Chandler 1

Jake Chandler
Nancy Roche
Writing 1010-013
4 December 2014
The Prominence of Accounting at The University of Utah
In the University of Utah, the accounting department at the David Eccles School of
Business is ranked 22nd in the nation by Public Accounting Report. Every indication is that the
University of Utah is considered one of the best schools in the nation when accounting is the
topic of discussion. Its said that about 95 percent of graduates in accounting at the University of
Utah are employed within the first three months after completion of their degree. Students in the
Department of Accounting in the School of Business learn to keep financial accounts and learn
systems of recording and summarizing business functions.
Why is the accounting profession important to our society today? Everyone knows that
businesses drive most of the worlds economies, employ most people, and are responsible for the
advancement of our quality of life. It is essential that businesses run effectively and that they
contribute to society, or they will slow down or prevent the advancement of human civilization.
Accounting is a discipline that can assure that a business does everything right financially and
runs a sound operation. If someones business is not going as planned, accountants come in and
help the company/business to inform them what they can do better (or even sometimes they plan
a takeover). Accountants help businesses expand their companies and avoid fraud. If any
company wants to succeed, they will need at least one accountant no matter what; the presence
of an accountant is a way to provide a safe and successful business. We speak of the language
of business for a reasonthe accounting profession carries an elaborate understanding of

Chandler 2
techniques for understanding a businesss operations and finances, and that profession has
developed specialized language that is shared by its practitioners.
In order to learn that specialized language, new accountants need several years of study at
the university level. People who want to be accountants have to carefully consider their
educational options. They need to know that attending a better school will earn them more
respect from potential employers and therefore will help them find a job faster (a job that will
pay more). In the business school at the University of Utah, the accounting program is ranked
among the top 25 accounting programs in the United States. Because the Utah program is one of
the best, hiring a person from the University of Utah is something that any company would love.
In order to learn more about the accounting major at Utah, our research team spoke to
Shannon Leanne Charles, a Professor of accounting at the University of Utah, who was happy to
tell us more information about the accounting program at the U. She indicated that at the U
accounting is very popular major and one that is very selective about the people they choose to
admit. The selectivity is necessary because the major is not easy to complete. Professor Charles
said try and get as much info as possible about this major before really considering it, because
this major isnt for everyone. We asked her what skills a person gains from being an accountant,
and she replied that Logic, analysis, critical thinking, skepticism, ability to observe detail, and
accounting skills (obviously) are areas in which Utah accounting majors excel. As a business
major, each of these skills is highly need.
As we talked more about the discourse of accounting, Professor Charles explained that
theres not a huge difference among discourses in the various fields of business, each field of
business has its own technical language but overall its language meshes with those of other
specialized parts of business. Finance, accounting, marketing, operation management,

Chandler 3
entrepreneurship and business administration all eventually connect together. Professor Charles
described accounting as something like a puzzle board: once you have all the information about
the pieces its easy to bring it all together. She said thats why she enjoys it so much. She
elaborated, The reason students enjoy it so much is because it gives the ability to take these
numbers and put it all together, applying this specialized knowledge to help others.
Professor Charles said that during the years she has been involved with the department of
accounting it has hardly changed at all, even since she was in school, when university freshmen
were less mature. She said that she has always found that there are communities here at the U
through which students help each other achieve their dreams of being successful. She said that in
the culture of the business school, its absolutely encouraged that the upperclassmen in
accounting associate with other future accountants. One of the largest, most helpful groups is
Beta Alpha Psi, a group that is dedicated to providing opportunities and promoting character
traits that will allow its members to have a fulfilling experience which will aid them in finding
and holding successful and meaningful careers in the financial services industry (Beta alpha
psi).
There are also programs at the U like Leap Business where individuals matter,
according to their flyer. Leap Business provides a small class community where students have a
wealth of social and academic connections to the School of Business through advising, events,
clubs and other activities. It provides research skills, friendship, teamwork, collaboration, and
interesting discussions on ethical business issues and practices. It provides an introduction to
business concepts and the global economy with plenty of opportunities for participation and
leadership in the learning community. This wide variety of opportunities helps Utah business
students achieve superior knowledge of their field, which can ultimately lead them to be

