A CRITICAL ANALYSIS ON THE PREVAILING SKILLS AMONG

PRACTITIONERS IN THE ACCOUNTING FIRMS IN BALIBAGO, ANGELES CITY

A Research
Presented to the Faculty of the
College of Business
Systems Plus College Foundation

In Partial Fulfillment of the

Requirements for the Degree of
Bachelor of Science in Accounting Technology

Kelly C. Arriola
Jasmin A. Yumang
Carla M. Carreon
Myka P. Manaloto

March 2017
 APPROVAL SHEET
This research entitled A CRITICAL ANALYSIS ON THE PREVAILING
SKILLS AMONG PRACTITIONERS IN THE ACCOUNTING FIRMS IN
BALIBAGO, ANGELES CITY prepared and submitted by Kelly C. Arriola / Jasmin
A. Yumang / Carla M. Carreon / Myka P. Manaloto in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree, Bachelor of Science in Accounting Technology, has been
examined and is recommended for acceptance and oral examination.
Mr. Catalino N. Mendoza,
Adviser

ORAL EXAMINATION
Approved by the Committee on Oral Exaination with a grade of PASSED on
February, 24, 2017.

Chairperson

Member

APPROVAL
Accepted and approved in atrial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree,
Bachelor of Science in Accounting Technology.

Edgar G. Galang, Ph.D

Vice President for Academics and Research
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title Page

Approval Sheet

Table of Contents..

Abstract

Introduction

Statement of the Problem..

Conceptual Framework.

Hypotheses....

Significance of the Study...

Methods..

Research Design.

Participants.

Instrument..

Procedures.....

Results

Conclusion.............

Recommendation...

References.....

LIST OF TABLES
LIST OF FIGURE
APPENDICES
 ABSTRACT

This paper was exclusively designed to highlight the prevailing skills among

practitioners in the Accounting Firms in Balibago, Angeles City. Data were gathered

through a survey of twenty practitioners in four accounting firms using purposive

sampling as the subject of the study. It was resulted that Intellectual skills ranked as the

most prevailing skills based on group weighted mean However, Technical skills ranked

as the top prevailing skills using individual weighted mean. Differences among

practitioners in the four accounting firms were also investigated using one-way analysis

of variance (ANOVA). Findings revealed that there are significant differences among

practitioners based on Management, Physical and Interpersonal skills. Moreover, the

relationship among the variables of prevailing skills was also investigated using Pearson-

r. Thus, it is found out that there is a positive relationship between Technical and

Interpersonal skills; Management to Information Technology skills as also to Physical

and Interpersonal skills; Physical and Management skills; Intellectual and Interpersonal

skills lastly Intellectual to Personal.

Key words: Technical skills, Generic Skills, Practitioners, Accounting Profession

INTRODUCTION

There has been a remarkable change in our world economy. The emergence of

new information technologies, innovations, and a marked of internalization has triggered

a widespread awareness that employees play an important role in our society and give the

company a sustainable competitive advantage. In our business world, there has been an
increase rivalry and competition in the job market and because of this phenomenon,

accounting majors should be equipped of having the skills and attributes to be hired and

achieve success in their fields of work.

The accounting profession worldwide has come to evolve in the last decade as a

result of corporate failures, changing technology and world economy in the business

world. (Albrecht & Sack, 2000) demonstrated that these change drivers have reduced the

cost of information and increased the level of competition among organization. This has

resulted a need for quicker and more purposeful action by management especially those

in public accounting firms. And because of the emergence of new accounting firms in

business, determining for the prevailing skills for accounting professions much highly

needs to address.

There are several researchers aims to recognize the critical importance of the

development of generic skills for accounting professional bodies. Accounting

professionals includes any individual who has undergone any related accounting subjects

or course. On the other hand, because of several studies about skills agenda (Holmes,

2000) there has been a widely-debated issue involving what are the most prevailing skills

that practitioners value in selecting or hiring employees. Therefore, the job of an

accountant (accounting profession) in public practice seems to be the heart of this logic.

(Siegel, 2000) discussed that the accountant must now regarded as a professional with a

sense of leadership, able to manage a team and to exercise a rigorous and transparent

judgments in several situations. The changing nature of the higher education and the

structure of graduate labor market have placed increased emphasis on employability of

accounting students. Thus, most universities and colleges in accounting department strive
to continuously provide quality education and to impart a value of skills and attributes to

their entry-level accounting profession.

The heart of this study is to examine the practitioners expectations about the

prevailing skills needed in public accounting practice. There has been a previous study

showing that skills have not the same weight in the labor market of accountants. De

Lange, P., Jackeling, B., & Gut, A., (2006) suggest that it is personal characteristics that

enable career success. Moreover, the researchers aim to bring closer the skills and

attributes needed to work in public practice. Early studies reveal that business majors on

their job preferences aims to work in public accounting. Stolle (1976), reports that

students prefer jobs in public accounting as opposed to other scope of practice. According

also from the study of Melcher, Duangploy and Owings., (1985) documented that

students perceived that public accounting firms provides greatest satisfaction than the

private industry.

The portfolio of an accounting profession is composed of knowledge and skills

acquired throughout their education. There by, it has been a remarkable marked that

college years should be the training ground of students as their preparation to work in real

business world. Indeed, technical skills enable the professional accountants to conduct his

work effectively and to satisfy his employer or client. According to IES 3 professional

skills (Note 1), technical skills and functional skills consist of generic skills as well as

skills specific to accountancy. They include (a) numeracy (mathematical and statistical)

and IT proficiency; (b)decision modeling and risk analysis; (c)measurement; (d)

reporting; and (e) compliance with legislative and regulatory requirements. Hence among

skills needs, the challenge for accounting education system is to help and builds the
students within and across the expansion of continuous evolution of their accounting

graduates.

(Henrey &Mason, 1996) said that from the viewpoints of employers or

organization, they would want to employ employees for several underlying reasons such

as knowledge and ideas that they could bring to an organization, the speed and

willingness to learn, their flexibility and adaptability to deal with change, their logical,

analytic, critical, problem solving skills and the impact that they have on innovations.

Thus, the work in public accounting firms seems needs a lot of patience and hard work,

technical skills, and the capability to adapt much more in heavy loads of work, deadlines,

audit and client- engagement are some of the most cases in public practice.

