UNDERSTANDING THE REAL IMPACT FACTOR AND THE GAP BETWEEN ACCOUNTING THEORY AND PRACTICES
Effectiveness of accounting profession depends widely on the best accounting education outputs. The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between accounting education and accounting practice with particular reference to academics and practitioners of accounting profession in the context of Saudi Arabia. The relationship between academic research and practice, based on the researcher experience and on a careful consideration of the literature dealing with the issue. Both streams provide evidence for theoretical knowledge and some of this knowledge can be taken into practice. In such a context, the positive attitude of academics towards practice can be sometimes in conflict with scholars’ expectation about effort, individual result and peers’ consideration. In other terms, this study supports the idea that there is a gap between research and practice, together with a risk of an increasingly closed community of scientists. The results seem to be in line with studies stating that the reasons for this gap essentially lie in the current evaluation logic driving scholars’ incentives.
Gap; Accounting Theory; Accounting Practice; and Saudi Arabia.