Admissions Essay: Business Administration Accounting

Abstract

I am an international student seeking admission to the business administration accounting program. My long-range vision is to have an accounting firm that can help international businesses overcome the challenges associated with doing businesses in different legal, ethical, political, and social environments. Short-term goals include receiving my degree and CPA accreditation, then working for Japanese accounting firm to build relationships and competencies in the areas of strategic planning and strategic management.

Summary of Chosen Major

The Path Ahead

A business administration accounting degree combines coursework from several different areas including finance, strategic planning, business communications, management, and organizational behavior. The goal of a business administration accounting degree initially includes the pursuit of CPA licensure, which can be applied to helping businesses achieve their goals. Some of the roles a business administration accountant may fill include risk assessment and analysis, change management, cost accounting, and coordinating with legal counsel. I understand the challenges of this particular path and look forward to applying myself to this dynamic career path.

Business administration accountants need to understand both macro-level issues like regulatory frameworks and macroeconomic patterns. Depending on the business sector of the client, the accountant also needs to know about other macro-level issues like international trade agreements, historical patterns, and political considerations. Business administration accounting also involves micro-level concerns, including helping firms with cost accounting, financial planning, budgeting, and investments. We may use software to perform internal and external analyses, but need also to understand the underlying statistical principles and algorithms used in the profession. The reason why a business administration accounting degree also includes requisite courses in communication and ethics is because each and every day we need to translate our work into guidelines for best practice, helping businesses to meet or surpass their goals reasonably and ethically.

Personal and Professional Appeal

Most people do not realize the important role accountants play in helping businesses reach their goals and fulfill their missions. I believe this has led to common misconceptions about the job of accounting, and how business administration accountants can be integral to building new businesses or helping established businesses change or grow. Accounting appeals to me because it is the foundation of good business practice. Also, a business administration accountant has a unique set of traits that lend themselves to working as part of a team, including caring deeply about ethics and personal responsibility. An accountant may work alone much of the time, but is ultimately part of a larger team devoted to keeping a company on track. Serving as the voice of reason, or alternatively as the person who tells the senior management team what opportunities they may be missing or what they can achieve that they have not yet tried, an accountant can be a star player when it comes to advising and counseling the major decision makers in a firm. The ultimate reason I am pursuing this major is that I like the idea of supporting visionary, transformative leaders who want to make a difference in the world with their companies but need to keep their feet on the ground at all times. Plus, I naturally gravitated to this field because of my personality traits, strengths, and interests. I am an international student seeking stability from my career, and view this degree as a step towards that personal goal.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Accountants work in different types of settings, and need a wide variety of skills that go beyond the core competencies in their field like mathematics, finance, and analysis. For example, all accountants need solid business and professional communications skills, the ability to plan and forecast taking into account multiple variables, and also need the willingness to work with established ethical frameworks. An...…Japan. One of the main reasons I am drawn to this profession is that I see myself filling this niche. Businesses that are based in Japan need to navigate the tricky legal landscape of American tax law and the regulatory environment, especially as it may vary from state to state. Similarly, American firms wishing to solidify their presence in Japan need to understand the complexities of the Japanese business and legal environment. There are a whole range of other issues, including cross-cultural communication and ethics, which also affect the firms overall success when expanding abroad. An accountant cannot do everything, but does focus on some of the most important aspects of building new businesses and helping established firms to grow and change.

For example, we can perform forecasting. Using software systems that help us to project future earnings based on different scenarios accountants can advise senior management on the best options. Risk assessments require a team-based approach but the business administration accountant covers most of what is required for full financial risk assessments that also include analysis of environmental and contextual variables. While we may not be strategic managers per se, we participate in the overall process of strategic management and particularly change management. Understanding the intricacies of organizational culture, structure, and behavior, an accountant can advise firms on everything from human resources and logistics to marketing decisions. Another interesting facet of business administration accounting is the role we may play helping entrepreneurs successfully plan and launch their ventures. I would be honored to serve both Japanese and American entrepreneurs in the accounting role, helping them to manage costs and offering advice about how to grow in strategic, organized, and planned ways that are based on evidence and numbers. Achieving this degree will help me become a valuable member of the future international business community. Thank you for your…