Chandler 4
successful businesspeople. The accounting major enhances students skills, but students need to
know more before they can enter the accounting world.
There is a set of general rules and concepts applied in the accounting world that are
known as accounting's principles and guidelines. These basics help all accountants understand
the complexity of the profession in the context of the business world. The Financial Accounting
Standards Board (FASB) uses the accounting guidelines and principles as a basis to make their
own detailed rules and standards. The term "generally accepted accounting principles" (GAAP)
consists of three important sets of rules: (1) the basic accounting principles and guidelines, (2)
the detailed rules issued by FASB, and (3) the generally accepted industry practices.
There are multiple accounting principles that go into financial statements that businesses
share with the public and with regulators. Accountants need to make sure that the financial
statements abide by all good accounting principles. They need to make sure that all transactions
are recorded in a manner that is readable to all investors. The financial statements need to
include whether or not the business are going to exist long enough to complete all the businesses
goals and objectives. This is known as the Going Concern Principle. There are other principles
similar to the Going Concern Principle that are just as important and more than crucial to the
financial statement.
When accountants generate financial reports, they have certain expectations of the
information they present. The information needs to be reliable, verifiable and objective. There
needs to be consistency in the accounting information as well as comparability. These accounting
guidelines and principles are a huge impact and influence on financial statements and how they
are presented to investors, other business, co-workers, and other accountants. Having financial

Chandler 5
statements abide by these guidelines and principles will help businesses with investment and
credit decisions.
Accountants do more than just crunch numbers; they make sure that business' financial
statements are properly recorded. They make sure that records are accurate and taxes are paid on
time. They perform overviews of the financial operations of a business in order to help make
sure businesses are running efficiently. Accountants have a huge responsibility in business. They
examine statements to ensure accuracy. They make sure that statements and records comply with
guidelines and principles and making sure interestingly, they dont just lend a critical eye to the
work of other businesspeople; they also help businesses find better ways to succeed.
A person needs a relevant educational degree in order to work in the accounting field.
Higher levels of certification in accounting allow a person to take on more responsibility. Most
companies require some of their accountants to be Certified Public Accountants (CPAs). In order
to attain this certification, an accountant must have years of rigorous education and must pass a
difficult exam. Those accountants with a CPA have a higher rate of employment. Because there
is such a broad range of knowledge to master in the field of accounting, many accountants
specialize, depending on their client's needs. Accountants can range from public accountants who
fulfill broad accounting needs to Government accountants who maintain records and transactions
for the government.
Our research team observed that accountants-to-be in the Spencer Eccles Business School
Building seem to have a high sense of purpose. The majority of those people we saw going in
and out of accounting and business classes seemed upbeat, respectable, goal-oriented people.
Everyone had a destination to reach, and nobody was wasting any time getting there. These
people seem motivated and goal-oriented. Within the major, all the people we observed seem to

Chandler 6
have mastered time management. Not a person in sight seemed to have a second to spare, yet, no
one seemed rushed. This insinuates that this major is very time consuming and it is not meant for
everyone by any means, but those who strive to succeed in this major will have a pretty
comfortable life for the most part.
The majority of those found in the Business building also seemed to be very involved and
passionate about their major. However, many students nonchalantly left their classes early. We
could tell these were the freshman or sophomores taking general education courses or other
auxiliary classes. In short, it was very easy to tell who was passionate and successful in this
discourse and who was not.
That brings us into the most important aspect picked up during the observation, the
passion we saw and heard that is required to be an accounting major. This major requires your
whole self, period. To major in this field you must be not only willing to do and learn what is
needed to succeed, but you absolutely must care and have a desire to learn it as well.

Chandler 7
Works Cited
Business Degree Checklist 2014-2015. Salt Lake City: U of Utah, 2014. Print.
Business LEAP. Salt Lake City: U of Utah, 2014. Print.
Business LEAP Where Individual Matter. Salt Lake City: U of Utah, 2014. Print.
Business Scholars. Salt Lake City: U of Utah, n.d. Print.
Going Somewhere? Salt Lake City: U of Utah, n.d. Print.
Pre-Business Transfer Course Quick Reference. Salt Lake City: U of Utah, 2014. Print.
Master of Accounting. Salt Lake City: U of Utah, n.d. Print.
Recommended Pre-Business Schedules Based on Math Placement. Salt Lake City: U of Utah,
n.d. Print.
Undergraduate Career Management Center. Salt Lake City: U of Utah, n.d. Print.