to examine the factors that influence university accounting students' career choices. The testing was done by dividing respondents into 2 (two) categories. First, students who want to work as public accountants, assuming that the public accountant profession provides better job opportunities and this field is in accordance with the field that they engage in. Second, students who are not willing to become public accountants, assuming that the profession other than public accountants will provide wider career opportunities and will have low levels of stress. From both analyses, this research tried to find the factors that have strong influences in the selection of accounting university students' career, either as the public accountant or else. The research results prove that the profession that will be taken after graduating is very dependent on their respective perceptions of the expectations and opportunities that will be accepted by them when choosing a profession.

Related Papers

Muhyarsyah Tanjung

T h e purpose of this study is to analyze the factors that influence accounting students to choose careers as public accountants and non public accountants. Factors that influence career selection are measured by financial reward variables, professional training, professional recognition, social values, work environment and market considerations. Respondents in this study were 239 respondents. The sampling technique used in this study was accidental sampling. Data collection is done by questionnaire. The test method of the data used is the Logistic Regression analysis and hypothesis testing. The results show partially that financial reward variables, professional recognition and market considerations have an influence on career choice as a public accountant or non public accountant, but professional training variables, social values and work environment results of the analysis show that these variables have no influence on career choice for public accountants or non public accountan...

Revista Contabilidade &amp; Finanças

Charoline Cheisviyanny

This research aims to define factors that influence accounting students in choosing their careers after graduated. There are two gaps of previous studies that we try to cover in this study. Firstly, previous studies only focused on one university or one region in a country. Secondly, they only examined a specific career choice, mostly as public accountants. This study is conducted on Indonesian accounting students and it set the respondents to choose their careers in the beginning and fill the questionnaire based on that career choices. The output of this study is career choice factors of Indonesian accounting students’. By understanding those factors, this study provide awareness and insights for parents, lecturers, and universities to prepare students for their future careers. The results imply the need for collaboration between family and university. On one side, parents should not push a certain career path to students, rather they should encourage students to choose careers sui...

Stevanus Gatot Supriyadi

The purpose of this reseasrch was to know what factors influence accounting students in choosing a career to become a public accountant. Factors that influence career choice to become a Public Accountant are assessed by variables of reward/salary, professional training, professional recognition, social values, work environment, labor market considerations, and personality. Data collection was carried out by distributing questionnaires to accounting students at Universitan Pawyatan Daha Kediri. The sample used was 90 respondents. Data analysis in this study used multiple regression analysis with the help of SPSS version 23.00. The results of this analysis indicate that simultaneously the factors of reward, professional training, professional recognition, social values, work environment, labor market considerations and personality have a significant influence on career choice to become a public accountant. Partially, professional recognition, labor market considerations and personalit...

Journal of Economics, Business & Accountancy Ventura

Etty Indriani

This study investigates the patterns and determinants of accounting students’ career choice by comparing five types of accountant careers to non-accountant career. This study collected data from 216 Indonesian accounting students through Qualtrics online survey and used multinomial and logistic regressions for data analysis. This study found that government accountant was the most dominant career choice among the students (37.04%). Salary consideration as a biggest determination factor (RRR: 2.6231) followed by professional recognition, family & colleagues’ encouragement and education. Meanwhile, career in appraisal was the smallest choice (4.63%), however this need more attention because information about appraisal from the college had positive predictor (OR: 1.0242), while professional recognition was the second biggest predictor to choose appraisal (RRR: 12.8063) after public accountant (RRR: 33.1328). This result could be the colleges’ reminder to provide accounting curriculum n...

Journal of Accounting and Strategic Finance

Diah Suryaningrum

A career as an accountant is seen as promising bright prospects because this profession provides intellectual challenges and invaluable learning experiences. This study aims to determine the reasons for the accounting profession&#39;s career selection. This study uses the variables of financial rewards, professional recognition, professional training, job market considerations, and personality as factors that influence the choice of profession, namely public accountants, management accountants, accountant educators, and government accountants. The population in this study were all accounting students of semester seven and semester five who were active at STIE Perbanas Surabaya, with a total of 225 students for semester seven and 258 students for semester five. Research samples with non-probability techniques. The data of this study are primary data obtained from distributing questionnaires. Kruskal Wallis analysis technique is used to test the proposed hypothesis. Based on the test ...

Jurnal Ekonomi : Journal of Economic

adrie putra

This study aims to find out the factors that influence the career selection of accounting students of Esa Unggul University. In the study the factors measured using financial award variables, professional training, professional recognition, social values, work environment, market considerations and personalities had an influence on the career selection of accounting students as public accountants and non-public accountants.The data collection method in this study was obtained by distributing questionnaires to accounting students of Esa Unggul University and taking samples of 100 respondents.The results of the analysis showed that the variables of financial awards, professional training, professional recognition, social values, work environment, market considerations and personalities had a significant influence on career selection as a public accountant or non-public accountant.This study aims to determine the factors that affect the career choice of Esa Unggul University accounting...

