Perceived Negative Behaviour of Accounting People
Accounting students may have negative perception of accounting people in general. Some of these negative
perceptions include the fact that accounting people are corrupt, untruthful, and dishonest, often manipulate
figures in financial reports, and often do not report the true state of affairs and often hide vital materials in
financial reports (Wessels & Steenkamp, 2009). Prior research has established that people tend to perceive
accountants as rigid, people who are too structured and often follow strict regulatory requirements (Parker, 2000;
Hunt et al., 2004). A notable report (ACCA, Closing the Value Gap report, 2012), warned that accountants
should endeavor to uphold high ethical standards in order to win public trust perceptions for the profession. This
leads to the research question: what are the perceptions of accounting students about negative behaviour of
accountants held by the public?