Iowa State University Accounting students have a variety of accounting elective courses from which to choose to satisfy elective requirements. While a variety of factors influence which accounting electives students choose, there is little definitive guidance available to current students looking to select accounting electives based on career aspirations. This study assesses the usefulness of Iowa State University’s accounting electives in common post-graduate career paths so students can make better-informed academic decisions. 166 Iowa State accounting graduates participated in a survey asking them to confidentially share post-graduate career details and evaluate aspects of Iowa State’s accounting elective courses most useful in their careers. The results of the study revealed some electives are better adapted to CPA preparation than others, but all elective courses provide some degree of usefulness in preparing students for any career demands. Major trends identified include strong preferences for graduates employed in public accounting to enroll in ACCT 488 and ACCT 495, and for graduates employed in the private sector to enroll in ACCT 483. Survey participants indicated usefulness of ACCT 495 for career preparation and ACCT 384 for CPA preparation, although students enroll in these courses for other reasons than their usefulness indicated by the survey.

This paper utilizes the lessons learned in all major introductory classes in the College of Business at Iowa State University to create a business plan for a new coffee house. The goal of the paper was to see if what I have learned in all my introductory major classes at the College of Business could help me build a small business. While at Iowa State every student in the College of Business is required to take an introductory class in all of the majors offered. The majors offered currently are Accounting, Finance, Management, Management Information Systems, Marketing, and Supply Chain Management. During the research phase I looked at notes and textbooks of past classes at Iowa State, as well as online resources. The project relied heavily on creativity because of the freedom that comes with building your own company. The finished business plan gives a background on the history of coffee, what I have learned from the College of Business, and how I applied the knowledge learned to open a new coffee house.

With technological advancements and high demand for goods and services worldwide a global economy has become commonplace, and by extension a need for a comparable financial reporting system. This research aims to provide an overview of the two most relevant accounting standards (US GAAP and IFRS) in use today and examines how these standards operate as well as serve the needs of their respective stakeholders. Additionally, this research addresses three specific areas of accounting revenue recognition, inventory valuation, and leases - and examine the implications convergence of these accounting standards would have on investors, management, and other stakeholders. The revenue recognition section will explain the steps to recognizing revenue under the new standard. The inventory section will examine the existing similarities and identify areas preventing complete convergence. The leases section will compare the previous leasing standards under US GAAP and IFRS to the new guidance. Finally, this research addresses the overall feasibility of the US attaining complete convergence to IFRS