AJHSSR Journal

The accounting world poses broad career preferences as the times go, attracting students to major in this field. The wide options of career preferences in accounting field have provided the students various career preferences based on their wishes and skills. Adequate insight and information into accounting career preferences will help the students determine the correct accounting career for themselves. This study sought to describe the career preferences of undergraduate accounting students of batch 2018 and 2019 at Faculty of Economics and Business, Udayana University. A descriptive cross-sectional method was used on this study. The data were obtained as the results of the questionnaire administered to the samples meeting the inclusion criteria. The number of samples involved in this study amounted to 143 students, of which 71 students of the 2018 batch and 72 students of the 2019 batch. The results of the study revealed that 114 students (79.8%) chose an accountant career and 29 students (20.2%) choose a non-accountant career. Furthermore, a total of 41 students (35.9%) chose to become internal accountants, 46 students (40.3%) chose to become public accountants, 23 students (20.2%) chose to become government accountants, and 4 students (3.5%) chose to become educator accountants. The career preferences were driven by intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, career exposure, and gender issues.

Information and Knowledge Management www.iiste.org ISSN 2224-5758 (Paper) ISSN 2224-896X (Online) Vol.8, No.8, 2018

Harnovinsah Harnovinsah

The low number of public accountants in Indonesia gets serious attention both from government and professional organizations of public accountants. Refers to social cognitive career theory (Social Cognitive Career Theory). This study aims to determine the influence of factors influencing the career selection of undergraduate students majoring in accounting at Mercu Buana University and University of Indonesia. The independent variables in this study are professional training, parental influence, and student perceptions while the dependent variable is career selection as a public accountant. The research sample used convenience sampling by distributing questionnaires to respondents by chance / incidental meeting with researchers. The number of samples used was 88 respondents. The analytical method used is binary logistic regression using SPSS version 20.

Jurnal Akuntansi

Merry Susanti

The purpose of this study is to determine factors that influence the selection of student career as a public accountant. The data collection method was conducted by distributing questionnaires to Universitas Tarumanagara students. The questionnaire distributed from August to October 2018. Data processing methods were carried out by using partial least square-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), which is the contribution of our research, whereas previous research used SPSS as their statistic tool. We also added the motivation variable that not used in the research that we replicate. The data is first tested for its validity and reliability followed by the multicollinearity test, F2 test, adjusted R2, and finally the t test. The results showed that only financial rewards had a positive influence on the selection of student career as public accountants while professional training, professional recognition, social values, work environment, labor market considerations, personality, a...

JOURNAL OF AUDITING, FINANCE, AND FORENSIC ACCOUNTING

novi darmayanti

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How to Write a High-Quality Conference Paper

Presenting and submitting conference papers at seminars and academic conferences is a crucial part of academic life, especially for early-career researchers. These events offer attending scholars and researchers a great opportunity to meet and exchange ideas and perspectives on their work. Therefore, when organizers issue a call for submission of conference papers, researchers must try to participate by submitting their papers. When published, these conference proceedings go on to serve as essential academic and research resources for students and early-career researchers.   

Table of Contents

• Why are conference papers important?  
• Difference between conference papers and journal papers  

Research methodology

Findings/ results.

• Writing a high-quality conference paper  

Why are conference papers important?

Conferences offer an excellent opportunity for researchers to share their work with wider audiences through conference papers, receive feedback, and network with other researchers. They also serve as a stepping stone to publishing in peer-reviewed journals, as they allow researchers to refine their ideas and receive insights from peers and mentors before submitting a manuscript for publication. Additionally, presenting research at conferences can not only help establish one’s credibility and reputation as a thought leader in a particular field. Still, it can also lead to new collaborations, exciting research opportunities, and even job offers or promotions.  

Difference between conference papers and journal papers

Compared to journal papers, conference papers are usually short and aim to present initial findings and analysis of ongoing research. Journal papers, on the other hand, tend to be longer and more detailed and are screened through a peer-review process. Depending on the type of presentation that you are going to give at the conference or depending on your specific role, conference papers can be customized as respondent (speaker and respondent roll out presentations), panel (a few speakers speak for a designated period with a discussant), poster (visual presentation), roundtable (few speakers speak with time limits) and workshops (scope for a detailed presentation).   

Tips on writing a conference paper

Writing an impactful conference paper requires a careful blend of good research and clarity in writing. To be accepted on submission, researchers must ensure that they follow the specific guidelines laid out by organizers. A typical conference paper usually begins with a title page, followed by the abstract, an examination of the research problem, the methodology followed and the principal conclusions. It must include the following elements:  

This page should provide the title of the conference paper, your name and credentials, the institution you are working with, and the date of submission. It must also succinctly convey the crux of your research study.  

An essential component of the conference paper, this section must provide a brief synopsis that includes the aims and objectives of your study, methodology, research findings and principal conclusions. Ensure that the length of the abstract is in accordance with the guidelines provided by the conference committee.  

This section is important for conference organizers to assess your paper, and therefore, it must be presented clearly, concisely, and accurately.  

The main findings should be clearly stated, drawing on evidence-based conclusions. Tables and figures are recommended as they help convey complex data more effectively.   

