Description
On this particular outline pertaining to the teacher and skills acquisition at business education from the perspective.
Arabian Journal of Business and Management Review (OMAN Chapter) Vol. 2, No.4, Nov. 2012
25
THE TEACHER AND SKILLS ACQUISITION AT BUSINESS
EDUCATION: FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF ACCOUNTING SKILLS
EZEANI Nneka Salome (Ph.D)
Department of Educational Foundation and Management
Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State
Abstract
The aim of entrepreneurship training as stipulated by the European Commission 2008, among
others include; raising awareness of students about business skills, knowledge, promoting
creativity, innovation and self-employment. This calls for entrepreneurship education that
will equip the students upon graduation to be fitted in the dynamic society. This includes the
acquisition of skills in areas that will be useful to business students and make them self-
reliant, independent and productive citizens of the society.This paper examines therefore, the
concepts of Business education, entrepreneurship education, its skills and skills acquisition. It
further discusses how students can acquire skills in accounting as aspect of business
education which is a tool that will enable him/her fit comfortable in his environment as an
individual.Finally, strategies for promoting entrepreneurship in Business Education
curriculum which include business teacher entrepreneur counselor, school workshops and
seminars and acquisition of entrepreneurship education skills are also discussed. It is
recommended among others that the curriculum developers should integrate those subjects
that will help the students to acquire necessary skills needed for sustenance of one’s life and
the society at large.
Keywords: Business Education, Entrepreneurship education, Skills acquisition, Business
Educators (Teachers)and Accounting skills.
Introduction
Education lies at the heart of every society. It is a key and a vital element in the broad
development of the nation’s youth’s capacity to address and solves difficulties. Education forms
the basis for the proactive and positive economic, social and political changes in the society.
Education remains the key to empowerment of the people and the nations as a whole (Olawolu
and Kaegon, 2012).
Education consolidates and builds upon basic education to empower the youth to really
live, function as a productive member of the society, earning a living, and contributing to societal
progress. Business education continuously builds on the knowledge, skills, values and attitude
learnt at the lower phases of education. The greatest weapon against poverty is education of the
youths. (Nwangwua, 2007). The author further explains that any form of education that does not
equip its beneficiaries with skills to be self-reliant is a faulty system of education. Kaegon (2009)
believes that business education must be ready to offer their recipients functional education that
will enhance performance as well as assist them to contribute meaning to the economic
development of the country.
According to Okereke and Okoroafor (2011) the desire of the Nigeria government to
attain the vision 20-20:20 20 and Millennium Development Goals (MDG) propelled the Nigerian
Educational Research and Development Council to revise the secondary education curricula. The
26
reason for this exercise is the transformation at the curriculum with the entrepreneurial
education, informational communication technology (ICT) skills, and civic education and for the
nation’s sustainable development.
The demand for higher education, particularly university education is on the increase all
over the world. Entrepreneurship education prepares youths to be responsible and entering
individuals, who become entrepreneurs or entrepreneurial thinkers by exposing them in real life
learning experiences where they will be required to think, take risks, manage circumstances and
incidentally learn from the outcome (Olawolu and Kaegon, 2012). Ememe (2010) observes that
entrepreneurship education enables youths to sekk for success in ventures through one’s effort.
Buttressing the above view, Okereke and Okoroafor (2011), asserts that entrepreneurial
education and ICT skills have been acknowledged world wide as a potent and viable tools for
self-empowerment, job and wealth creation. Business education has three basic career options,
such as skilled, vocational option, professional option and executive business education option.
(Okoh, 1999). The professional option include: auditing, administration and the accountancy
profession (Accounting), therefore, the accounting option is the focus for this study.
Business education as a discipline is expected to expose its recipients to diversity
curricula, hence, it is that type of education that inculcate in its recipients attitudes, knowledge,
skills, values that is required in the business world. This is a means of producing a healthy,
literate self-reliant citizen that would create wealth for human development, when they become
self-employed, thereby resulting to sustainable nation’s development at large. Business education
must have impacted accounting skills and creative knowledge required for employment
generation opportunities, such entrepreneurial skills and accounting competences that would also
make the business graduates to adopt some strategic survival instincts.
This paper therefore attempts to explore briefly the following:
? Concept of Business Education
? Concept of Entrepreneurship Education
? Acquisition of Entrepreneurial skills
? Skills acquisition in Accounting profession
? Strategies for promoting Entrepreneurship Education curriculum.
Concept of Business Education
Business education means many things to many people. Agwumezie (1999) sees business
education as a programme in education that prepares students for entry into and advancement of
jobs within the business. Aliyu (1999) have it as a programme one needs to be proud of if
properly designed, adequately prepared and religiously harmonized. Aliyu further affirms that
business education is an educational programme which involves acquisition of skills, knowledge
and competences which makes the recipient/beneficiary proficient. It is an umbrella under which
all business programmes take a shield, such as marketing, business administration, secretarial
studies and accounting.
To Igboke (2000:1), business education is a dynamic field of study geared towards
preparing youths and adults for and about business. It is a preparation for a career in business
when instruction is designed to prepare youths and adults for actual practice in the world of
business. On the other hand, education about business involves preparation of youths and adults
for intelligent and effective consumption of economic goods and services offered to society in
our free enterprise economy.
However, business education will produce responsible, productive and self-reliant
citizens. This highlights the importance of Business Education in inculcating in the recipients
knowledge, values, attitudes and skills needed in the business world.
27
The objectives of business education cannot be over emphasized, hence, business
education generally are borne out of the needs of industry, commerce and society. In addition, it
is career oriented that aims at preparing people for gainful employment.
The Areas of Business Education
Business education is however, broadly divided into three areas. Thus
Marketing/Distributive, Secretarial and Accounting education.
Their Relationships and the Teacher
The teacher acquires the skills of the three aspects of business education and effectively
orients these skills to the students. These lead to the students’ effective acquisition of skills by
the students positively affects their wellbeing as individuals in their families in particular and the
nation at large, thus addressing the nation’s sustainable development positively.
