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Browsing Accounting by Subject "Accounting students."

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    The entrepreneurial intention (EI) of the bachelor of commerce accounting students at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN).
    (2019) Mtshali, Thabo Wonder.; Fields, Ziska.
    The South African labour market is struggling to create job opportunities for citizens and it is hard to counteract unemployment with relevant skills demanded by various industries. The unemployment rate was 25% in 2015; however, it has increased to 27.7% (Stats SA, 2017). Entrepreneurship plays a vital role in reducing poverty by creating job opportunities. Countries like South Africa should focus on developing young innovative entrepreneurs at university level specifically. Efforts started in 2017 when the Department of Higher Education and Training launched a national student entrepreneurship programme. This is a positive initiative; however, various degrees need to be aligned to this initiative to support the venture theoretically to develop and enhance entrepreneurial thinking, entrepreneurial self-efficacy, entrepreneurial intention and entrepreneurial action amongst students and graduates. The Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting) students follow a structured academic program of the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA). This accounting body defines the minimum qualifications and standards expected for accountants. The University of KwaZulu-Natal employs standards and procedures that are in line with SAICA policies. The Accounting degree also focusses specifically on money management modules. The main purpose of this study was to assess the levels of Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting) final-year students’ entrepreneurial self-efficacy and entrepreneurial intention at the Westville campus. The study investigated whether a gap exists between the Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting) curriculum versus the knowledge and skills required for successful entrepreneurs. The researcher used the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) to determine if Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting) students are capable and ready to become entrepreneurs. There were 303 Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting) final-year students in 2017 at the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Westville campus. From the population of 303 students, a sample size of 170 students was identified to participate in the study. Data were collected using questionnaires and analysed using descriptive statistics to describe the characteristics that are common in the sample. Data analysis tools included mean scores, standard deviation and variance. Inferential statistics were used to compare data between males and females. The reliability of the results on each construct was measured using the Cronbach Alpha Coefficient. The results showed that students are willing to start their own businesses and become entrepreneurs, but they lack entrepreneurship education to equip them with the necessary skills to start their businesses. The results also revealed that students have positive attitudes towards becoming entrepreneurs, especially when they are supported by family, friends, classmates and society. Even with these positive attitudes towards entrepreneurship, the Perceived Behavioural Control construct showed that students are not likely to start businesses because they lack entrepreneurial skills and have limited knowledge and understanding about operating and managing a business. Despite their strong positive attitude towards starting businesses, students need entrepreneurship education.
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    Financial capability, financial socialisation and professional skills of Accounting students studying in KwaZulu-Natal universities.
    (2019) Nomlala, Bomi Cyril.; Sibanda, Mabutho.
    The global discourse on financial capability and financial socialisation has gained momentum in recent times. Professional skills gradually become an issue that prospective employers say most graduates are missing. This has aroused policymakers and academics’ interest in the importance of financial capability, financial socialization and professional skills in maintaining economic and financial stability. The global financial crisis of 2007/2008 was a consequence of the lack of such capability. At local and international level, much attention has been paid to financial capability and little has been done on financial socialisation and professional skills, especially when it comes to financial decision making and related skills. Both young and old have been affected by poor financial decision making which has negatively affected the economy. What further complicates the poor financial decision making is the fact that there is also bad influence coming from external sources and lack of requisite skills for sustainability. However, it remains unclear whether university students enrolled in financially related courses, particularly accounting students in the KwaZulu-Natal Province of South Africa, have higher financial capability levels as measured by financial knowledge, financial attitudes, numeracy skills and financial behaviour. It also remains an unknown factor whether what role external factors play in financial decision measure by parental influence, peer influence and social media play a critical role in the financial decision making. It is also not known whether students studying for accounting degrees in professionally accredited institutions are more financially capable than their counterparts in non-accredited institutions. Finally, there is a lack of clarity on whether financial knowledge, numerical skills, financial attitudes and financial behaviour as components of financial capability can be influenced by financial socialisation. This study was motivated by the existence of these grey areas in the current literature. It aimed to provide empirical evidence on these issues that will inform curriculum development and policy formulation on financial literacy matters in South Africa. Self-administered questionnaires were utilised to collect primary data from undergraduate accounting students studying at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT) and Durban University of Technology (DUT). The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS 25) was used to analyse the data. Descriptive statistics, Bivariate regression analysis and One-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) were employed to investigate the financial capability of accounting students and confirmatory and exploratory factor analysis was used to identify the factors that influence such capability. Cross Tabulation and Regression analysis were used to ascertain the relationship between level of study and financial capability and factor analysis was employed to determine the factors that influence the accounting students’ financial capability, financial socialisation and professional skills. Regression analysis was also used to evaluate the difference in professional skills and financial capability between UKZN (SAICA accredited) and DUT and MUT (non-SAICA accredited). Finally, Chi-square was employed to establish the relationship among the financial capability, financial socialisation and professional skills of accounting students. The results revealed that more of the respondents were female than male. The overall analysis of the financial capability of the accounting students indicated that most of the respondents (n=1416; 89.5%) have high financial capability. However, only (n=229; 14.5%) were found to have high levels of financial knowledge. With (n=1513; 95.6%), (n=1286; 81.3%), and (n=1394; 88.1%), it was found that most of the respondents have positive financial attitudes, good financial behaviour, and high numeracy skills, respectively. The computations in relation to financial socialisation and professional skills showed that most of the respondents are not influenced by social media, while most have excellent professional skills, with (n=1149; 72.6%) and (n=1506; 95.2%), respectively. The financial capability of the accounting students is high compared to the results of previous studies conducted among the general population. However, the results for financial knowledge (a component of financial capability) are low, which is consistent with the findings of other studies. The finding that financial attitudes, financial behaviour and numeracy skills significantly influence financial capability is a unique feature of this study, as it has not been reported in the literature reviewed. As expected, the numeracy skills of the accounting students were high compared to previous research. Nonetheless, much remains to be done to improve the financial knowledge of students in general and accounting students in particular.