Albrecht (2002) states that skills in critical and analytical thinking, technology,

team work and communication are crucial for transforming the accounting profession in

the future. Several researchers have indicated that while technical skills are still regarded

as implicit in the skills based of a person entering an accounting career, accounting and

business professionals must develop more than technical skills to succeed (Aikin, Martin

& Paolillo, 1994).

On the other hand, (Howieson, 2003) suggest that the impact of technological

changes is that future accountants will be empowered and transformed to knowledge

employees. Even though, technological skills have a great impact for their future job,

problem solving, analysis and communication are the most important skills that essential

for accountants. (Howieson, 2003) also discussed that the focus of the future accounting

professionals being the management of knowledge and adapting the education of

profession in accounting has need to capitalize.

 However, some employees felt that accounting knowledge and the ability to

interpret and prepare financial statements was an important skill, Lee, D.W., and C.

Blaszczynski,(1999) report that they also expected accounting professionals to learn a

multitude of skills including able to communicate, work in group, solve real world

problems, use computer and Internet tools. Thus, practitioners are looking for an

employee who is not also equipped and flexible in accounting related skills but also a

well-developed communication, team work, and problem solving skills (AC Neilson,

1998, 2000).

In addition, other generic skills could be considered by employers as key criteria

in the requirement of new accounting graduates such as oral, written communication,

listening skills, and team work (Novin & Pearson, 1990). Besides, previous researchers

have attempted to examine accounting students perceptions concerning skills needed to

make a successful career. Although several studies found that students ranked technical

as the most important skill to ensure career success (Daly & Mc Croskey, 1975; Rebel,

1985; Usoff & Feldman, 1998)

The accounting professional bodies in Australia have also recognized the critical

importance of the development of generic skills and attributes for accounting graduates.

Based on the work of Birkett (1993) professional bodies have produced Accreditation

Guidelines for Universities making explicit their expectations of the generic (cognitive

and behavioral) skill level of graduates. Graduate attributes being developed during

accounting programs should now go well beyond disciplinary or technical knowledge and

expertise and include qualities that prepare graduates as life-long learners; as global
citizens; as agents for social good, and for personal development in light of an unknown

future (Bowden and Marton, 1998; Barrie, 2004).

Therefore, the skills and attributes expected for future accounting professionals

constitute a standard that should guide the educational behavior of students to fit in the

demand of the job market. Thus, practitioners knowledge about these prevailing skills

may shape the students motivation, awareness and implementation of strategy that

facilitate the acquisition of skills needed for their career improvement.

Many writers internationally suggest that the gap between education and practice

is widening requiring curriculum change (Bowden and Masters, 1993; Crebbin, 1997;

Wiggin, 1997; Yap, 1997; Albrecht and Sack, 2000). In Spain and the UK the higher

education systems are being revised to improve the quality of education and to reduce the

expectations gap relating to employer demands (Hassell, et al, 2005). Within the

profession competitive pressures and technology have led to expectations that accounting

graduates demonstrate additional competencies with increasing importance given to

nonaccounting capabilities and skills. Elliott and Jacobson (2002) suggest that

accountants need education in complementary bodies of knowledge such as

organizational behavior, issues in strategic management, measurement and analytical

skills. Leveson (2000) also suggests that in industry, particularly in business, oral

communication is the key communication. Further, the lack of a shared vocabulary

between education and work contributes to the difference in the relative importance of

key generic skills between industry.

This study which was focused on practitioners who work in public accounting

firms in Balibago, Angeles City. The center of this study is on understanding what are the
prevailing skills needed in practice was essential since its findings provided relevant data

that may be used by the tertiary educational institutions in field of accounting education.

Involving the employers, practitioners, and employees are the respondents of the study.

The findings of this study would further provide information that may help for

accounting or business students and soon to be employee as they finish their degree

courses to become aware on the impact of a diverse work environment in public practice

and further enhance their continuous direction in providing a critical analysis of these

prevailing skills that will meet the practitioners demands in selection and hiring to be

aspirant employees in the future.

Herewith, the researchers came up with the study because there is a way to

address entry-level accounting profession about the prevailing skills needed for entering

in public practice. This view is supported also by (Hastings, Philip & Lannie, 2002) noted

that in order for accountants to find relevance in the ever-changing world in business,

they have to demonstrate new skills.

Conceptual Framework

The study was conducted by the researchers because there is a need to

conceptualized new skills that most prevailing in accounting firms in Balibago, Angeles

City that will create awareness and may enhance new dimensions of knowledge about the

current demand of most practitioners in selection and hiring of their employees. Some

studies say that individuals can influence their career progress by adopting behavioral

strategies and by developing the relational dimension and skills deemed important by
employers in order to facilitate their career success. This study contains independent and

dependent variables.

This study aims to determine what are the prevailing skills among practitioners in

the accounting firms, to examined the differences among each practitioner in the four

firms and to find out if there is a significant relationship among the variables of each

skills. The practitioners in four accounting firms are the independent variable. The

dependent variables are the prevailing skills in no specific order or ranked (a) Technical

Skills, (b) Management Skills, (c) Intellectual Skills, (d) Interpersonal Skills, (e) Personal

Skills, (f) Information Technology Skills, and (g) Physical Qualities.

The term skills is the ability and capacity acquired through deliberate,

systematic, and sustained effort to smoothly and adaptively carryout complex activities or

job functions involving ideas (cognitive skills), things (technical skills), and/or people

(interpersonal skills). (http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/skill.html)

Technical skills are the knowledge and abilities needed to accomplish

mathematical, engineering, scientific or computer-related duties, as well as other specific

tasks relating to technology. (http://www.investopedia.com).

Non-technical skills can be defined as the cognitive, social, and personal

resource skills that complement technical skills, and contribute to safe and efficient task

performance. (https://academic.oup.com)
 The term management skills refers to the technique, practice, or science of

managing a company, business, et. (https://www.collinsdictionary.com)

According to Cambridge University, intellectual skills refer to critical, analytical,

synthesizing and problem-solving skills.

The term intellectual skills include the assimilation of new knowledge, the

development of a critical analysis of studied information, and the application of basic

knowledge in wider contexts. (https://www.reference.com)

The term interpersonal skills refers to the life skills we use every day when we

communicate and interact with other people, both individually and in groups.