These aspects of branches call for many career opportunities in Business Education such
as retailing, wholesaling, word processing, record keeping, preparation of financial report,
auditing, consultancy services, advertising and public relation among others. All these
recommended business education as a vital tool for entrepreneurship. It is primarily concerned
with assisting the individual to be useful and as well as improving his/herself in the business
world which will in turn lead to the improvement of the society at large. All these depend on
how effective business education curriculum is implemented by the business educators.The
relevance of Business Education as a vital tool for entrepreneurship is the focus of this paper
with reference to accounting skill as a branch of business education.
Marketing/Distributive
Education
Skills
Students
The Teacher: Source of Orientation
Skills
Skills
Secretarial
Education
Accounting
Education
Business
Education
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Concept of Entrepreneurship Education
Entrepreneurship as a concept evolved many centuries ago and it has formed the basis fpr
economic growth and development. It has been defined in different ways by various people.
Entrepreneurship education refers to programmes that promote and provide skill training for
business creation and development (Vesper, 1990). Entrepreneurship education is the type of
education which has the ability to impact on the growth and development of an enterprise
through technical and vocational training (Tamuo and Ogiji, 1999). To Atakpa (2011), it is the
aspect of education which equips an individual and creates in the person the mindset to
undertake the risk of venturing into something new by applying the knowledge and skills
acquired in school. Still, to Fashua (2006), entrepreneurship education creates the willingness
and ability in a person to seek out investment opportunities in the society and be able to establish
and run an enterprise successfully based on the identified opportunities. This means that
entrepreneurship education helps to provide business education students with the knowledge,
skills and innovation to encourage entrepreneurship in variety settings.
In the light of this, Nigeria introduced several education policies such as the Universal
Basic Education Scheme in Nigeria. This scheme was not only to fulfill and achieve the
Education For All (EFA) target of 2015 as adopted by UNESCO but to produce self-reliant
children who, according to one of the UBE objectives, are to be imparted with the rudiments of
employment creating skills (entrepreneurship) at the junior secondary school level where
technical and vocational (business education) education is emphasized (Federal Republic of
Nigeria, 2004). Thus the policy is intended to equip students at the junior secondary school level
with appropriate apprenticeship (Olanyonu, Adekoya and Gbenu, 2003). Such apprenticeship
skills available are tabulated below.
Available Subjects and Skills
Nos. Subjects Skills Available
1. Agricultural Science, Computer Science and
Home Economics
Fishery, Piggery, Poultry, Subsistence
farming, Desktop publishing, Tailoring,
Catering, etc.
2. Business studies Typing skill, Accounting skill, Operation
of petty business, Office management
3. Fine-Art, Local craft, Music Textile making (tie and dye, batik, etc.
waste to wealth, weaving/pottery, play
acting, music production/composition,
use of musical instruments, etc.
4. Metal work, Wood work, Technical drawing,
Electrical work
Block making, petty electrical installation,
carpentry, metal usage, Droughtmanship
and bricklaying
Source: Oyetola, and Okunuga. (2009)
With the Introduction of the Universal Basic Education where emphasis is laid on
acquisition of skills by the end of the nine year programme, technically skilled manpower would
be available to implement projects and even more skilled ones who may come up too as the
products of the nine years may be encouraged to move further up educationally (Oyetola and
Okunuga, 2009).
Entrepreneurship training in the Nigeria tertiary institutions was instituted by the Federal
Government through the National Universities Commission (NUC) in 2006. This programme is
aimed at equipping attitudes and competences in order to be job creators and not just hunters.
The entrepreneurship training in the higher institution is geared towards assisting students to
29
develop positive attitudes, innovative and skill towards self-reliance rather than depending on
government to provide employment for them. (Banabo and Ndiomu, 2011). Nwangwu (2007)
articulates the objectives of entrepreneurial education at the tertiary level to include:
* Providing graduates with adequate training that will enable them to be creative and
innovative in identifying noble business opportunities.
* Providing functional education for youths so as to enable them to be self-employed and
self-reliant.
* Providing graduates with adequate training in the acquisition of skills that will enable
them to meet the manpower needs of the society.
However, it is considered that this will build up the confident in the business education
students to engage in entrepreneurship venture after graduation.
Acquisition of Entrepreneurial skill
Skill does not depend solely upon a person’s fundamental, innate capacities but must be
developed through training, practice and experience an individual acquired. Skill according to
Bolt-Lee and Foster (2003) is the art of possessing the ability to power, authority, or competency
etc. to do the task required of an individual on the job. Two fundamental issues are used when a
skill is to be acquired. According to Okoro and Ursula (2012), the first is the conditions which
promote acquisition and the second is the change that will occur when the skill is acquired.
However, when an individual set out to learn a new skill, he usually starts with a communicable
programme of instruction. Good learners do not jump into an operation without first receiving
the necessary verbal instruction. Thus the instruction given in bits, units modules in stages,
perhaps must be fused together to form a skilled performance.
There are many processes of acquisition and development in achieving entrepreneurial skills.
Pleshette (2009) in Okoro and Ursula (2002) outlined the four main stages of acquisition and
development of entrepreneurial skills to include:
- Analyze and identify the current and foreseeable skill needs to business, in terms of
management, administrative and technical skills and relative importance of these.
- Identify the entrepreneur’s own personal goals, objectives and analyze and evaluate
his/her own skills and resources in relation to these.
- Produce a realistic personal development plan for the potential entrepreneur
- Monitor on-going performance on follow-up of the entrepreneur once the business has
started and progress made towards developing the new skills that had been previously
identified as necessary for the success of the business.
Barret (2008) also listed the following as skills required in entrepreneurship:
Technical Skills: These include writing, oral communication, monitoring environment, technical
business management, technology, interpersonal, listening, ability to recognize, network
building, management style, coaching and being a team player.
Business Management Skills: These include planning and goal setting, decision making, human
relationship, marketing, finance, accounting, management, control, negotiation, venture, launch
and managing growth.
Personal Entrepreneurial Skills:These include inner control discipline, risk taking, innovative,
change oriented, persistent visionary leader and the ability to manage change.