Ensure that you accurately list references to the work you have cited. Most conference organizers have specific formats for citations and references, so do check before submitting your conference paper.  

Writing a high-quality conference paper

• Focus on the audience profile: When writing a conference paper, it is essential to keep the audience in mind. This will help you write your paper in a more engaging and impactful way. Experts suggest keeping in mind both the broader research questions that are sought to be addressed in the conference and the fundamental issues in the primary or related field of study – this will go a long way in helping you link your research to these aspects and consequently, enable you to connect more effectively with audiences.  
• Keep your writing structured and organized. It is essential to organize conference papers logically and convincingly. Focus on the key aspects of your study, and provide solid examples and illustrations to strengthen your argument and make it more attractive to those present.  
• Reading aloud : Experts suggest reading your conference paper aloud several times. This technique helps you identify possible errors in language and grammar and brings clarity to your ideas and presentation.  
• Conference guidelines: It is important to ensure that you follow the guidelines, structure, format, and length requested by conference organizers. This helps ensure that your conference paper is accepted upon submission without too many changes and alterations. 

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‘Accounting for Hydroclimatic Properties in Flood Frequency Analysis Procedures’

“Flood hazard is typically evaluated by computing extreme flood probabilities from a flood frequency distribution following nationally defined procedures. … These procedures, also known as flood frequency analysis, typically recommend only one probability distribution family for all watersheds within a country or region. However, large uncertainties associated with extreme flood probability estimates (>50-year flood or Q50) can be further biased when fit to an inappropriate distribution model. … Here, we demonstrate that hydroclimatic parameters can aid in the selection of a parametric flood frequency distribution.”

Find the paper and full list of authors at Hydrology and Earth System Sciences.

Ocean Genome Legacy Center receives grant in support of student research

‘local and regional geographic variation in inducible defenses’, ‘top-down control over dissolved organic carbon in the bottom water of the weddell sea and its implication for the continental shelf pump’, ocean genome legacy center receives grant from cell signaling technology, ‘interpretation issues with “genomic vulnerability” arise from conceptual issues in local adaptation and maladaptation’, ‘local adaptation in trait-mediated trophic cascades’, ‘linear extension and calcification rates in a cold-water, crustose coralline alga are modulated by temperature, light and salinity’, garcia to study ‘adaptation in the amazon’ with tnc funding, schultz receives noaa grant to study carbon dioxide removal.

School of Electrical and Computer Engineering

College of engineering, undergraduate research excellence celebrated at ors symposium.

In celebration of student research and innovation, the Opportunity Research Scholar's (ORS) Symposium was held on May 3, 2024. ORS is the Georgia Tech School of Electrical and Computer Engineering’s (ECE) undergraduate research program designed to enhance and expand the traditional classroom experience through long-term projects.

The annual symposium is the culmination of two semesters of research through the ORS program. Starting each fall, students in groups of three to four, conduct the research with the help of a graduate advisor and a faculty member.

At the end of the Spring semester, each group submits their research as a conference paper to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) ORSS, which decides the first and second place Best Paper Winners for the ECE ORSS. 

“The ORS Symposium is testament to the dedication, passion, and hard work of our student researchers,” ORS Director Shanthi Rajaraman said. “To witness the progress and growth of these young minds is rewarding and inspiring."

Students also present their research via posters at the symposium, with a People’s Choice Award given out to the best overall poster as decided by student participants and mentors.

Additionally, students have the opportunity to peer review other teams’ projects. For the past three years, the ORS Symposium has been open to teams beyond ECE. This year, there were 25 teams that participated, with 22 coming from Georgia Tech and three from Kennesaw State University.

Since its establishment, over 1,000 students have participated in the ORS program, with nearly twice as many ORS Ph.D. graduates going on to a career in a academics than the general ECE Ph.D. population, according to Rajaraman.

All the pictures from the symposium can viewed here.

The 2024 winners were:

Best Paper Award

From left to right: Avanish Narumanchi, Seongjin Kim, William Montello, Md. Nahid Haque Shazon (Mentor)

Title:   Investigating the Impacts of Device Geometry and an Alternative Write Current Scheme on Write Time and Switching Energy of SOT-MRAMs  Student Researchers: Seongjin Kim, William Montello, Avanish Narumanchi, Md. Nahid Haque Shazon Faculty Advisor: Azad Naemi

From left to right: Karsten Richardson, Cullen Lonergan, Luke Hanks

Title: Analog High-Level Synthesis for Field Programmable Analog Arrays Student Researchers: Luke Hanks, Cullen Lonergan, Karsten Richardson, Afolabi Ige, Pranav Mathews  Faculty Advisor: Jennifer Hasler

People’s Choice Award

From left to right: Emma McClelion, Hannah Xiao, Viktor Raykov

Title: Rectenna Characterized Under Varying 2-D Transmitter Positions & Power Beaming Amplitude Levels at 5.8 GHz Student Researchers: Hanna Xiao, Emma McClelion, Victor Raykov, Hanna Xiao, Kaitlyn Graves Faculty Advisor: Greg Durgin