(http://www.skillsyouneed.com). Moreover, personal skills are work-related skills a

person can have that are more related to individual traits than specific job skills, such as

the ability to type a certain number of words per minute or code in a specific language.

(https://www.reference.com)

According to (http://www.thefreedictionary.com) Quality defined as

an inherent or distinguishing characteristic. Physical characteristics are defining traits or

features about your body (http://examples.yourdictionary.com) The term information

technology (IT) is the application of computers to store, study, retrieve, transmit, and

manipulate data, or information, often in the context of a business or other enterprise

(https://en.wikipedia.org).
 Therefore, the whole study was conducted to determine these skills that have an

impact to ones accounting professional. The study used purposive sampling and

surveyed with 20 respondents in the four accounting firms in Balibago. The respondent

was mainly accounting and business majors or mainly called accounting professionals.

Prevailing Skills
Among Practitioners in
Firm A the Accounting Firms
in Balibago, Angeles
City

A. Technical Skills
Firm B
B. Management
Skills
C. Information
Technology
Skills
Firm C
D. Physical
Qualities
E. Intellectual Skills
F. Interpersonal
Firm D Skills
G. Personal Skills

Figure 1: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS ON THE PREVAILING SKILLS AMONG

PRACTITIONERS IN THE ACCOUNTIG FIRMS IN BALIBAGO

Statement of the problem

This study addresses the following research questions:

What are the prevailing skills among practitioners in the accounting firms in

Balibago?

Is there a significant difference in terms of skills among the accounting firms?

Is there a significant relationsip among the variables of prevailing skills?

Research Objectives

The objective of this paper is to propose a plan for future development in accounting

career by determining the prevailing skills among practitioners in the field of Public

Accounting and examining the difference and relationship of technical and generic skills

and their variables.

Hypotheses

Based from the statement of the problem and the conceptual framework drawn, the

following null hypotheses were tested:

1. Technical skills are the most prevailing skills in the accounting firms in Balibago,

Angeles City.

2. There is no significant difference in terms of prevailing skills between the accounting

firms in Balibago, Angeles City.

3. There is no significant relationship between the different types of skills prevailing in

the accounting firms in Balibago, Angeles City.

Significance of the Study

It is significant to study the relationship among the different type of skills and the

differences existing between the accounting firms in Balibago, Angeles City for the

following reasons:

The Practitioners

The result of this study will give current and prospective practitioners, under

public accounting, ideas what skills to possess and how they can improve themselves

with respect to skills needed in an accounting firm. Therefore, they can improve their

performance in their respective practices.

The Employers in Public Accounting

To help them know and understand what are the prevailing skills needed to be

possessed by his/her employees in order to gain competitive advantage in its industry.

The Students

To enhance students, who are interested in working in a public accounting firm,

awareness as to what skills they are needed to possess in entering an accounting firm in

the near future.

The College Department

To create awareness as to the important skills needed in the public sector which

can be included in the students curriculum.

The Future Researchers

 They can use this study as a reference for conducting similar study.

Scope and Limitation of the Study

The study was conducted to practitioners in accounting firms in Balibago,

Angeles City during February 2016. It aims to determine the prevailing skills among

practitioners in accounting firms. These firms were composed of practitioners that

possessed different professions and these firms were identified through their registry of

their business in City Hall. The study did not include all firms due to rejection and it did

not include all practitioners due to companys policy. Aside from the foresaid purpose,

this study is also conducted for the compliance of researchers qualifications for

graduation.

RESEARCH METHOD

Research Design

This research will use descriptive under quantitative methods. A descriptive

research involves gathering data that describe events and then organizes, tabulates,

depicts, and describes the data collection. Descriptive research can be either quantitative

or qualitative. Quantitative research involves collections of quantitative information that

can be tabulated along a continuum in numerical form, such as scores on a test or the

number of times a person chooses to use a-certain feature of a multimedia program.

(Glass & Hopkins, 1984). In accordance with the definition above, this research wants to

identify what are the prevailing skills among practitioners in the accounting firms in

Balibago, Angeles City. The research also wants to know if there is a significant

difference in the prevailing skills between each firm using comparative analysis.

Relationship among the said skills is also studied in this research.

Participants

The researchers have chosen the accounting firms of Balibago, Angeles City

because there are early studies reveals that business majors on their job preferences aims

to work in public accounting. Stolle (1976), reports that students prefer jobs in public

accounting as opposed to other scope of practice. According also from the study of

Melcher, et. al., 1985 documented that students perceived that public accounting firms

provides greatest satisfaction than the private industry. Another factor why accounting

firms were chosen as the participants is because the researchers line of interest is in the

accounting field.

Sampling

The participants of the study were composed of 20 practitioners from the 4 firms

around Balibago, Angeles City.

Purposive sampling is the basic sampling technique used in this study. Purposive

sample is a non-probability sample that is selected based on characteristics of a

population and the objective of the study. It is also known as judgmental, selective, or

subjective sampling (Ashley Crossman, Sociology expert).

Data Gathering Instruments

The research instrument used in this study was a survey-questionnaire designed

for the gathering of relevant data needed which was modified by the researchers with the

help of the consultant from a research titled Skills and Attributes Needed for Success in

Accounting Career: Do Employers Expectations Fit with Students Perceptions?

Evidence from Tunisia, made by Mohamed Faker Klibi & Ahmed Atef Oussii.
Questionnaire is a written set of questions that are given to people in order to collect facts

or opinions about something (http://www.merriam-webster.com). It consists of 42 items

divided into seven categories: (1) Technical skills (accounting, financial and tax), (2)

management skills, (3) IT skills, (4) Physical qualities, (5) Intellectual skills, (6)

Interpersonal skills and (7) Personal skills. The respondents were asked to rate 42

skills/attributes on a scale ranging from 1 (not at all important) to 5 (extremely

important). In order to make sure of its validity, the first draft of the survey instrument

was pilot-tested on two small group of accounting students and to a practitioner expert in

the said field to assess the instruments face validity and clear up any ambiguity and

wording issues. The questionnaire was also submitted to the researchers adviser for

corrections and suggestions. Several changes were made and some items which are not

considered relevant to the study were discarded. The revised form was then approved and

used by the researchers.