However, this involves the personal needs of the entrepreneur as well as helping employees in
new skills development which will be of immense benefit to the business.
Skills acquisition in the three aspects of Business Education
A business educator is one who studied and is qualified in all areas of Business
Education. It is a professional field providing training not only as teachers of business courses
30
but also to fit individual into occupations outside the classroom (Okoh, 1999). The development
of skills varies with the nature, complexity and the type of activity. An individual who goes for
skill apprenticeship training should possess the following qualities; interest, ability, aptitude,
patience, personality characteristics and other human physical qualities that would enable them
to succeed. People that acquire good working skills continue in spirit of difficulty of danger.
All these as it relates to business education; accounting aspect.
Skills in Business Education (Accounting)
In every business establishment, be it government establishment, parastatals, private
companies, banks and other financial institutions, the importance of accounting cannot be
overemphasized. Umunnah (1992), explained that accounting education is regarded as an area of
study needed to equip the youths with knowledge, skills and attitude necessary for efficient
financial calculation required for occupational competence, and economic activities of an
organization are measured, recorded and communicated to interest parties for analysis and
interpretation. This is rooted on the need to keep the records of business transactions.Both
Umunnah (1992) and Ahukannah, Ndinechi and Arukwe (1989) were of the opinion that the role
of accounting activities in the operation of business enterprise are recording financial data,
analyzing financial data, preparation of accounting statements and communicating financial
information to employers.
Osuala (1989) believed that book keepers are employed in various business and industries
including government agencies. The author stressed that book-keepers perform the following
duties, make entries in ledger accounts, use the telephone, make journal entries, use the adding
and calculating machine, examining and/or sort business papers, prepare operating and/or
financial statements, prepare trial balance, type bills, invoices and statements, balance cash daily,
keep inventory records, prepare cheques, reports and payrolls etc. Ahukannah, Ndinechi and
Arukwe (1989) are of the opinion that success in accounting occupations requires the following
personal traits: accuracy and neatness, confidentiality, attention to details, mathematical ability,
skill in using mechanical calculators, organizational and analytical abilities, as well as ability to
work under pressure.
The National Board for Technical Education (1991) and Nnamdi Azikiwe University
agreed that the syllabus for accounting education to be taught in the university is: financial
accounting, auditing,cost accounting, taxation, business law, data processing, advanced financial
accounting, advanced costing, financial management, managerial economies and management
accounting etc. Apart from the training accounting graduates of business teacher education
programmes got in teaching methodology and practice, they are as well versed in some major
accounting courses such as taxation, costing, accounting, business law, business management,
data processing, auditing, business communication, financial accounting, bank courses – money
and banking, principles of economics etc. knowledge acquired from the above listed courses will
enable these graduates to secure employment in various sectors of the economy, both in private
and public organization.
From the curse enumerated above, graduates of business teacher education programmes
have got the entry qualification for acquiring accounting jobs. In the views of Ahukannah,
Ndinechi and Arukwe (1989) the business training received in the junior secondary schools is a
good starting point for a career in accounting. They further stressed that one will, however,
require additional training in a polytechnic or a university to qualify as an accountant. The
training may also be from NCE/B.Sc. business teacher education programmes.
Agbogu (1992) believed that opportunities exist for accounting graduates of business
teacher education programmes for self-employment as well as employment incertain areas and
allied professions. The author further explained that they (the graduates) could set up accounting
firms and render such services as consultancy, auditing and preparing accurate business records
31
for taxation for private and public enterprises. These graduates could also run accountingschools
and prepare students for accounting and allied examination as a part-time jobs. The above
mentioned qualifications, courses, competencies and duties performed by these graduates, offer
high status jobs/fields of opportunities as indication by Osuala (1987), Osuala (1989),
Ahukannah, Ndinechi and Arukwe (1989) and Agbobu (1992) below: acting as book-keepers
(manual and machine), being accounting officers, serving as bank officers and tellers, working as
data entry computer officers, serving as billing officers, being accountants (tax, cost, system
analysis), acting as loan counselors, serving as auditors (internal and external), credit controllers,
working as programmers and system analyst.
Accounting Skills Required by Business Education Graduates (Accountants) for Successful
Operation of a Business Enterprise
Osuala (1995) is of the view that there is a correlation between inadequate record and the
business organizations of which this constitute a major problem. Accounting is the systematic
recording of financial transactions. It is a service activity, the function of which is identifying,
measuring, recording and communicating quantitative information, primarily financial in nature.
About economic entities, Ezeani (2008) sees accounting as the process of expressing the
economic activities of everyday life in money terms, so that we may estimate the costs of
creating goods and services, make decisions about production on the basis of these estimates,
compare the actual costs as they occur with the estimate originally made, and adjust the output
and prices of goods and services accordingly. Ama (1999) as cited by Ezeani (2008) sees
accounting as a set of themes, concepts or ideas and techniques by which financial data are
processes into meaningful information for reporting, planning, controlling and decision making
purposes; situation according to him may create some difficulties for the entrepreneur, as he may
not come to full appreciation of the meaningful relationshipbetween financial activities and
results. The author however, advised that the entrepreneur should make effort to acquire
knowledge/basic competences of financial accounting as success can only come to his/her
business through such efforts.
Davidson (1982) as cited in Akintola (2001) stated that accounting provides information for
three broad purposes or uses, thus:
? Managing decision making
? Managing planning, controlling and internal performance evaluation.
? Financial reporting and external performance evaluation
The Nigeria Small Business Practitioners Association (NSPA) enumerated the objectives of
accounting information and statement to include the following:
? To provide information useful for making decisions
? To yield an accurate and true picture of operating results
? To supply information useful in judging management’s ability to utilize enterprise goals
? To provide information useful to investors and evaluating potential cash flows to them in
terms of amount, timing and related uncertainty
? To provide users with information for predicting, comparing and evaluating enterprise
earning power
? To permit prompt filling of report and tax collecting agencies and
? To reveal all possible employee frauds, wastes, theft and record keeping errors.
