CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
In today’s business environment, employers seek for employees with a wide range of skills and knowledge. Accounting employees are not exempted, they are expected to possess a wide range of skills that meet the expectation of their employers. Most employers find that accounting university programs are unable to provide graduates with the skills that are required by the profession. The education gap may be the reason why graduates find their early employment experience far from their expectations, in most cases fresh graduates are unaware of the skills desired by their employer. Their employability for entry level positions and their performance in their first year is largely by the fit of their acquired skill and those required by the job. A mismatch between the possessed skills may lead to the new here’s demotivation, low performance and dissatisfaction.
Accounting skills are basic, professional skills set with developing as you work through more specific accounting based curriculum, and they may be helpful in improving workplace communication, and also help to effectively lead a team of other employees.
The United States Bureau of labour statistics outlined the following as important accounting skills for accountants as: Analytical and problem solving skills, Business acumen and interest, Proficiency in industrial training, Team work ability and Organisational skills and ability to manage deadlines.
Analytical and problem solving skills can be seen as observing and researching a problem or topic to develop more complex ideas, solutions and knowledge related to the problem or topic. Analytical skill can be defined as a process of relating to or using analysis or logical reasoning. Business education graduates with strong analytical thinking skills are often capable of quickly analysing a situation, topic or problem, and often work well in a team setting to accomplish goals.
Business acumen and interest can be seen as a process of understanding how a company makes money and achieves its goals and objectives. Business acumen is not just a skill but a set of skills that working together, help to make a leader like jobs and his business prosperous. Individuals with business acumen have an understanding on the various parts of a business and how they are interconnected, giving them the ability to make smart decisions in any situation. Business education graduates who develop sound business acumen are able to sort through the noise to focus on the key elements of importance to a business, find solutions for business problems, and lead his or her team to goal achievement.
Proficiency in industrial training is simply an organized way of improving and enhancing knowledge and skills of students. The industrial training program improves students awareness in a single particular technology, cultivates the leadership ability of the students and gives them the responsibility to execute and perform the given task. It helps in increasing self- confidence and identifying their own proficiency.
Teamwork ability is generally understood as the willingness of a group of people to work together to achieve a common aim. For example we often use the phrase “ he or she is a good team player”. This means someone has the interests of the team at heart, working for the good of the team. Business education graduates with strong teamwork skills are sought out by employers for many reasons because they demonstrate leadership, collaboration and good communication, among other things. Employers expect employees to be team players. Teamwork is required for almost every industry, ranging from business services to information technology to food services. Important teamwork skills in the workplace include helping and guiding, persuading, sharing openly and willingly, being an active participant, being flexible and showing commitment.
Organizational skills and ability to manage deadlines encompass a set of capabilities that help a person plan, prioritize, and achieve his or her goals. The ability to keep work organised allows workers to focus on different projects without getting disoriented or lost, thereby increasing productivity and efficiency in the workplace. Managers look for employees who can not only keep their work and their desk organised, but for those who can also adjust quickly to the organised structure of a company.
All or some of these accounting skills if acquired by business education graduates can either affect or create a good effect on their job performance in various organizations in Edo State. Job performance in the context of this study can therefore be seen as the overall expected value from employee’s behaviours carried out over the course of a set period of time (Motowidlo, Boman, and Schmidt, 1997).
Business education was brought to lime light, and given prominence by the new national policy on education in 1977. This policy has been severally reviewed. It is a programme of study which is geared towards equipping the learners with employability skills and knowledge which would enable them create, or acquire jobs, stay on the jobs, and grow in the jobs. The programme is offered in the secondary and tertiary levels of the Nigerian educational system. Numerous definitions have been given to Business Education depending on the perspective from which it is seen and how it is viewed by different scholars. Business Education is an aspect of vocational technical education which is used as a term to refer to those educational processes involving the study of techniques, related science, and acquisition of practical skill, attitudes and knowledge relating to occupation in vocational sectors of economic and social life ( Etonyeaku, 2009). To Okoli (2010), business education is an important part of the general education which emphasizes on skills and competencies acquisition for used in offices and business related occupations.
Adeyeye (2008) stated that business education is an aspect of the total educational programme which provided knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to perform greatly in the business world as producers, consumers of goods and also entrepreneurs. Therefore, business equips its recipient with managerial, leadership and good decision making skills that will enable an individual to perform greatly in any position they find themselves in the future. The world has gone digital, it has been reduced to a “global village” where jobs abound and are accessible to any and all that possess the requisite skills for the 21st century labour market. If business education graduates in Nigeria must avail themselves to job opportunities, it is imperative to, as a matter of urgency to enrich the business education curriculum and improve the delivery system.
However, using different business organization in Edo State as a case study, research would be carried out to assess the various accounting skills already listed, if it would translate to having a good or bad effect on the job performance of business education graduates.
Statement of the Problem
The acquisition of accounting skills by business education graduates plays an important role of the job performance of business education graduates because it increases productivity.
Research has it that many business education graduates in various organizations in Edo State tends to fall short of expectations in the carrying out of their duties because they lack or are not well equipped with various accounting skills, knowledge and attitude towards the work. Also, their job performance is largely affected by the fits of their acquired skills and those required by the job.