Data Gathering Procedures

The researchers requested in Angeles City Hall for the list of registered

accounting firms in Angeles City and have successfully acquired the target data. The

researchers then personally distributed a total of 20 questionnaires to the practitioner

respondents and were asked to nominate the prevailing skills among practitioners in the

accounting firms in Balibago, Angeles City. The questions and directions were explained

well and the respondents were assured that information would be confidential. Since the

identities are not important, the researchers gave people the option of being anonymous.

Participants were given enough time to respond to the brief questionnaire and then the
researchers collected the surveys after two days. After collecting the accomplished

questionnaires, the researchers tabulated the data based on the responses of the

respondents. There were no incentives offered for participating in the research. Though

there were a total of 7 firms around Balibago, Angeles City, the researchers were only

able to acquire information from 4 firms due to rejection. Also, the researchers were able

to gather information from a limited number of practitioners in some firms due to strict

company policy.

Statistical Tools Used

After the collection of the questionnaire, the responses were tallied, tabulated and

analyzed. After the responses to the survey question have been recorded, different

statistical treatments were used.

The researchers computed the weighted mean score for each specific skill to

determine the prevailing skills among practitioners in the accounting firms. Rankings

were also developed to summarize the relative importance of various generic skills,

personality characteristics and technical skills. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) is also

used in determining if there is a significant difference on the prevailing skills used by the

practitioners between each firm. Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient of Karl

Pearson is also used in determining if there is a significant relationship among each type

of skills and in statistically validating the survey-questionnaire. The researchers used a

five-point Likert scale to clearly analyze and interpret the results of the study.
RESULTS
This section dealt with the outcome of the study conducted. It was presented here,
the prevailing skills among 20 practitioners from four public accounting firms in
Balibago, Angeles City. Tables were used to enrich the narrative description.
The results were composed of four (4) tables: Table 1) Prevailing Skills based on
Group Mean; Table 2) Prevailing Skills based on Individual Mean; Table 3) Differences
among Accounting Firms based on each Type of Skills; Table 4) Relationship among the
Variables of each Type of Skills; and Table 5) List of Hypotheses that Point to
Significant Results.

Table 1
Prevailing Skills based on Group Mean
Skills Mean Rank
Technical Skills 4.608333 3rd
Management Skills 4.008333 6th
Information Technology Skills 4.375 5th
Physical Qualities 3.866667 7th
Intellectual skills 4.666667 1st
Interpersonal Skills 4.625 2nd
Personal Skills 4.458333 4th

This table presents the data gathered about the prevailing skills among
practitioners in the accounting firms in Balibago, Angeles City. It was resulted that
Intellectual skills ranked as being the highest skills with a weighted mean of 4.67 and
physical qualities being the lowest with a weighted mean of 3.87. This results was
supported by Hunton (2002) argue that many traditional accounting tasks can be reliably
automated supporting claims that practitioners worth is now increasingly reflected in
higher order skills such as critical thinking, problem solving and analytical skills. In
contrast, Blanthorne, et al (2005) provide some evidence that for entry-level accountants
in public accounting, technical skills are most important for advancement.
Table 2
Prevailing Skills based on Individual Mean
Skills Mean Rank
A. Technical Skills
1. Prepare financial Statements 4.85 1st
2. Conduct Inventory and check 26th
4.35
accounting record
3. Mastering Tax System 4.85 2nd
4. Bookkeeping 4.40 24th
5. Conduct audits and prepare final reports 4.85 3rd
6. Prepare Payroll 4.35 27th
B. Management Skills
1. Organize and manage human resources 4.1 0 34th
2. Mastering Good governance series 3.90 39th
3. Participate in planning 4.25 28th
4. Develop business plans 4.15 33rd
5. Actuarial and risk assessment 4.00 35th
6. Advertising and promotion 3.65 40th
C. Information Technology Skills
1. The selection and the use of appropriate 16th
4.55
software
2. Computer Security skill 4.55 17th
3. Use and understand various information 4.45 22nd
4. Describe and use a procedure for data 29th
4.25
interchange
5. Perform electronic transfer of 30th
4.25
accounting data
6. Familiar with hardware tools like 32nd
4.20
servers, printers, VoIP, networking and
telecommunication skills
D. Physical Qualities
1. Good posture and looking presentable 4.25 31st
2. Personal health practices 4.50 21st
3. Personal style 4.00 36th
4. Practice Sports 3.60 41th
5. Clothing 3.95 37th
6. Facial stigmas (scars) 2.90 42nd
E. Intellectual Skills
1. Organize workload and handle tight 4th
4.80
deadlines
2. Select and assign work priorities 4.65 8th
3. Critical thinking 4.65 9th
4. The ability to use various information 4.60 13th
5. Pressure resistance 4.70 7th
6. Find effective ways to solve problems 4.60 14th
F. Interpersonal Skills
1. The ability to inspire confidence 10th
4.65
(credibility, honesty)
2. Capacity for dialogue, exchange and 18th
4.55
negotiation
3. Collaborate with other teams 4.75 5th
4. Present and defend points of view and 11th
the outcomes of their own work, in 4.65
writing, to clients, and superiors
5. Leadership 4.55 19th
6. Listen effectively to obtain information 4.60 15th
G. Personal Skills
1. Desire for personal success 4.45 23rd
2. Continuous learning 4.65 12th
3. Self confidence 4.75 6th
4. Social adaptability 4.55 20th
5. Sense of humor 3.95 38th
6. Tenacity, perseverance and self- 25th
4.40
motivation

Table II represents the prevailing skills among practitioners based on individual

mean. It was resulted that preparing financial statements, mastering tax systems and
conducting an audits which were under the technical skills ranked as the top three most
prevailing skills based on individual mean. On the other hand, facial stigmas and
practicing sports which were under the physical qualities and advertising and promotion
which were under the management skills were the top three least prevailing skills which
also based on individual mean.
Table 3
Differences among Accounting Firms based on each Type of Skills
Skills F value F crit Reject H?
Technical Skills 1.625095 3.238872 No
Management Skills 6.003843 3.238872 Yes
Information Technology Skills 0.8137 3.238872 No
Physical Qualities 4.051927 3.238872 Yes
Intellectual skills 1.976565 3.238872 No
Interpersonal Skills 4.814628 3.238872 Yes
Personal Skills 2.694064 3.238872 No