Having basic accounting knowledge or skills does not necessary imply that the proprietor
(entrepreneur) should be able to appreciate the contributions that accounting information offers
in solving both financial problems that may arise from financial statements. He should be able to
keep and maintain records of receipts and payments (cash book), income and expenditure and a
balance sheet for the business.
32
Agbonifoh (1999) advised that the need of modern business make it essential for all
managers (entrepreneurs) to have a sound appreciation of the financial implications for their
plans and actions. They went further to explain that in the competitive world, the key factors are
costs, prices, turnover and profits. These are factors which no manager can ignore. Therefore, it
is very important that every entrepreneur possessthe basic or fundamental knowledge of
accounting. They should be able to appreciate and interpret simple accounting statements. This
will help in reducing the rate at which small-scale business go into liquidation.
Igbo (1995) as quoted by Akpotowoh and Amahi (2006) identified some of the accounting
and financial skills required by entrepreneur in business related areas for successful operation of
a business enterprise to include:
? Knowledge of accounts
? Knowledge of costing
? Ability to interpret financial statement
? Ability to acquire the skill of preparing financial statements
? Ability to understand payroll and various deductions
? Ability to know gross and net profit
? Ability to know sources of funds
? Ability to know how to obtain loans
? A knowledge of federal, state and local government levies, taxes and regulations
? Acknowledge of factors involved in decision to grant loan by financial houses.
Other accounting skills required
? Ability to process accounts receivable and accounts payable
? Ability to process inventories
? Ability to prepare ledgers and extract the trial balance
? Ability to prepare daily cash reports
? Ability to prepare bank reconciliation statements
? Ability to keep sales and purchases records
? Ability to keep debtors ledgers
? Ability to prepare final accounts, profit and loss accounts and the balance sheet
? Ability to calculate depreciation
? Ability to avoid unplanned expenditures and to prepare simple budget.
Strategies for Promoting Entrepreneurship in Business Education
The following strategies according to Okoro and Ursula (2012), will assist in promoting
entrepreneurial education in vocational business education curriculum. According to the authors,
the teacher is bound to possess qualities which among others are thus; hardworking, making
quality decision, self-discipline, highly knowledgeable or competent, possession of technical
skills, effective communication skills and motivation, possession of problem solving skills,
information communication (IT) skills, attitudinal skills (Ezeani ,1999).
Other Strategies include:
? Engaging Business Educators who are Competent and Qualified: Entrepreneurship
educators should be competent and qualified enough to carry the business education
students along professionally in terms of skills and knowledge in the area of business
which will help them after leaving school, be fitted into the society as self-reliant citizens.
The business educators/teacher is expected to know the strategies of imparting the
necessary skills in the preparation of financial statement and/or financial transactions.
33
? Involvement in Industrial Training Exercise: With students’ engagement in the
training attachment (internship) to an entrepreneurial business, it will enable them
develop the necessary skills required for successful business. This motivates them in
areas where they are not competent enough and also help them to exhibit what they have
learnt in school, hence industrial training is one of the fulfillments in offering business
education programme. Business student are usually exposed to IT for practical
experiences.
? Excursions to Various Entrepreneurs in the Area: The teacher entrepreneur is to
organize excursions to various entrepreneurs in the area where the students can see things
as they are, ask questions on managerial skills. This will enable them to be acquainted
with the various skills needed in accomplishment of their dreams and aspirations as
future entrepreneurs. E.g. excursion in various accounting firms.
? Organization of Workshops / Seminars: These tend to plan and organize
entrepreneurial skills that are needed for successful business for presentation to business
students. This is carried out by inviting a resource person who is knowledgeable in this
area for effective instruction. This move helps to instill in the business education students
the necessary knowledge of the entrepreneurship skills which bring about their
entrepreneurship practices for self-employment. This is done in order to achieve the
objectives of the programme.
? Instructional Methods: The use of appropriate instructional methods such as field trips,
expository, demonstration, discovery, simulation, cash book approach, balance sheet
approach, journal approach, trial balance approach etc. has a lot impact in the teaching
and learning of entrepreneurship education and the knowledge acquired will assist the
business education student to gain viable opportunities in areas such as to manage
resources, business opportunities, accounting instructors, fraud discovers, analyst, self-
employed and employers of labour.
? Teachers-Entrepreneur Counselor:This involves the teacher-entrepreneur to conduct
counseling sessions periodically with the help of the Guidance/Counselor to acquaint the
business education students on the basic needs of entrepreneurial skills acquisition. In the
case of Business Education where the various entrepreneurial skills required are made
known/highlighted to the students and this will enable them choose appropriately the
right skill to go for e.g. keeping of inventory record, preparation of cheques, balance cash
book daily, prepare trial balance, etc.
Conclusion and Recommendations
Business education students in the tertiary institution can benefit from school education
when they are exposed to entrepreneurship, equipped with different skills that are education
saleable in the labour market. Those students who were equipped with skills that can make them
confident, self-reliant and useful citizens were adequately accommodated by the world of
business and the society at large.
Recommendations
The following recommendations were drawn:
? The higher institutions should focus on curriculum that is aimed at a growing job market
and expanding the production of qualified professionals most required by industries.
? Entrepreneurship education in the universities should be adequately funded. This can be
achieved through increase in the budgetary allocation to the universities by the
government. With adequate funding, universities will be able to establish entrepreneurial
development centers for practical work and the provision of training/instructional
material for the programme.
34
? There should be provision for periodic retraining of the teachers to update their
knowledge in the various areas of entrepreneurship and in the use of information and
communication technology. This will expose them to modern trends in entrepreneurship
across the globe and enhance effective teaching.
? Lecturers should re-dedicate themselves by attending more workshops, seminars to
acquaint themselves with these skills so that they can in turn, impart same in the students.
? Entrepreneurship education should become a main-stream activity in education to enable
transformations to take place very fast in the nation.
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Department of Educational Management, Lagos State University, Ojo, Lagos 2(1)
Tamuno, S.O & Ogiji, P (1999). The Development of Entrepreneurial Education in Nigeria.
