Antoinette Flynn

Gender equality in the accounting profession: one size fits all

Purpose – This study aims to examine both male and female accountants’ perceptions of female career progression in the Accounting Profession in Ireland. This study is set in the context of a steady rise in the total proportion of female members across the seven accountancy bodies worldwide and the recent acknowledged failure of larger accountancy firms to promote women to senior levels in equal measure compared to male colleagues. Design/methodology/approach – A quantitative study (with a qualitative component) was undertaken to gather the opinions and perceptions of Irish accounting professionals on their career progression, gender-related barriers and obstacles, the “glass ceiling”, networking and flexible work arrangements. The sample of respondents reflected the diversity of accounting disciplines and gender divide in the wider population. Findings – Evidence of a divergence between the perception and the reality of the lived experience of female accountants, across the gender divide, was found. While...

From Syria to the Land Down Under – the Land of Opportunity?

Ethnic entrepreneurship has emerged as an economic, societal, and political panacea to the growing number of refugees on the move across the globe. Employing the 2014 World Economic Forum framework, this article seeks to explore the Australian entrepreneurship ecosystem, to determine whether it is enabling migrants and/or refugees to become entrepreneurs with a focus on Syrian refugees. At its core, the Australian entrepreneurship ecosystem is comparatively strong in terms of human capital, accessible markets, and finance. Even within the three ‘core’ characteristics of the ecosystem, the Australian ecosystem falls short when examined through the lens of refugee entrepreneurs. Recommendations under the 2014 World Economic Forum framework are made that will assist key stakeholders in developing an entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Exploring the Student Learning Experience in a ‘Live’ International Corporate Finance Course Project

Developing and using live case studies, in collaboration with a corporate partner, are an effective means of introducing experiential learning into the classroom and have the added benefits of both further embedding academic understanding and developing generic skills and competencies for the millennial generation. This chapter examines students’ reflective perceptions of a live case study on international finance, implemented in conjunction with an American multinational conglomerate corporation and delivered on an International Corporate Finance module. We discuss the design, delivery and assessment of the live case study principally from the perspective of the students. However, strong consideration is also given to the perspective of the module owner in the delivery and design of the live case to meet and satisfy institutional, programmatic and module concerns and objectives. The explication of tangible module learning outcomes and the additional motivation of accountability to the corporate partner was found to promote deeper student learning in undertaking and delivering the live case study. Improved ‘soft’ skills, particularly in working with diverse group members, were also readily identified by the participating students as an effective and valuable outcome of both undertaking and delivering the live case study. Our findings contribute to the business education literature by examining the perceived experiential learning benefits of a live case study in the accounting and finance discipline.