title: Accounting students’ need for important generic and technical accounting skills in university education and as accountants in the workplace

authors: AL Mallak, Mohammed Ali A

subjects: Generic skills

abstract: Recent changes in the nature of accounting have led to an increasing amount of importance being placed on generic and technical accounting skills within the accounting workforce. However, universities providing training to accounting students do not always adequately teach these skills, such as communication skills, decision making skills and teamwork skills. Very few studies to date have focussed on the generic skills perceived as being important by accountants and accounting students in the Middle East and in Saudi Arabia in particular. This study aimed to research the generic and technical accounting skills perceived as being important by accounting students studying this subject at the major universities in Saudi Arabia and by accountants working at nine major companies in Saudi Arabia. The study employed a survey questionnaire that followed a mixed methods research protocol. Survey respondents were asked about the skills that they perceived as being important, how well the skills were taught and to what extent the skills were used during their degree course, their current level of skill the level of skills they currently held and the level of skill required to get a job in the accounting workforce, and the comparative importance of generic skills compared to technical accounting skills. Survey respondents were also asked to rank a selection of generic skills (communication skills, interpersonal skills, problem solving skills, capacity for analysis and presentation skills) and technical accounting skills in order of importance, and were asked whether there were other generic and technical accounting skills that were important in the workplace. The study explored the differences and similarities between the views of accounting students and accountants, and also the similarities and differences between different subgroups as follows:
 Undergraduate students vs. postgraduate accounting students,
 Male students vs. female accounting students,
 Accountants working for government organisations vs. those working at non-government organisations,
 Male vs. female accountants,
Overall, the study found that the responses of the accountants and the accounting students matched quite closely. One major difference between the two groups was that accounting students were much more likely to be unsure as to the level of skill needed in order to get a job. Accountants were also more likely than accounting students to rate the technical accounting skills above the generic skills. Another very striking finding was that presentation skills were consistently rated as the least important skill by all groups and that it was the skill area that was least likely to have been covered by the accounting degree course. The reasons for this may be cultural or may arise from uncertainty about the definition of “presentation skills”. The findings of this study differed from others in that the accountants in our survey were more likely to consider technical accounting skills as being more important than generic skills. This may be a result of culture and the Saudi Arabian context. These findings suggest that further work in the Saudi Arabian context is necessary.

text: Accounting students’ need for important generic and technical accounting skills in university education and as accountants in the workplace Recent changes in the nature of accounting have led to an increasing amount of importance being placed on generic and technical accounting skills within the accounting workforce. However, universities providing training to accounting students do not always adequately teach these skills, such as communication skills, decision making skills and teamwork skills. Very few studies to date have focussed on the generic skills perceived as being important by accountants and accounting students in the Middle East and in Saudi Arabia in particular. This study aimed to research the generic and technical accounting skills perceived as being important by accounting students studying this subject at the major universities in Saudi Arabia and by accountants working at nine major companies in Saudi Arabia. The study employed a survey questionnaire that followed a mixed methods research protocol. Survey respondents were asked about the skills that they perceived as being important, how well the skills were taught and to what extent the skills were used during their degree course, their current level of skill the level of skills they currently held and the level of skill required to get a job in the accounting workforce, and the comparative importance of generic skills compared to technical accounting skills. Survey respondents were also asked to rank a selection of generic skills (communication skills, interpersonal skills, problem solving skills, capacity for analysis and presentation skills) and technical accounting skills in order of importance, and were asked whether there were other generic and technical accounting skills that were important in the workplace. The study explored the differences and similarities between the views of accounting students and accountants, and also the similarities and differences between different subgroups as follows:
 Undergraduate students vs. postgraduate accounting students,
 Male students vs. female accounting students,
 Accountants working for government organisations vs. those working at non-government organisations,
 Male vs. female accountants,
Overall, the study found that the responses of the accountants and the accounting students matched quite closely. One major difference between the two groups was that accounting students were much more likely to be unsure as to the level of skill needed in order to get a job. Accountants were also more likely than accounting students to rate the technical accounting skills above the generic skills. Another very striking finding was that presentation skills were consistently rated as the least important skill by all groups and that it was the skill area that was least likely to have been covered by the accounting degree course. The reasons for this may be cultural or may arise from uncertainty about the definition of “presentation skills”. The findings of this study differed from others in that the accountants in our survey were more likely to consider technical accounting skills as being more important than generic skills. This may be a result of culture and the Saudi Arabian context. These findings suggest that further work in the Saudi Arabian context is necessary.