Journal
of Education in Developing Areas XIII, 140-149
Umunnah, E.B. (1991). Accounting education in Nigeria Polytechnics. Business Education
Journal.
11 (4), 64-71.
Vesper, K.H. (1990). New venture strategies. New York Prentice-Hall Eaglewood Cliffs.
doc_902816621.pdf
On this particular outline pertaining to the teacher and skills acquisition at business education from the perspective.
Arabian Journal of Business and Management Review (OMAN Chapter) Vol. 2, No.4, Nov. 2012
25
THE TEACHER AND SKILLS ACQUISITION AT BUSINESS
EDUCATION: FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF ACCOUNTING SKILLS
EZEANI Nneka Salome (Ph.D)
Department of Educational Foundation and Management
Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State
Abstract
The aim of entrepreneurship training as stipulated by the European Commission 2008, among
others include; raising awareness of students about business skills, knowledge, promoting
creativity, innovation and self-employment. This calls for entrepreneurship education that
will equip the students upon graduation to be fitted in the dynamic society. This includes the
acquisition of skills in areas that will be useful to business students and make them self-
reliant, independent and productive citizens of the society.This paper examines therefore, the
concepts of Business education, entrepreneurship education, its skills and skills acquisition. It
further discusses how students can acquire skills in accounting as aspect of business
education which is a tool that will enable him/her fit comfortable in his environment as an
individual.Finally, strategies for promoting entrepreneurship in Business Education
curriculum which include business teacher entrepreneur counselor, school workshops and
seminars and acquisition of entrepreneurship education skills are also discussed. It is
recommended among others that the curriculum developers should integrate those subjects
that will help the students to acquire necessary skills needed for sustenance of one’s life and
the society at large.
Keywords: Business Education, Entrepreneurship education, Skills acquisition, Business
Educators (Teachers)and Accounting skills.
Introduction
Education lies at the heart of every society. It is a key and a vital element in the broad
development of the nation’s youth’s capacity to address and solves difficulties. Education forms
the basis for the proactive and positive economic, social and political changes in the society.
Education remains the key to empowerment of the people and the nations as a whole (Olawolu
and Kaegon, 2012).
Education consolidates and builds upon basic education to empower the youth to really
live, function as a productive member of the society, earning a living, and contributing to societal
progress. Business education continuously builds on the knowledge, skills, values and attitude
learnt at the lower phases of education. The greatest weapon against poverty is education of the
youths. (Nwangwua, 2007). The author further explains that any form of education that does not
equip its beneficiaries with skills to be self-reliant is a faulty system of education. Kaegon (2009)
believes that business education must be ready to offer their recipients functional education that
will enhance performance as well as assist them to contribute meaning to the economic
development of the country.
According to Okereke and Okoroafor (2011) the desire of the Nigeria government to
attain the vision 20-20:20 20 and Millennium Development Goals (MDG) propelled the Nigerian
Educational Research and Development Council to revise the secondary education curricula. The
26
reason for this exercise is the transformation at the curriculum with the entrepreneurial
education, informational communication technology (ICT) skills, and civic education and for the
nation’s sustainable development.
The demand for higher education, particularly university education is on the increase all
over the world. Entrepreneurship education prepares youths to be responsible and entering
individuals, who become entrepreneurs or entrepreneurial thinkers by exposing them in real life
learning experiences where they will be required to think, take risks, manage circumstances and
incidentally learn from the outcome (Olawolu and Kaegon, 2012). Ememe (2010) observes that
entrepreneurship education enables youths to sekk for success in ventures through one’s effort.
Buttressing the above view, Okereke and Okoroafor (2011), asserts that entrepreneurial
education and ICT skills have been acknowledged world wide as a potent and viable tools for
self-empowerment, job and wealth creation. Business education has three basic career options,
such as skilled, vocational option, professional option and executive business education option.
(Okoh, 1999). The professional option include: auditing, administration and the accountancy
profession (Accounting), therefore, the accounting option is the focus for this study.
Business education as a discipline is expected to expose its recipients to diversity
curricula, hence, it is that type of education that inculcate in its recipients attitudes, knowledge,
skills, values that is required in the business world. This is a means of producing a healthy,
literate self-reliant citizen that would create wealth for human development, when they become
self-employed, thereby resulting to sustainable nation’s development at large. Business education
must have impacted accounting skills and creative knowledge required for employment
generation opportunities, such entrepreneurial skills and accounting competences that would also
make the business graduates to adopt some strategic survival instincts.
This paper therefore attempts to explore briefly the following:
? Concept of Business Education
? Concept of Entrepreneurship Education
? Acquisition of Entrepreneurial skills
? Skills acquisition in Accounting profession
? Strategies for promoting Entrepreneurship Education curriculum.
Concept of Business Education
Business education means many things to many people. Agwumezie (1999) sees business
education as a programme in education that prepares students for entry into and advancement of
jobs within the business. Aliyu (1999) have it as a programme one needs to be proud of if
properly designed, adequately prepared and religiously harmonized. Aliyu further affirms that
business education is an educational programme which involves acquisition of skills, knowledge
and competences which makes the recipient/beneficiary proficient. It is an umbrella under which
all business programmes take a shield, such as marketing, business administration, secretarial
studies and accounting.
To Igboke (2000:1), business education is a dynamic field of study geared towards
preparing youths and adults for and about business. It is a preparation for a career in business
when instruction is designed to prepare youths and adults for actual practice in the world of
business. On the other hand, education about business involves preparation of youths and adults
for intelligent and effective consumption of economic goods and services offered to society in
our free enterprise economy.
However, business education will produce responsible, productive and self-reliant
citizens. This highlights the importance of Business Education in inculcating in the recipients
knowledge, values, attitudes and skills needed in the business world.
27
The objectives of business education cannot be over emphasized, hence, business
education generally are borne out of the needs of industry, commerce and society. In addition, it
is career oriented that aims at preparing people for gainful employment.
The Areas of Business Education
Business education is however, broadly divided into three areas. Thus
Marketing/Distributive, Secretarial and Accounting education.