It has been observed that some business education students do not pay attention or take into cognisance these accounting skills that will affect their job performance mainly because of lack of interest in the course, thereby causing them not to focus and acquire these skills through learning. Also, the educational sector (tertiary institutions) seem to lack adequate materials, a good curriculum and qualified teachers to impact the accounting skills and knowledge needed. Thereby producing half-baked graduates.
Particularly, because of the realization of these facts, has brought the researcher to assess the various accounting skills influence on the job performance of business education graduates in business organizations in Edo State.
Purpose of the Study
The main purpose of the study is to access the accounting skills on the job performance of business education graduates in business organisations in Edo state. Specifically, the study sought to determine the following;
- The extent to which analytical and problem solving skills would affect the job performance of business education graduates in business organisations in Edo State.
- The extent to which business acumen and interest skills would influence the job performance of business education graduates in business organisations in Edo State.
- The extent to which proficiency in industrial training would affect the job performance of business education graduates in business organisations in Edo State.
- The extent to which teamwork ability would help improve the job performance of business education graduates in business organisations in Edo State.
- The extent to which organizational skills and ability to manage deadlines would affect the job performance of business education graduates in business organisations in Edo State.
Research questions
- To what extent does analytical and problem solving skills affect the job performance of business education graduates in business organisations in Edo State?
- To what extent does business acumen and interest skill affect the job performance of business education graduates in business organisations in Edo state?
- To what extent does proficiency in industrial training affect the job performance of business education graduates in business organisations in Edo state?
- To what extent does teamwork ability help improve the job performance of business education graduates in business organisations in Edo State?
- To what extent does organisational skills and ability to manage deadlines affect the job performance of business education graduates in business organisations in Edo state?
Research hypotheses
The following research hypotheses were formulated by the researcher to aid the completion of the study
H0: teamwork ability does not help improve the job performance of business education graduates in business organisations in Edo State
H1: teamwork ability does help improve the job performance of business education graduates in business organisations in Edo State
H0: proficiency in industrial training does not affect the job performance of business education graduates in business organisations in Edo state
H2: proficiency in industrial training does affect the job performance of business education graduates in business organisations in Edo state
Significance of the Study
The findings of this study, when published in journals, presented in workshops and seminars would be of immense benefit to educational planners, government, teachers, business organisations, business education students / graduates and other researchers. The findings of this study will enable educational planners to see the need to have a standard curriculum, qualified educators who can teach business education courses properly and also help student gain various accounting skills. This can be achieved by organising seminars and symposia on the need to gain accounting skills and make them more practical in the outside world.
Findings of this study will also assist various levels of government in the area of planning, policy formulation and programme implementation pertaining to tertiary institution offering business education courses.
Teachers, especially business education teachers who train and equip student with accounting skills will be induced by the findings of this study to engage more research work to access accounting skills on the job performance of business education graduates in business organisations. This can be done through job rotation, in- service training and job enlargement and management of various institutions.
The findings of this research if implemented by business organisations (particularly organisations in Edo State), will help improve and effect a change in the world of business and also make business activities to run and function effectively. It will also help to educate business owners about the various accounting skills and educate them to train business education graduates in their organisations who lack the various accounting skills instead of relinquishing them of their duties, thereby causing unemployment in the state which encourages graduates to engage in criminal activities that would destroy the economy and making the business environment unfavourable.
The findings of this study will benefit business education students because it will prepare them on how to manage and perform well in the business environment and also get them equipped with accounting skills that may likely affect their job performance in business organisations. The findings of the study will also serve as a resource base to other researchers interested in carrying out further research in this field.
Scope of the Study
This study is essentially designed to assess accounting skills on the job performance of business education graduates in business organisations in Edo State. The accounting skills to be assessed include: Analytical and problem solving skills, business acumen and interest skill, proficiency in industrial training, teamwork ability skill and organisational skills and ability to manage deadlines. The study will cover various business organisations in Edo State who employ and currently have business education graduates working in their organisations such as: Edo state internal revenue service, The accountant general’s office palm house Benin city, Uniben microfinance bank.
OPERATIONAL DEFINITION OF TERMS
Accounting skill
Accounting skills are not just about math, they are also also logic and analysis. The ability to organize and synthesize information also is important, since a lot in accounting is about classification and reporting
Job performance
Job performance relates to the act of doing a job. Job performance is a means to reach a goal or set of goals within a job, role, or organization
Business education
Business education is a branch of education that involves teaching the skills and operations of the business industry. This field of education occurs at multiple levels, including secondary and higher education institutes. Education in business has many forms, mainly occurring within a classroom of a school.
Graduate
a person who has successfully completed a course of study or training, especially a person who has been awarded an undergraduate or first academic degree
ORGANIZATION OF THE STUDY
This research work is organized in five chapters, for easy understanding, as follows
Chapter one is concern with the introduction, which consist of the (overview, of the study), historical background, statement of problem, objectives of the study, research hypotheses, significance of the study, scope and limitation of the study, definition of terms and historical background of the study. Chapter two highlights the theoretical framework on which the study is based, thus the review of related literature. Chapter three deals on the research design and methodology adopted in the study. Chapter four concentrate on the data collection and analysis and presentation of finding. Chapter five gives summary, conclusion, and recommendations made of the study
