Cost Accounting Curriculum Related Competencies and Performance of Accountants in South Africa

Abstract

Purpose - Over the years, the context of work for accounting professionals has changed dramatically. In the present time, the accounting profession has witnessed the existence of a gap between the current and desired skills in the accounting field. The study intends to review the literature on the dynamic relationship between cost accounting curriculum content and performance of accountants in South Africa. Design– The paper used a desk study review methodology where relevant empirical literature was reviewed to identify main themes and to extract knowledge gaps.Findings – It was found that studies on the competence of cost accountants are few; the existing studies are not conclusive because they found either a positive relationship, negative relation or no significant relation at all. In addition, methodological gaps and contextual gaps exist since most studies are qualitative in nature and are from developing economies while few are from South Africa. This implies that this area has not been deeply explored thus paving the way for further research. Originality/value – The paper offers a guidance on classification of competencies acquired by cost accounting graduates and identifies a knowledge gap on to which further studies can be conducted. In addition, the paper results will have practical and policy implications as far as modeling curriculum development of cost accounting education is concerned.

DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n25p108