Their Relationships and the Teacher
The teacher acquires the skills of the three aspects of business education and effectively
orients these skills to the students. These lead to the students’ effective acquisition of skills by
the students positively affects their wellbeing as individuals in their families in particular and the
nation at large, thus addressing the nation’s sustainable development positively.
These aspects of branches call for many career opportunities in Business Education such
as retailing, wholesaling, word processing, record keeping, preparation of financial report,
auditing, consultancy services, advertising and public relation among others. All these
recommended business education as a vital tool for entrepreneurship. It is primarily concerned
with assisting the individual to be useful and as well as improving his/herself in the business
world which will in turn lead to the improvement of the society at large. All these depend on
how effective business education curriculum is implemented by the business educators.The
relevance of Business Education as a vital tool for entrepreneurship is the focus of this paper
with reference to accounting skill as a branch of business education.
Marketing/Distributive
Education
Skills
Students
The Teacher: Source of Orientation
Skills
Skills
Secretarial
Education
Accounting
Education
Business
Education
28
Concept of Entrepreneurship Education
Entrepreneurship as a concept evolved many centuries ago and it has formed the basis fpr
economic growth and development. It has been defined in different ways by various people.
Entrepreneurship education refers to programmes that promote and provide skill training for
business creation and development (Vesper, 1990). Entrepreneurship education is the type of
education which has the ability to impact on the growth and development of an enterprise
through technical and vocational training (Tamuo and Ogiji, 1999). To Atakpa (2011), it is the
aspect of education which equips an individual and creates in the person the mindset to
undertake the risk of venturing into something new by applying the knowledge and skills
acquired in school. Still, to Fashua (2006), entrepreneurship education creates the willingness
and ability in a person to seek out investment opportunities in the society and be able to establish
and run an enterprise successfully based on the identified opportunities. This means that
entrepreneurship education helps to provide business education students with the knowledge,
skills and innovation to encourage entrepreneurship in variety settings.
In the light of this, Nigeria introduced several education policies such as the Universal
Basic Education Scheme in Nigeria. This scheme was not only to fulfill and achieve the
Education For All (EFA) target of 2015 as adopted by UNESCO but to produce self-reliant
children who, according to one of the UBE objectives, are to be imparted with the rudiments of
employment creating skills (entrepreneurship) at the junior secondary school level where
technical and vocational (business education) education is emphasized (Federal Republic of
Nigeria, 2004). Thus the policy is intended to equip students at the junior secondary school level
with appropriate apprenticeship (Olanyonu, Adekoya and Gbenu, 2003). Such apprenticeship
skills available are tabulated below.
Available Subjects and Skills
Nos. Subjects Skills Available
1. Agricultural Science, Computer Science and
Home Economics
Fishery, Piggery, Poultry, Subsistence
farming, Desktop publishing, Tailoring,
Catering, etc.
2. Business studies Typing skill, Accounting skill, Operation
of petty business, Office management
3. Fine-Art, Local craft, Music Textile making (tie and dye, batik, etc.
waste to wealth, weaving/pottery, play
acting, music production/composition,
use of musical instruments, etc.
4. Metal work, Wood work, Technical drawing,
Electrical work
Block making, petty electrical installation,
carpentry, metal usage, Droughtmanship
and bricklaying
Source: Oyetola, and Okunuga. (2009)
With the Introduction of the Universal Basic Education where emphasis is laid on
acquisition of skills by the end of the nine year programme, technically skilled manpower would
be available to implement projects and even more skilled ones who may come up too as the
products of the nine years may be encouraged to move further up educationally (Oyetola and
Okunuga, 2009).
Entrepreneurship training in the Nigeria tertiary institutions was instituted by the Federal
Government through the National Universities Commission (NUC) in 2006. This programme is
aimed at equipping attitudes and competences in order to be job creators and not just hunters.
The entrepreneurship training in the higher institution is geared towards assisting students to
29
develop positive attitudes, innovative and skill towards self-reliance rather than depending on
government to provide employment for them. (Banabo and Ndiomu, 2011). Nwangwu (2007)
articulates the objectives of entrepreneurial education at the tertiary level to include:
* Providing graduates with adequate training that will enable them to be creative and
innovative in identifying noble business opportunities.
* Providing functional education for youths so as to enable them to be self-employed and
self-reliant.
* Providing graduates with adequate training in the acquisition of skills that will enable
them to meet the manpower needs of the society.
However, it is considered that this will build up the confident in the business education
students to engage in entrepreneurship venture after graduation.
Acquisition of Entrepreneurial skill
Skill does not depend solely upon a person’s fundamental, innate capacities but must be
developed through training, practice and experience an individual acquired. Skill according to
Bolt-Lee and Foster (2003) is the art of possessing the ability to power, authority, or competency
etc. to do the task required of an individual on the job. Two fundamental issues are used when a
skill is to be acquired. According to Okoro and Ursula (2012), the first is the conditions which
promote acquisition and the second is the change that will occur when the skill is acquired.
However, when an individual set out to learn a new skill, he usually starts with a communicable
programme of instruction. Good learners do not jump into an operation without first receiving
the necessary verbal instruction. Thus the instruction given in bits, units modules in stages,
perhaps must be fused together to form a skilled performance.
There are many processes of acquisition and development in achieving entrepreneurial skills.
Pleshette (2009) in Okoro and Ursula (2002) outlined the four main stages of acquisition and
development of entrepreneurial skills to include:
- Analyze and identify the current and foreseeable skill needs to business, in terms of
management, administrative and technical skills and relative importance of these.
- Identify the entrepreneur’s own personal goals, objectives and analyze and evaluate
his/her own skills and resources in relation to these.
- Produce a realistic personal development plan for the potential entrepreneur
- Monitor on-going performance on follow-up of the entrepreneur once the business has
started and progress made towards developing the new skills that had been previously
identified as necessary for the success of the business.
Barret (2008) also listed the following as skills required in entrepreneurship:
Technical Skills: These include writing, oral communication, monitoring environment, technical
business management, technology, interpersonal, listening, ability to recognize, network
building, management style, coaching and being a team player.
