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Introduction
Work readiness of emerging graduates is a major concern in the higher education sector in Australia. Employers have expressed concerns that many university graduates lack essential employability skills (Hare, 2011), and various studies have identified shortcomings applicable to accounting graduates (Tempone et al., 2012). In response, the accounting professional bodies, CPA (Certified Practising Accountants) Australia and Chartered Accountants of Australia and New Zealand (CAANZ)[1], have identified the need for these skills to be acquired by graduates as part of the accreditation process (CPA and ICAA 2012). Academics have also advocated for changes to the accounting curriculum to enhance relevant graduate skills for contemporary work environments (Whitefield and Kloot, 2006; Freeman and Hancock, 2011; Sin and McGuigan, 2013). Various studies over the past decade (Kavanagh and Drennan, 2008; Jackling and de Lange, 2009) suggest that accounting graduates skills must go beyond technical knowledge to encompass a series of generic skills such as verbal and written communication, teamwork and problem-solving for graduates to be competitive in the job market.
This study is motivated by the need for the higher education sector to produce accounting graduates who are able to meet comprehensive skills required in the work environment. The investigation focuses on identification of appropriate definitions of the composition of good teamwork skills of recruited graduates. Teamwork skills are at present broadly defined as the ability to “work effectively in a team” (Tempone et al., 2012). There is ambiguity however, on the relevant and practical dimensions of these skills, particularly for accounting graduates. Tempone et al. (2012) refer to “conceptual vagueness” that afflicts graduate attributes including the workplace-relevant definition of teamwork. The aim of this paper is to address this gap in understanding by seeking feedback from employers about their expectations of teamwork skills of recent graduates and formulating a framework that conceptualises these skills.
A focus on the employers’ perspective aligns with a recommendation of the Business Council of Australia (BCA) for stronger industry-academe consultation in curriculum development (Andrew, 2011). Therefore, the aim of the study is to identify specific elements that describe what teamwork means from the perspective of employers. An enhanced description of teamwork would be significant in supporting student awareness and informing teaching innovations/assessments of this generic skill in the accounting...