Accounting Talent Development in the Realm of Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) - Social Constructionist Model for Accounting Profession (S/O 13597)

• Main Authors: Amir Hussin, Muhammad Rosni, Othman, Zaleha, Abdul Hamid, Fathilatul Zakimi
• Format: Monograph
• Language: English
• Published: UUM 2020
• Subjects: HF5601 Accounting
• Online Access: https://repo.uum.edu.my/id/eprint/32003/1/13597.pdf; https://repo.uum.edu.my/id/eprint/32003/
• Institution: Universiti Utara Malaysia

There are claims that Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) is an ambitious 21st centuries international trade measures. TPPA gives impression that it provides ambitious international trade field that will impact the economic efficiency and growth in all sectors, including professional services sector. However, there are also contrasting views on the benefits and challenges of TPPA for Malaysia, particularly, the domestic accounting industry. This study argues that although TPPA sounds promising there are concerns that need serious attention. Considering the ambiguity and vagueness in respect of competitive advantage to Malaysia, particularly, in developing talent, this study attempts to explore the impact of TPPA on domestic small and medium accounting firms and on accounting profession talent development in Malaysia by using social constructionist model. As citizens of the accounting industry, this study view that TPPA will introduce different business environment, hence keeping pace with the consequence and heightened emphasis on talent development in accounting industry is priority. Among the impact of TPPA towards accounting industry in Malaysia was the opportunity of the domestic small and medium accounting firms to compete at the international market. However, domestic small and medium accounting firms also facing challenge in term of high competition and high movement trained accountants from one firm to another firm. Thus, there was demand from the Malaysia’s accounting industry for the government to protect and expand local accountants’ talent through special domestic policy. Consequently, equal opportunity between domestic and foreign accountants should be focused during TPPA enforcement. TPPA also gave impact to the accountants’ talent development in Malaysia. Even though, there were argument that talent of local accountants were equal with foreign accountants but this statement should be scrutinized to make sure survival of domestic accountant during TPPA enforcement