Business Management Skills: These include planning and goal setting, decision making, human
relationship, marketing, finance, accounting, management, control, negotiation, venture, launch
and managing growth.
Personal Entrepreneurial Skills:These include inner control discipline, risk taking, innovative,
change oriented, persistent visionary leader and the ability to manage change.
However, this involves the personal needs of the entrepreneur as well as helping employees in
new skills development which will be of immense benefit to the business.
Skills acquisition in the three aspects of Business Education
A business educator is one who studied and is qualified in all areas of Business
Education. It is a professional field providing training not only as teachers of business courses
30
but also to fit individual into occupations outside the classroom (Okoh, 1999). The development
of skills varies with the nature, complexity and the type of activity. An individual who goes for
skill apprenticeship training should possess the following qualities; interest, ability, aptitude,
patience, personality characteristics and other human physical qualities that would enable them
to succeed. People that acquire good working skills continue in spirit of difficulty of danger.
All these as it relates to business education; accounting aspect.
Skills in Business Education (Accounting)
In every business establishment, be it government establishment, parastatals, private
companies, banks and other financial institutions, the importance of accounting cannot be
overemphasized. Umunnah (1992), explained that accounting education is regarded as an area of
study needed to equip the youths with knowledge, skills and attitude necessary for efficient
financial calculation required for occupational competence, and economic activities of an
organization are measured, recorded and communicated to interest parties for analysis and
interpretation. This is rooted on the need to keep the records of business transactions.Both
Umunnah (1992) and Ahukannah, Ndinechi and Arukwe (1989) were of the opinion that the role
of accounting activities in the operation of business enterprise are recording financial data,
analyzing financial data, preparation of accounting statements and communicating financial
information to employers.
Osuala (1989) believed that book keepers are employed in various business and industries
including government agencies. The author stressed that book-keepers perform the following
duties, make entries in ledger accounts, use the telephone, make journal entries, use the adding
and calculating machine, examining and/or sort business papers, prepare operating and/or
financial statements, prepare trial balance, type bills, invoices and statements, balance cash daily,
keep inventory records, prepare cheques, reports and payrolls etc. Ahukannah, Ndinechi and
Arukwe (1989) are of the opinion that success in accounting occupations requires the following
personal traits: accuracy and neatness, confidentiality, attention to details, mathematical ability,
skill in using mechanical calculators, organizational and analytical abilities, as well as ability to
work under pressure.
The National Board for Technical Education (1991) and Nnamdi Azikiwe University
agreed that the syllabus for accounting education to be taught in the university is: financial
accounting, auditing,cost accounting, taxation, business law, data processing, advanced financial
accounting, advanced costing, financial management, managerial economies and management
accounting etc. Apart from the training accounting graduates of business teacher education
programmes got in teaching methodology and practice, they are as well versed in some major
accounting courses such as taxation, costing, accounting, business law, business management,
data processing, auditing, business communication, financial accounting, bank courses – money
and banking, principles of economics etc. knowledge acquired from the above listed courses will
enable these graduates to secure employment in various sectors of the economy, both in private
and public organization.
From the curse enumerated above, graduates of business teacher education programmes
have got the entry qualification for acquiring accounting jobs. In the views of Ahukannah,
Ndinechi and Arukwe (1989) the business training received in the junior secondary schools is a
good starting point for a career in accounting. They further stressed that one will, however,
require additional training in a polytechnic or a university to qualify as an accountant. The
training may also be from NCE/B.Sc. business teacher education programmes.
Agbogu (1992) believed that opportunities exist for accounting graduates of business
teacher education programmes for self-employment as well as employment incertain areas and
allied professions. The author further explained that they (the graduates) could set up accounting
firms and render such services as consultancy, auditing and preparing accurate business records
31
for taxation for private and public enterprises. These graduates could also run accountingschools
and prepare students for accounting and allied examination as a part-time jobs. The above
mentioned qualifications, courses, competencies and duties performed by these graduates, offer
high status jobs/fields of opportunities as indication by Osuala (1987), Osuala (1989),
Ahukannah, Ndinechi and Arukwe (1989) and Agbobu (1992) below: acting as book-keepers
(manual and machine), being accounting officers, serving as bank officers and tellers, working as
data entry computer officers, serving as billing officers, being accountants (tax, cost, system
analysis), acting as loan counselors, serving as auditors (internal and external), credit controllers,
working as programmers and system analyst.
Accounting Skills Required by Business Education Graduates (Accountants) for Successful
Operation of a Business Enterprise
Osuala (1995) is of the view that there is a correlation between inadequate record and the
business organizations of which this constitute a major problem. Accounting is the systematic
recording of financial transactions. It is a service activity, the function of which is identifying,
measuring, recording and communicating quantitative information, primarily financial in nature.
About economic entities, Ezeani (2008) sees accounting as the process of expressing the
economic activities of everyday life in money terms, so that we may estimate the costs of
creating goods and services, make decisions about production on the basis of these estimates,
compare the actual costs as they occur with the estimate originally made, and adjust the output
and prices of goods and services accordingly. Ama (1999) as cited by Ezeani (2008) sees
accounting as a set of themes, concepts or ideas and techniques by which financial data are
processes into meaningful information for reporting, planning, controlling and decision making
purposes; situation according to him may create some difficulties for the entrepreneur, as he may
not come to full appreciation of the meaningful relationshipbetween financial activities and
results. The author however, advised that the entrepreneur should make effort to acquire
knowledge/basic competences of financial accounting as success can only come to his/her
business through such efforts.
Davidson (1982) as cited in Akintola (2001) stated that accounting provides information for
three broad purposes or uses, thus:
? Managing decision making
? Managing planning, controlling and internal performance evaluation.
? Financial reporting and external performance evaluation
The Nigeria Small Business Practitioners Association (NSPA) enumerated the objectives of
accounting information and statement to include the following:
? To provide information useful for making decisions
? To yield an accurate and true picture of operating results
? To supply information useful in judging management’s ability to utilize enterprise goals
? To provide information useful to investors and evaluating potential cash flows to them in
terms of amount, timing and related uncertainty
? To provide users with information for predicting, comparing and evaluating enterprise
earning power
? To permit prompt filling of report and tax collecting agencies and
? To reveal all possible employee frauds, wastes, theft and record keeping errors.