It was hypothesized that (Ho-3) there is no significant relationship between each

type of skills prevailing in the accounting firms in Balibago, Angeles City.
Table III shows the relationship between the variable among each type of
skills. It was noticed that there were seven (7) variables were significantly related to each
other. Technical and Interpersonal (r=0.5, p<0.43); Management and Information
Technology (r=0.44, p<0.43); Management and Physical (r=0.57, p<0.43); Management
and Interpersonal (r=0.58, p<0.43); Intellectual and Interpersonal (r=0.79, p<0.43);
Intellectual and Personal (r=0.56, p<0.43); and Interpersonal and Personal (r=0.52,
p<0.43) were significantly related with each other.
Table 4
Relationship among the Variables of each Type of Skills
Skills Pearson r Reject H?
Technical vs. Management 0.10388556 0.433 No
Technical vs. Information Technology 0.10822 0.433 No
Technical vs. Physical Qualities -0.07187 0.433 No
Technical vs. Intellectual 0.349132 0.433 No
Technical vs. Interpersonal 0.543213 0.433 Yes
Technical vs. Personal 0.294 0.433 No
Management vs. Information Technology 0.43652 0.433 Yes
Management vs. Physical Qualities 0.566479 0.433 Yes
Management vs. Intellectual 0.372229 0.433 No
Management vs. Interpersonal 0.58221 0.433 Yes
Management vs. Personal 0.267994 0.433 No
Information Technology vs. Physical Qualities 0.1117099 0.433 No
Information Technology vs. Intellectual 0.198777 0.433 No
Information Technology vs. Interpersonal 0.402454 0.433 No
Information Technology vs. Personal 0.314533 0.433 No
Physical Qualities vs. Intellectual 0.156522 0.433 No
Physical Qualities vs. Interpersonal 0.329565 0.433 No
Physical Qualities vs. Personal 0.364023 0.433 No
Intellectual vs. Interpersonal 0.792197 0.433 Yes
Intellectual vs. Personal 0.56344 0.433 Yes
Interpersonal vs. Personal 0.523394 0.433 Yes

Differences on the Prevailing Skills among Practitioners in the Field of Public Practice
It was hypothesized that (Ho-2) there is no significant difference on the
prevailing skills among practitioners in the accounting firms in Balibago, Angeles City.
This table presents the differences among practitioners based on each type
of skills. Using an alpha level of 0.05, One Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was
conducted to evaluate whether each type of skills differed significantly among the four
firms. If F> F crit, it shows that there is a significant difference. On the other hand, if F<
F crit, there is no significant difference. It was resulted that there was significant
difference for Management, Physical Qualities and Interpersonal Skills as manifested by
the F-value of 6.03 and F-critical of 2.24 for management skills. While on physical
qualities it shows that there is a significant difference with F-value of 4.05 and F-crit of
3.24. Lastly, F-value of 4.81 and F-crit of 3.14 indicated that there was a significant
difference when it comes to interpersonal skills.
Table 5
List of Hypotheses that Point to Significant Results
 Null Hypothesis Test P-value Reject H?
1. Technical skills are the most prevailing Descriptive Yes
skills in the accounting firms in Balibago, Analysis
Angeles City.

2. There is no significant difference in One-way

terms of prevailing skills between the ANOVA
accounting firms in Balibago, Angeles
City.
Management Skills One-way 6.003843 Yes
ANOVA
Physical Qualities One-way 4.051927 Yes
ANOVA
Interpersonal Skills One-way 4.814628 Yes
ANOVA
3. There is no significant relationship Pearson r
between the different types of skills
prevailing in the accounting firms in
Balibago, Angeles City.
Technical vs. Interpersonal Pearson r 0.543213 Yes
Management vs. Information Technology Pearson r 0.43652 Yes
Management vs. Physical Qualities Pearson r 0.566479 Yes
Management vs. Interpersonal Pearson r 0.58221 Yes
Intellectual vs. Interpersonal Pearson r 0.792197 Yes
Intellectual vs. Personal Pearson r 0.56344 Yes
Interpersonal vs. Personal Pearson r 0.523394 Yes

CONCLUSIONS

The study was able to identify to prevailing skills among practitioners in the accounting

firms in Angeles City. It was found out that Intellectual skills are the most prevailing and

physical qualities are the least prevailing based on group mean. However, three technical

skills ranked the most prevailing skills based on individual mean. This is because all

intellectual skills were included on the top 15 most prevailing skills while only three

technical skills were included. This study was also able to find significant difference

among the four accounting firms based on management, physical, and interpersonal
skills. Moreover, the researchers were also able to determine that there is a significant

relationship between technical and interpersonal skills, management and information

technology skills, management skills and physical qualities, management and

interpersonal skills, intellectual and interpersonal skills, intellectual and personal skills,

and interpersonal and personal skills.

Recommendations

The researchers of this study aimed to contribute I strengthening the development

in accounting career. Considering the prevailing skills among practitioners in the

accounting firms in Balibago, Angeles City. Moreover, further analysis based on

comparison of different mean score revealed that Intellectual skills ranked as the most

prevailing skills and therefore the study aimed to create awareness and motivation for

future accounting professionals and students who have stake or interest to work in

Public practice to add more value and enhance their skills for their career advancement.

The results of the study have some common limitations such as the proximity of

the scope of the study. Hence, this aspect of the study is suggested to be explored for

further understanding. Future researchers should include more studies about the

prevailing skills in other scope of practice. Future researchers should also widen their

propose scope of study as compared to this research where they may extend their scope

within Angeles City. Researchers also suggest that they may add more skills aside from

the skills used in the study.

Lastly, this research could serve as reference to other related and incoming studies

just like researchers did when they were doing and accomplishing this research.
 Definition of Terms

Practitioner- person actively engaged in the practice of a profession.

Public Accounting Practice- provides a variety of accounting and business

services to clients. They are accounting firms that offer fee-paying services including

audit, assurance, or management consultancy.

Generic Skill- is one which is not specific to work in a particular occupation or

industry but it is important for work, education and life in general.

Technical Skills- are the knowledge and capabilities to perform specialized tasks

related in accounting.

Management Skill- is the ability to make business decisions and lead

subordinates within a company.

Information Technology Skills- are the knowledge and capabilities to perform

and use computer and other related field in information technology.

Physical Qualities- defining traits or features about your body.

