There are moments in life when the ‘correct’ answer does not exist. I faced these fears by stepping out of my comfort zone in my capstone subject, Integrated Accounting Studies.
Led by Professor Gary Biddle, Dr. Sarah Yang Spencer, and Mr. Tomohiro Suzuki ACCT90033 Integrated Accounting Studies comprises weekly case studies of current events that cross sub-disciplinary boundaries.
As part of my weekly tasks, I provided remarks with examples on the case studies via Perusall. Perusall is an online interactive platform that allows peers and lecturers to provide feedback on others’ comments. As the weekly learning continued, I felt discomfort upon receiving multiple reviews to solve the cases.
This feeling was driven by the apprehension that we would be able to obtain the ‘correct’ answer. Studying accounting has taught me to comprehend assessment rubrics, use accurate numbers and follow structural processes to get results. But what if there are no longer processes, accurate numbers, or structural guidance?
How did I overcome this? As a future accounting practitioner, providing professional judgment, viewpoints, and recommendations to clients is expected. A good business partner should provide independent decisions that guide a company through smooth business transactions.
And so, I learned to take a step back when receiving feedback. I gradually developed a habit that helped me to accept input and overcome my fears. I began to see everyone in class as individual stakeholders in a firm with different interests. As an internal accountant, I should first consider stakeholder feedback in a board meeting. Based on my experience and research on their interests, I should identify information that puts the business value before individual self-interests. Using unbiased judgment, managers can then make business decisions that help grow company profits. I found it useful to revisit the discussion, pause and reflect. Likewise, after viewing comments from peers, I often explored this further to help me fill my knowledge gap.
Integrated Accounting Studies has helped me develop:
- my critical thinking skills,
- an adaptive learning habit, and
- my judgment and decision-making skills.
There are still times where comments don’t make sense to me and I try to understand the writer’s perspectives before jumping to conclusions. If I fail to understand differing perspectives now, it will be challenging to make good judgments in the workplace and think independently.
My learning process starts with:
- Seeking feedback
- Understanding, evaluating, and adapting
- Revisiting feedback from personal experience
- Generating views and making judgments
- Reflecting on and assessing views and judgments
My experience at Melbourne Business School has been a self-oriented learning journey. It has motivated me to prepare for my chosen career and develop a growth mindset. Since taking Integrated Accounting Studies, I have learned to give myself the time to digest new information and take full advantage of opportunities that can help grow my skills and knowledge. Applying an adaptive learning habit during my time at Melbourne Business School has helped me identify what it takes to become a business leader who is capable of not only managing a career, but also life in general.
- Chi-Chun Chiu, Master of Management (Accounting)