Having basic accounting knowledge or skills does not necessary imply that the proprietor
(entrepreneur) should be able to appreciate the contributions that accounting information offers
in solving both financial problems that may arise from financial statements. He should be able to
keep and maintain records of receipts and payments (cash book), income and expenditure and a
balance sheet for the business.
32
Agbonifoh (1999) advised that the need of modern business make it essential for all
managers (entrepreneurs) to have a sound appreciation of the financial implications for their
plans and actions. They went further to explain that in the competitive world, the key factors are
costs, prices, turnover and profits. These are factors which no manager can ignore. Therefore, it
is very important that every entrepreneur possessthe basic or fundamental knowledge of
accounting. They should be able to appreciate and interpret simple accounting statements. This
will help in reducing the rate at which small-scale business go into liquidation.
Igbo (1995) as quoted by Akpotowoh and Amahi (2006) identified some of the accounting
and financial skills required by entrepreneur in business related areas for successful operation of
a business enterprise to include:
? Knowledge of accounts
? Knowledge of costing
? Ability to interpret financial statement
? Ability to acquire the skill of preparing financial statements
? Ability to understand payroll and various deductions
? Ability to know gross and net profit
? Ability to know sources of funds
? Ability to know how to obtain loans
? A knowledge of federal, state and local government levies, taxes and regulations
? Acknowledge of factors involved in decision to grant loan by financial houses.
Other accounting skills required
? Ability to process accounts receivable and accounts payable
? Ability to process inventories
? Ability to prepare ledgers and extract the trial balance
? Ability to prepare daily cash reports
? Ability to prepare bank reconciliation statements
? Ability to keep sales and purchases records
? Ability to keep debtors ledgers
? Ability to prepare final accounts, profit and loss accounts and the balance sheet
? Ability to calculate depreciation
? Ability to avoid unplanned expenditures and to prepare simple budget.
Strategies for Promoting Entrepreneurship in Business Education
The following strategies according to Okoro and Ursula (2012), will assist in promoting
entrepreneurial education in vocational business education curriculum. According to the authors,
the teacher is bound to possess qualities which among others are thus; hardworking, making
quality decision, self-discipline, highly knowledgeable or competent, possession of technical
skills, effective communication skills and motivation, possession of problem solving skills,
information communication (IT) skills, attitudinal skills (Ezeani ,1999).
Other Strategies include:
? Engaging Business Educators who are Competent and Qualified: Entrepreneurship
educators should be competent and qualified enough to carry the business education
students along professionally in terms of skills and knowledge in the area of business
which will help them after leaving school, be fitted into the society as self-reliant citizens.
The business educators/teacher is expected to know the strategies of imparting the
necessary skills in the preparation of financial statement and/or financial transactions.
33
? Involvement in Industrial Training Exercise: With students’ engagement in the
training attachment (internship) to an entrepreneurial business, it will enable them
develop the necessary skills required for successful business. This motivates them in
areas where they are not competent enough and also help them to exhibit what they have
learnt in school, hence industrial training is one of the fulfillments in offering business
education programme. Business student are usually exposed to IT for practical
experiences.
? Excursions to Various Entrepreneurs in the Area: The teacher entrepreneur is to
organize excursions to various entrepreneurs in the area where the students can see things
as they are, ask questions on managerial skills. This will enable them to be acquainted
with the various skills needed in accomplishment of their dreams and aspirations as
future entrepreneurs. E.g. excursion in various accounting firms.
? Organization of Workshops / Seminars: These tend to plan and organize
entrepreneurial skills that are needed for successful business for presentation to business
students. This is carried out by inviting a resource person who is knowledgeable in this
area for effective instruction. This move helps to instill in the business education students
the necessary knowledge of the entrepreneurship skills which bring about their
entrepreneurship practices for self-employment. This is done in order to achieve the
objectives of the programme.
? Instructional Methods: The use of appropriate instructional methods such as field trips,
expository, demonstration, discovery, simulation, cash book approach, balance sheet
approach, journal approach, trial balance approach etc. has a lot impact in the teaching
and learning of entrepreneurship education and the knowledge acquired will assist the
business education student to gain viable opportunities in areas such as to manage
resources, business opportunities, accounting instructors, fraud discovers, analyst, self-
employed and employers of labour.
? Teachers-Entrepreneur Counselor:This involves the teacher-entrepreneur to conduct
counseling sessions periodically with the help of the Guidance/Counselor to acquaint the
business education students on the basic needs of entrepreneurial skills acquisition. In the
case of Business Education where the various entrepreneurial skills required are made
known/highlighted to the students and this will enable them choose appropriately the
right skill to go for e.g. keeping of inventory record, preparation of cheques, balance cash
book daily, prepare trial balance, etc.
Conclusion and Recommendations
Business education students in the tertiary institution can benefit from school education
when they are exposed to entrepreneurship, equipped with different skills that are education
saleable in the labour market. Those students who were equipped with skills that can make them
confident, self-reliant and useful citizens were adequately accommodated by the world of
business and the society at large.
Recommendations
The following recommendations were drawn:
? The higher institutions should focus on curriculum that is aimed at a growing job market
and expanding the production of qualified professionals most required by industries.
? Entrepreneurship education in the universities should be adequately funded. This can be
achieved through increase in the budgetary allocation to the universities by the
government. With adequate funding, universities will be able to establish entrepreneurial
development centers for practical work and the provision of training/instructional
material for the programme.
34
? There should be provision for periodic retraining of the teachers to update their
knowledge in the various areas of entrepreneurship and in the use of information and
communication technology. This will expose them to modern trends in entrepreneurship
across the globe and enhance effective teaching.
? Lecturers should re-dedicate themselves by attending more workshops, seminars to
acquaint themselves with these skills so that they can in turn, impart same in the students.
? Entrepreneurship education should become a main-stream activity in education to enable
transformations to take place very fast in the nation.
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