year: 2012

title: Sexual violence: Raising the conversations, a literature review

authors: Robertson, Neville

subjects: psychology

abstract: This literature review is intended to contribute to efforts to raise awareness and
conversations around sexual violence. It is focused on men’s sexual violence against
adolescent and adult women. We begin our review by briefly considering the definition of sexual violence, its
prevalence, and its impact.
In Section 2, following the lead of public health theorists, we use an ecological
framework to discuss factors which contribute to – or are protective of – sexual
violence. That is, we adopt a multi‐level approach, considering risk factors at societal,
community, relationship and individual levels. Although we look at each of these levels
in turn, as will become evident, it is also important to consider the interactions
between levels.
In Section 3, we review evaluations of various attempts to prevent sexual violence.
Mostly, these evaluations have focused on individual level prevention efforts:
prevention at community and societal levels seem to have received little attention
from evaluators. Nevertheless, there are some useful lessons to be gained from the
evaluation literature.
In section 4, we attempt to integrate the material considered in sections 2 and 3 into a
framework proposed by the (US) National Sexual Violence Resource Center (Davis,
Parks, & Cohen, 2006). Consistent with a public health approach, the Spectrum of
Prevention is a multi‐level model.

text: Sexual violence: Raising the conversations, a literature review This literature review is intended to contribute to efforts to raise awareness and
conversations around sexual violence. It is focused on men’s sexual violence against
adolescent and adult women. We begin our review by briefly considering the definition of sexual violence, its
prevalence, and its impact.
In Section 2, following the lead of public health theorists, we use an ecological
framework to discuss factors which contribute to – or are protective of – sexual
violence. That is, we adopt a multi‐level approach, considering risk factors at societal,
community, relationship and individual levels. Although we look at each of these levels
in turn, as will become evident, it is also important to consider the interactions
between levels.
In Section 3, we review evaluations of various attempts to prevent sexual violence.
Mostly, these evaluations have focused on individual level prevention efforts:
prevention at community and societal levels seem to have received little attention
from evaluators. Nevertheless, there are some useful lessons to be gained from the
evaluation literature.
In section 4, we attempt to integrate the material considered in sections 2 and 3 into a
framework proposed by the (US) National Sexual Violence Resource Center (Davis,
Parks, & Cohen, 2006). Consistent with a public health approach, the Spectrum of
Prevention is a multi‐level model.

year: 2008-09-26

title: He tangi mai i te puehu: He whakatewhatewha i te mahi whakamāori me te reo ā-tuhi a ngā tūpuna

authors: Apiata, Hāwea

subjects: Māori spirituality

abstract: Kei te pūtahi o tēnei tuhinga whakapae ko te whakatewhatewha i te whakapapa o te whakaaro Māori (Māori intellectual history) mā ēnei pātai e rua: He aha ā te Māori i tuhituhi ai i te tōmuatanga o te rautau rua tekau? Ā, he pēhea tāna wetewete i ngā huatau whakawairua nō waho i te ao Māori? 

