Welcome to the Department of Accounting

Just as law is to justice, medicine is to health; business is to value creation, so is accounting to accountability. As long as accountability is needed, accounting will continue to be a cornerstone of civil society.

Welcome to the Department of Accounting, where we believe accounting matters. Our vision is to be a leader in accounting scholarship, recognised for our positive impact on society through the excellence of our graduates and the quality of our research. We take our societal mandate seriously, and this infuses every facet of our work.

The diagram illustrates the role of accounting in society. Accounting begins with business or economic activity. The accountant uses analytical, reflective, critical thinking and problem-solving skills to transform complex transactional data into useful information for decision-making. Ultimately, good decisions contribute to a prosperous society. The outcome of these decisions has consequences for business activity and accountants’ professional judgements. Consequently, accounting is constantly under development as the nature and complexity of the underlying business transactions change, and the consequences of reporting standards and their application become evident.

We value the opportunity to contribute to the growth of our students. As our graduates enter the workplace, they make accounting and its societal impact visible and alive. Therefore, the University of Pretoria’s brand manifesto informs our daily activities:

We believe that within every moment of every day lies the potential to change the world. And that by taking positive action today, we can positively impact our futures. It’s a single idea that holds everything: Make today matter.