Transcript Document

Business School
Teaching and Learning
Accounting & Finance:
Comparison between UK and China
Mingzhu Wang
March 2009
Background
•
The UK is the second largest host of Chinese students studying abroad
after the US.
•
Each year, around 5000 Chinese students are studying in the UK
universities.
•
Accounting and finance seems to be one of Chinese students’ favourite
choices in the UK.
•
Differences in learning and teaching accounting and finance between
the UK and China.
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Professional Education in the UK
•
Professional education in accounting has a long history in the UK, which could be
traced back to the initially in-house training in 18th century.
•
The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland ( ICAS ) established in 1854, is
the world's first professional body of accountants.
•
The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) is a worldclass professional accountancy body.
•
The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) is now a global body
for professional accountants.
•
Chartered Institute of Management Accountant (CIMA) established in 1919 has
grown to become one of the largest international accountancy bodies.
•
Universities provide accounting and finance programmes at both undergraduate
and postgraduate levels, which give accreditation towards ACCA or CIMA.
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Professional Education in China
•
Education in accounting and finance only progressed significantly in
1990s after the economic reform in China.
•
Chinese Institute of Certified Public Accountant (CICPA) established in
1988 is the accounting professional body in China. CICPA is using US
GAAP.
•
Universities in China started to provide accounting and finance
programs in 1990s. A few of them provide accreditation to ACCA.
•
There has been a shortage of accounting and finance teachers with
professional qualification or doctorates degree.
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Comparison in Degree Structure (1 year)
UK
(Oxford Brookes University)
China
(Sichuan University)
BSc (Hons) Accounting and Finance
BSc Accounting
BSc Finance
Introduction to Accounting
Fundamental Accounting
Econometrics
Accounting in Society
Statistics
Statistics
Foundations of Business
Fundamental Business
Management
Business Economics and Financial
Markets
Principles of Marxist
Philosophy
Principles of Marxist
Philosophy
Essential Information Skills
Applied Computing Skills
Applied Computing Skills
+ 3 elective modules
Any 1st year module across the
University including language
College English
+ elective modules
across the University
College English
+ elective modules
across the University
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Comparison in Degree Structure (2 year)
UK (Oxford Brookes University)
China (Sichuan University)
BSc (Hons)
Accounting and Finance
BSc Accounting
BSc Finance
Management Accounting
Management
Accounting
Accounting
Financial Accounting and Reporting
Financial Accounting
Monetary and Banking
Corporate Finance
Cost Accounting
Public Finance
+ 4 elective modules
(Accounting information system
Advanced Taxation
Personal Taxation
Auditing Practice
Auditing Theory
Financial Markets and Institutions
& other business modules)
Contemporary Issues in
Global Political
Economics
International Economics
College English
+ elective modules
across the University
College English
+ elective modules across
the University
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Comparison in Degree Structure (3 year)
UK
(Oxford Brookes University)
China
(Sichuan University)
BSc Accounting and Finance
BSc Accounting
BSc Finance
(Optional Work Placement Year)
Financial Management
Corporate Finance
Financial Reporting
International Finance
Auditing
Central Banking
Marketing
Commercial Banking
Management
National Economy
Management
2nd Foreign Language
+ elective modules across
the University
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2nd Foreign Language
+ elective modules across
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Comparison in Degree Structure (4 year)
UK
(Oxford Brookes University)
China
(Sichuan University)
BSc Accounting and Finance
BSc Accounting
BSc Finance
Financial Accounting Theory
Budgeting
Insurance
Business Aspect of
Management Accounting
Business Management
Investment in Securities
Contemporary Issues in Finance
+ 5 elective modules
Dissertation
Financial Accounting Synoptic
Management Accounting
Synoptic & other business
modules
Investment Banking
Commercial Law
Commercial Law
Summer Internship
Summer Internship
Dissertation
+ elective modules across
the University
Dissertation
+ elective modules across
the University
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Differences in the Degree Structure
UK
China
• Combined degree
(accounting and finance,
accounting and business, etc.)
• Separate degree
(accounting, finance, etc.)
•
Flexible structure with more
elective modules
•
Fixed structure (students can get
the degree if they passed all the
compulsory modules)
•
Practical Orientated
•
Theoretic Orientated
•
Elective dissertation
•
Compulsory dissertation
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Comparison in the Teaching Approach
UK
•
China
•
Lecture dominated
•
•
Combined (Lecture, seminar,
workshop, etc.)
Detailed module guide
Broad reading list
•
•
•
Used to praise students
•
Brief outline of topics
Focus on a particular text book
(Proverb: “A good text book is
enough to learn a subject”)
Use to criticise students
(Proverb: “Praise will spoil
students while criticism will
improve them”)
•
Questioning during lectures
•
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Questioning after lectures
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Comparison in the Assessment
UK
China
• Combined assessment
(exam, project, presentation, etc.)
•
Exam dominated
•
Teamwork
•
Individual work
•
Critical thinking
•
Memorizing and reciting
(Proverb: “you’ll become a poet if
you can recite 300 poems”)
•
Plagiarism
•
Plagiarism is less strict in
student essays, although it rules
the same as in the UK for
published papers or books.
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Comparison in the Student Learning
UK
China
•
Independent (modules choice)
•
Dependent (learning community)
•
A variety of learning approaches
•
Strategic learning
•
Presenting
•
Silent reflecting
(Proverb: “half bottle of water
makes louder noise”)
•
International learning
environment
International students
International staffs
•
National learning environment
Few international students
Visiting international staffs only
available for postgraduates.
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Major Problems Encountered by Chinese Students
•
Independence
•
Incompetence in English
The problems Chinese students encounter in English speaking in the
UK higher education settings have been studied by Chan and Drover
(1997) and Valimaa (1998)
•
Cultural conflict
Relationship with teachers
Way of thinking
British way
of thinking
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Chinese
way of
thinking
13
What we can do as teachers?
•
Be aware of the cultural difference
•
Be aware of international students’ incompetence in English. Do not
take it for granted that international students understand some basic
terminologies used in our teaching.
•
Differentiate deliberate plagiarism and the plagiarism caused by lack of
confidence in English.
•
Give international students some transition period to get used to the
UK teaching.
•
Encourage group discussions among international students who are
used to reflect silently or shy to express their opinions.
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