Ina koa, ko tā te tuhinga whakapae nei he whakaaranga, he whakaatu hoki i ētahi huarahi e toru hei rangahau i ngā whakapapa o te whakaaro taketake: ko te ketuketu rua mahara (archival research); ko te tātari ariā (conceptual analysis); me te reo e whakamahia ana kia wetewete i te kaupapa. Mā te mahi ketuketu rua mahara e āhei ai ki te wānanga i ngā whakaputanga a Wiremu Takana, he kaituhi, he kaiwhakamāori nō Ngāti Kahungunu. Ka whakaputaina tāna tuhinga tuatahi i te tau 1915. Ā, e rua anō i whakaputaina e ia i te tau whai muri mai i 1916. Ko ēnei tuhinga āna e whakatewhatewha ana i te whakamāoritanga o te rongopai me te āheinga o ngā pūrākau Māori kia whakamārama i ngā whakaakoranga Moromona. Kāore anō kia āta tātaritia, kia āta rangahaua āna pukapuka e tētahi atu o mua. Ko te huarahi rangahau tuarua ko te tātari i te whakamāoritanga o ētahi ariā whakawairua e kitea ana i roto i ngā karaipiture o te Hāhi o Ihu Karaiti o te Hunga Tapu o ngā Rā o Muri nei. E toru ngā ariā kua tīpakongia hei tirotiro, arā, ko heaven, hell me baptism. Ā, hei whakawhānui atu i te titiro ki tēnei kaupapa, ka huritaongia ngā hua o te tuhinga reo Māori, arā, ka matapakina ngā take kia tuhituhi i te mahi rangahau i roto i te reo Māori.

I te mutunga iho, mā te āta wānanga i ngā whakaputanga reo Māori a te Hāhi o Ihu Karaiti (LDS) e whakawhānuitia ai tō tātou māramatanga ki te hītori o te mahi whakaputa pukapuka i roto i te Hāhi, te mahi punenga a te Māori, te whakareretanga o ngā tuhituhinga reo Māori, me te hītori o te Hāhi o Ihu Karaiti i Aotearoa nei.

text: He tangi mai i te puehu: He whakatewhatewha i te mahi whakamāori me te reo ā-tuhi a ngā tūpuna Kei te pūtahi o tēnei tuhinga whakapae ko te whakatewhatewha i te whakapapa o te whakaaro Māori (Māori intellectual history) mā ēnei pātai e rua: He aha ā te Māori i tuhituhi ai i te tōmuatanga o te rautau rua tekau? Ā, he pēhea tāna wetewete i ngā huatau whakawairua nō waho i te ao Māori? 

Ina koa, ko tā te tuhinga whakapae nei he whakaaranga, he whakaatu hoki i ētahi huarahi e toru hei rangahau i ngā whakapapa o te whakaaro taketake: ko te ketuketu rua mahara (archival research); ko te tātari ariā (conceptual analysis); me te reo e whakamahia ana kia wetewete i te kaupapa. Mā te mahi ketuketu rua mahara e āhei ai ki te wānanga i ngā whakaputanga a Wiremu Takana, he kaituhi, he kaiwhakamāori nō Ngāti Kahungunu. Ka whakaputaina tāna tuhinga tuatahi i te tau 1915. Ā, e rua anō i whakaputaina e ia i te tau whai muri mai i 1916. Ko ēnei tuhinga āna e whakatewhatewha ana i te whakamāoritanga o te rongopai me te āheinga o ngā pūrākau Māori kia whakamārama i ngā whakaakoranga Moromona. Kāore anō kia āta tātaritia, kia āta rangahaua āna pukapuka e tētahi atu o mua. Ko te huarahi rangahau tuarua ko te tātari i te whakamāoritanga o ētahi ariā whakawairua e kitea ana i roto i ngā karaipiture o te Hāhi o Ihu Karaiti o te Hunga Tapu o ngā Rā o Muri nei. E toru ngā ariā kua tīpakongia hei tirotiro, arā, ko heaven, hell me baptism. Ā, hei whakawhānui atu i te titiro ki tēnei kaupapa, ka huritaongia ngā hua o te tuhinga reo Māori, arā, ka matapakina ngā take kia tuhituhi i te mahi rangahau i roto i te reo Māori.

I te mutunga iho, mā te āta wānanga i ngā whakaputanga reo Māori a te Hāhi o Ihu Karaiti (LDS) e whakawhānuitia ai tō tātou māramatanga ki te hītori o te mahi whakaputa pukapuka i roto i te Hāhi, te mahi punenga a te Māori, te whakareretanga o ngā tuhituhinga reo Māori, me te hītori o te Hāhi o Ihu Karaiti i Aotearoa nei.

year: 2021