Intellectual Skills- refer to critical, analytical and problem-solving skills. It

includes the assimilation of new knowledge and the development of critical analysis.

Interpersonal Skills- are the skills used by a person to interact with others

properly
 Personal Skills- can be described as personality and behavioural traits that

determine how people act in a work place context, including how manage themselves,

perform work and interact with co- workers and management.

REFERENCES

Journals and Periodicals

ACNeilsen, 1998, Research on Employer Satisfaction with Graduate Skills Interim

Report, May 1998, (Evaluations and Investigations Program, Higher Education Division,

Department of Employment, Education Training and Youth Affairs,

http://www.deetya.gov.au/divisions/hed/highered/eippubs.htm, 1998).

ACNielsen Research Services, 2000, Employer Satisfaction with Graduate Skills:

Research Report, Evaluations and Investigations Programme Higher Education Division,

DETYA. Adler, R.W., and M.J. Milne, 1996, Participative Learning, Chartered

Accountants Journal, March, 9-13.

Aikin, M.W., J.S. Martin, and J.G.P. Paolillo, 1994, Requisite skills of business school

graduates: Perceptions of senior corporate executives, Journal of Education for Business,

69(3), 159-162.

Albrecht, W.S. and R.J. Sack, 2000, Accounting Education: Charting the Course through

a Perilous, Accounting Education Series, 16, 1-72.

Blanthorne, Cindy, Sak Bhamornsiri and Robert E. Guinn (2005) Are technical skills still

important? The CPA Journal: 64-65

Daly, J. A., & McCroskey, J. C. (1975). Occupational Desirability and Choice as a

Function of Communication Apprehension. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 22(4),

309-313. Retrieved from:

Glass, G.V and Hopkins , R.D (1988). Statistical Metod in education and psychlogy ,

Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Henry (2005). Rote Learning of Little use in Job Market. Sidney: Henry and Sons Ltd.

Holmes, L., 2000, Reframing the skills agenda in higher education: Graduate identity and

the double warrant, in: D. Preston ed., University of Crisis, Rodopi Press. Retrieved

from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0748-5751(90)90003-P.

Hunton, J.E., 2002, Blending Information and Communication Technology with

Accounting Research, Accounting Horizons, 16 (1), 56-67

Lee, D.W., and C. Blaszczynski, 1999, Perspectives of Fortune 500 executives on the

competency requirements for accounting graduates, Journal of Education for Business,

75(2), 104-108.

Melcher, Trini, Duangploy O., and Owings G.W. Students Attitudes Toward Future

Accounting Employment. Ohio CPA Journal 44.3 (1985): 27-29. Albrecht, S. W.

(2002). Accounting education on the edge. BizEd (March April): 4045.

Novin, A. M., Pearson, M. A., & Senge, S. V. (1990). Improving the curriculum for

aspiring management accountants: The practitioner's point of view. Journal of

Accounting Education, 8, 207-224. Retrieved from:

https://scholar.google.com.ph/scholar?bav=on.2,or.&bvm=bv.148073327,d.dGo&biw=91

1&bih=441&dpr=1.5&um=1&ie=UTF-8&lr&cites=13781378127571345515

Siegel, G. (2000). The image of corporate accountants. Strategic Finance, 82(2), 71.

Stolle, Carlton D. Students views of the public and Industrial Accountant. The journal

of Accountancy (May 1976) :106-109.

Thesis and Dissertations

Crisis, Rodopi Press. Howieson, B. (2003). Accounting practice in the new millennium:

Is accounting education ready to meet the challenge? British Accounting Review 35(2):

60-104.

De Lange, P., Jackeling, B., & Gut, A. (2006). Accounting Graduates' perceptions of

skills emphasis in Australian undergraduate accounting courses: an investigation from

two Victorian universities. Accounting and Finance, 46, 365-386. Retrieved from:

Glass, G.V., & Hopkins, R.D. (1984). Statistical Methods in Education and Psychology.

Englewood Cliffs, NJ.: Prentice Hall

Hastings, C. I., Philip, R. & Lannie, S. (2002). The state of accounting curriculum:

Where it is and where it needs to be. Arizona State University, Working Paper 131.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-629X.2006.00173.x.

Mohamed Faker Klibi & Ahmed Atef Oussii (2013) Skills and Attributes Needed for

Success in Accounting Career: Do Employers Expectations Fit with Students

Perceptions? Evidence from Tunisia. Retrieved from:

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2512695
Notes

Note 1. Ministry of Manpower and Income Security, PSC. Text taken from "Report of the

respondents' recognition of professional skills, Government of Quebec, in January 1988.

Online Sources

http://www.investopedia.com, April 3, 2010

http://www.reference.com, January 15, 2013

http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/skill.html, February 12, 2017

http://www.collinsdictionary.com, February 2, 2003

http://www.en.wikipedia.org, August 1, 2012

http://www.examples.yourdictionary.com, June 17, 2010

http://www.meriam-webster.com/dictionary/questionnaire, 2016

http://www.reference.com, February 8, 2017

http://www.sociology.about.com/od/types-of-samples/alPurposive-Sample.htm,

December 13, 2016

http://www.socioloy.about.com/od/Types-of-Samples/a/Purpose, December 13, 2016

http://www.thefreedictionary.com, July 20, 2016

 Appendix A
Statistical Validation

4th year 3rd year

4.80 4.90
4.30 4.40
4.30 4.40
4.70 4.70
4.50 4.70
4.30 3.60
4.30 4.30
4.40 4.00
4.10 4.30
3.90 4.00
3.90 3.90
3.00 3.70
4.50 4.00
4.40 3.80
4.70 4.40
4.00 3.80
4.30 4.00
4.40 4.10
3.50 4.10
4.10 4.70
3.40 3.60
2.90 2.70
3.90 3.70
2.50 2.60
4.70 4.70
4.80 4.50
4.90 4.50
4.70 4.60
4.70 4.40
4.90 4.80
4.70 4.60
4.40 4.70
4.30 4.40
4.60 4.40
4.10 4.20
4.70 4.70
4.60 3.90
4.70 4.80
4.70 4.80
4.40 4.80
3.60 3.90
4.40 4.70
P-value = 0.816401 > 0.4333
 Appendix B.
Content Validation

QUESTIONNAIRE

Name Company:____________________
(Optional):_________________________

As part of our thesis entitled A Critical Analysis on the Prevailing Skills among
Practitioners in the Accounting Firms in Balibago, Angeles City. We are conducting
a survey to investigate the skills used in the field of Public Accounting. Any information
obtained in connection with this study that can be identified with you will remain
confidential.

Instruction: Please check and rate how important it is for practitioners to have the
following skills using the following scales:
Extremely Very Important Somewhat Not very Not at all
Important (5) (4) Important (3) Important (2) Important (1)

A. Technical Skills 5 4 3 2 1
1. Prepare financial statements
2. Conduct inventory and check
accounting record
3. Mastering tax system
4. Bookkeeping
5. Conduct audits and prepare final
reports
6. Prepare payroll
B. Management Skills
1. Organize and manage human
resources
2. Mastering Good Governance series
3. Participate in planning
4. Develop business plans
5. Actuarial and risk assessment
6. Advertising and promotion
 Appendix C
Letter to Respondent

Dear Respondents,

We, the fourth year Bachelor of Science in Accounting Technology students of

Systems Plus College Foundation are conducting a thesis entitled A Critical Analysis
on the Prevailing Skills among Practitioners in the Accounting Firms in Balibago,
Angeles City as a requirement for the course. The objective of this research is to
examine the prevailing skills of practitioners in public practice and propose a plan for
future development in accounting career.

In line with this, we would like to ask a little of your time to be one of our
respondents. Rest assured that all data gathered will be treated with the highest
confidentially and will be used for academic purposes only.

Thank you very much for your time and help to this endeavor.

Respectfully yours,
The Researchers
 Appendix D
Sample Request Letter

January 20, 2017

To whom it may concern,

We, the students of Systems Plus College Foundation, 4th year Bachelor of
Science in Accounting Technology students will be having a thesis entitled A Critical
Analysis on the Prevailing Skills among Practitioners in the Accounting Firms in
Balibago, Angeles City. In view of this, we would like to respectfully request from
your good office the complete list of Public Firms in Angeles City which will be used as
a reference in our study.
Rest assured that all data gathered will be treated with the highest confidentially
and will be used for academic purposes only. We hope that you will grant us your time
and trust.

Thank you for your support and may the Good Lord Bless you always.

Respectfully yours,
The Researchers

Noted by:

_________________________

Mr. Catalino N. Mendoza, DMS, PhD, DBA

__________________________
Mr. Gian Carlo N. Catahum, CPA, MBM, CB, CMITAP, RCA, RBP
 Appendix E.
List of Accounting Firms in Angeles City

Republic of the Philippines

OFFICE OF THE MAYOR
City of Angeles
LIST OF BUSINESS ESTABLISHMENT

No. Business Business Name Owner / Registered Address

ID Name

1 2003004527 ACCOUNTING Palacio Jr., Ernesto R Rm. 106 JAKE

OFFICE GONZALES BLVD.
SONNY LAO BLDG.
VIRGEN DELOS
REMEDIOS
2 2003005794 SICANGCO, MENOR, SICANGCO, MENOR, # 2 DONA GLORIA ST VILLA
VILLANUEVA AND CO. VILLANUEVA AND CO. GLORIA SUBD. SAN JOSE
ACCOUNTING FIRM ACCOUNTING FIRM
3 2004002155 LIBERATO T. REYES LIBERATO T. REYES AND 1551 MANUELA AVE. MAC
AND ASSOCIATES ASSOCIATES ARTHUR HIWAY
BALIBAGO
4 2005000213 NOEL C. DAVID, CPA David, Noel C 2/F HENSON ST DE
GUZMAN BLDG. LOURDES
NORTH WEST
5 2007000514 LILIBETH F. RAMOS - Ramos, Lilibeth F. Rm. 206 BPI ARCADE
ACCOUNTING OFFICE NEPO MART COMPLEX
SANTO ROSARIO
6 2008002593 ADELIZA G. GUINTO Guinto, Adeliza 075-f 2nd Flr. A.m.c Bldg.
ACCOUTING FIRM Gotiangco JAKE GONZALES BLVD.
VIRGEN DELOS REMEDIOS
7 2008002770 C.N.M. ACCOUNTING David, Crisanda 3176 R.D.REYES ST.
& BOOKEEPING Mercado LOURDES NORTH WEST
SERVICES
8 2008003897 YOLANDA M. Tolentino, Yolanda M. 300 Mezanine Floor MC
TOLENTINO ARTHUR HI WAY ALS
ACCOUNTING FIRM SHOPPING MALL
BALIBAGO
9 2009000435 CACE BUSINESS Espena, Maria Angeli C. 669 2/f #2 Delma Christle
CONSULTANCY Bldg. RIZAL EXTENSION
SERVICES CUTCUT
10 2010001685 JOSEPH DENNIS C. Sangalang, Joseph 2/f 4776 Montang Ave.
SANGALANG Dennis C. Service Rd. DIAMOND
ACCOUNTING FIRM SUBD. BALIBAGO
11 2011000658 AGUSTIN, MALLARI, AGUSTIN, MALLARI, 101 Agalang-wong Bldg.
AGUARIN & AGUARIN & MAC ARTHUR HIGHWAY
ASSOCIATES CO. ASSOCIATES CO. BALIBAGO
12 2012001080 ROSE MARIE SANGA- Nacpil, Rose Marie S. Blk-1 Lot-11 Alfonso Ave.,
NACPIL ACCOUNTING HOLY FAMILY VILLAGE
OFFICE CUTCUT
13 2013011174 L.A. DE JESUS AND L.A. DE JESUS AND 2/f Cj Commercial Complex
ASSOCIATES, CPAS ASSOCIATES, CPAs 515 PANDAN-TABUN RD.
PANDAN
14 2013011184 ZULUETA-MALLARI ZULUETA-MALLARI Room 208 MIRANDA ST
BUSINESS SOLUTION, BUSINESS SOLUTION, LOURDES BLDG. SAN
CO. CO NICOLAS
15 2014000084 FERNANDO S. Nucum Jr., Fernando 4159 FRANCIS ST. NEPO
NUCUM, JR. Santos SUBD. CUTCUT
ACCOUNTING AND
AUDITING OFFICE
16 2014000130 DAJ ACCOUNTING Javier, Dulce Ann Sison Blk 51 Lot 21 Fiesta
AND CONSULTANCY Communities TABUN
SERVICES
17 2014000163 A.V. BERCES - DE Berces, Aira Vanessa 771 MC ARTHUR HI WAY
GUZMAN Arevalo SALAPUNGAN
ACCOUNTING AND
AUDITING FIRM
18 2014000307 M. NG & T. LOPEZ M. NG & T. LOPEZ 265 Mon Tang Ave.
PARTNERSHIP FIRM PARTNERSHIP FIRM BALIBAGO
19 2014011997 EMERITO L. SANCHEZ EMERITO L. SANCHEZ 26 Nepo Mart Complex.,
AND COMPANY AND COMPANY HILDA ST. SANTO
CERTIFIED PUBLIC CERTIFIED PUBLIC ROSARIO
ACCOUNTANTS ACCOUNTANTS
20 2015000038 E.G. QUITALIG & CO., E.G. QUITALIG & CO., Zeb Pharmacy Bldg. 206
CPAS CPAS SANTO ROSARIO ST STO.
DOMINGO
21 2015000071 G.B.T. NUCOM Nucom, Gerald Benedict 3/f Unit H Jev Bldg. MC
ACCOUNTING FIRM Tayag ARTHUR HI WAY
BALIBAGO
22 2015000897 MENDOZA NUGUID MENDOZA NUGUID CO. 46-a STO ENTIERRO
CO. SANTO CRISTO
23 2015001522 KYC ACCOUNTING Carolino, Keith Yves C. Unit 2 Plaridel Square
FIRM AND Building PLARIDEL ST.
MANAGEMENT SANTO ROSARIO
SERVICES
24 2016000976 SMS PROFESSIONALS SANGALANG, MERCADO 196a MC ARTHUR HI WAY
& CO. BALIBAGO
25 2016001340 ALAPAG, ALAPAG ALAPAG, ALAPAG AND 317 SAN PABLO ST
AND COMPANY, CPAS COMPANY, CPAS BALIBAGO
 Appendix F
Authorization Letter
 Appendix G
Sample Questionnaire

Name Company:____________________
(Optional):_________________________

As part of our thesis entitled A Critical Analysis on the Prevailing Skills among
Practitioners in the Accounting Firms in Balibago, Angeles City. We are conducting
a survey to investigate the skills used in the field of Public Accounting. Any information
obtained in connection with this study that can be identified with you will remain
confidential.

Instruction: Please check and rate how important it is for practitioners to have the
following skills using the following scales:
Extremely Very Important Somewhat Not very Not at all
Important (5) (4) Important (3) Important (2) Important (1)

C. Technical Skills 5 4 3 2 1
7. Prepare financial statements
8. Conduct inventory and check
accounting record
9. Mastering tax system
10. Bookkeeping
11. Conduct audits and prepare final
reports
12. Prepare payroll
D. Management Skills
7. Organize and manage human
resources
8. Mastering Good Governance series
9. Participate in planning
10. Develop business plans
11. Actuarial and risk assessment
12. Advertising and promotion
E. Information Technology Skills
 1. The selection and the use of
appropriate software
2. Computer Security skill
3. Use and understand various
information
4. Describe and use a procedure for data
interchange
5. Perform electronic transfer of
accounting data
6. Familiar with hardware tools like
servers, printers, VoIP, networking
and telecommunications devices
F. Physical Qualities
1. Good posture and looking presentable
2. Personal health practices
3. Personal style
4. Practice Sports
5. Clothing
6. Facial Stigmas (scars)
G. Intellectual Skills
7. Organize workload and handle tight
deadlines
8. Select and assign work priorities
9. Critical thinking
10. The ability to use various information
11. Pressure resistance
12. Find effective ways to solve problems
H. Interpersonal Skills
7. The ability to inspire confidence
(credibility, honesty)
8. Capacity for dialogue, exchange and
negotiation
9. Collaborate with other teams
 10. Present and defend points of view and
the outcomes of their own work, in
writing, to clients, and superiors
11. Leadership
12. Listen effectively to obtain
information
I. Personal Skills
7. Desire for personal success
8. Continuous learning
9. Self confidence
10. Social adaptability
11. Sense of humor
12. Tenacity, perseverance and self-
motivation

- END -
 Appendix H
Resume

Name : Kelly Calma Arriola

Course : BS in Accounting Technology
Address : #081 Purok 2 Hacienda, Pandacaqui, Mexico, Pampanga
Contact Number : 0935-187-7456
Email Address : Kelly.arriola96@gmail.com
Nickname : Kels
Age : 20
Birthday : September 16, 1996
Birthplace : Magalang, Pampanga
Gender : Female
Civil Status : Single
Religion : Roman Catholic
Nationality : Filipino
Language : English, Filipino, Kapampangan
Name : Carla Manatiga Carreon
Course : BS in Accounting Technology
Address : Blk 166 Lot 7 31-I St Talba Phase III, Madapdap Rest.,
Mabalacat City, Pampanga
Contact Number : 0909-088-0986
Email Address : manatigacarreon24@gmail.com
Nickname : La, Carl
Age : 19
Birthday : June 24, 1997
Birthplace : City of San Fernando, Pampanga
Gender : Female
Civil Status : Single
Religion : Roman Catholic
Nationality : Filipino
Language : English, Filipino, Kapampangan
Name : Myka Pineda Manaloto
Course : BS in Accounting Technology
Address : Blk 5 Lot 16 Phase 1 SapangBiabas Resettlement
Mabalacat City, Pampanga
Contact Number : 0926-942-1291
Email Address : manalotomyka@gmail.com
Nickname : Myks
Age : 20
Birthday : September 10, 1996
Birthplace : Mabalacat City, Pampanga
Gender : Female
Civil Status : Single
Religion : Christian
Nationality : Filipino
Language : English, Filipino, Kapampangan
Name : Jasmin Agustin Yumang
Course : BS in Accounting Technology
Address : 1886 Henson St. Claro M. Recto Angeles City, Pampanga
Contact Number : 0916-834-3970
Email Address : jasminyumang1997@gmail.com
Nickname : Jas, Ja
Age : 19
Birthday : September 27, 1997
Birthplace : Angeles City, Pampanga
Gender : Female
Civil Status : Single
Religion : Roman Catholic
Nationality : Filipino
Language : English, Filipino, Kapampangan