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• W2283081173 abstract "The paper discusses findings from a tracer study of B.Com graduates of the Faculty of Commerce and Management of the University of Dar es Salaam. Findings about the level and type of technical knowledge and skills required of graduates in the job market are related to the faculty curriculum. The paper further discusses employers’ evaluation of the knowledge and skills of graduates. The conclusion is that although knowledge and skills imparted by the Faculty were found to be relevant in the job market, there was a need to restructure the faculty programme in order to rationalise the extent of generalisation as against specialisation, streamline existing courses, include more relevant courses and address the needs of the emerging private sector. Introduction This paper presents part of the findings of a wider tracer study the primary objective of which was to seek feedback from graduates of the Faculty of Commerce and Management (FCM) of the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) and from their employers. The study was intended to set up a mechanism to give continuous feedback to the FCM. The results presented in this paper concern the nature and level of technical knowledge and skills acquired by the FCM Bachelor of Commerce (B.Com) graduates and how those skills are being utilised in the job market. The paper discusses what graduates consider to be knowledge and skills required of them by their employers and the extent to which knowledge and skills acquired from FCM were being utilised at their places of work. The paper further presents areas that are important but which are, according to the graduates, not included in the B.Com programme. This is followed by a report of the views of graduates as to courses that should be given more or given less emphasis in the programme, as well as their views on practical training. The graduates’ views on the adequacy of FCM programme in preparing students for self-employment are also presented. The paper then turns to the technical knowledge and skills that employers expect from FCM graduates and how they evaluate FCM graduates in terms of these attributes. Finally, conclusions and recommendations arising from the findings are presented. This paper is intended to assist FCM in determining the extent to which its programmes are preparing graduates for the job market. Findings discussed in this paper may, thus, be used as input in the review of FCM programmes and curricula. Background to the study Western business schools have been criticised for not moving with the times. They are said to be slow in responding to the idea that learning must be continuous and continually accessible. They are accused of concentrating on functional subject areas at the expense of interpersonal skills and of reacting to change instead of influencing it. Such feedback is a result of constant research carried out amongst institutions of higher learning in the West. Similar research is seriously lacking among African higher education institutions. Since its inception two decades ago, the FCM has had no formal feedback either from graduates or from employers regarding the relevance, usefulness, strengths and weaknesses of its programmes. FCM, therefore, has had no basis on which to review its own performance. The Faculty does not know how its graduates are 1 The author is a Senior Lecturer in Finance and Accounting in the Faculty of Commerce and Management of the University of Dar es Salaam. 2The main tracer study was organised and financed under the Study Programme on Higher Education Management in Africa, established by the Association of African Universities. It was carried out in 1996-1997. 3See Paul Turnbull (1997) Knowledge and Skills of B.Com Graduates of the Faculty of Commerce and Management, University of Dar es salaam in the Job Market Page 2 performing at their places of work, nor does it know the strengths and weaknesses of its programmes as perceived by graduates and by employers. Meanwhile, FCM programmes have remained unchanged since they were introduced. Unlike in the past, FCM is now operating in a competitive environment. More universities are being established in Tanzania, existing higher education institutions are diversifying into programmes similar to the ones FCM is offering, and universities in neighbouring countries and even distant ones are opening up and becoming cheaper. The distinguishing factors among competing business schools include their programme content, their curriculum and how the school meets the needs of the business community. FCM programmes are still a legacy of the period of highly centralised manpower planning, in which the government took the responsibility for defining technical skills requirements and sponsored the development of those skills through government-operated institutions. The majority of government-trained workers were then likely to get jobs in the expanding civil service and parastatal sector. However, over time, many changes have taken place in the Tanzanian economic environment. For example, at the time FCM programmes were introduced, Tanzania was a centrally planned economy in which the government and its parastatal firms were the major employers of university graduates. The University, therefore, provided training in accordance with manpower planning requirements. Tanzania is now a free market economy and the role of the government as the major employer has declined. Meanwhile, the private sector is playing a greater role in job creation as compared to the government and parastatal sectors. In the current situation, and given the changes that have taken place, it is important to know whether or not FCM programmes are still adequate.. It has to be known, for example, whether or not there is a need for the private sector to exert some influence on the Faculty’s curriculum. This study was carried out with such questions in mind. Although curriculum development issues were part of the questions investigated, they were not investigated in technical detail. Therefore, the conclusions of this study are meant to be a contribution to, rather than the sole basis for, the Faculty’s programme review exercise. The Faculty of Commerce and Management Until recently, the FCM was the only institution offering business-related degree studies in Tanzania. The FCM evolved from the Department of Management and Administration of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences of the UDSM in July 1979. The predecessor of FCM had been designed to meet the needs of parastatal sector managers and government administrators. The broad objectives of FCM include the provision of quality education and of training programmes in management and business administration. At its inception, the Faculty was intended to serve as the highest centre of professional management studies in Tanzania. FCM offers undergraduate, masters and doctoral degrees and has produced more than 2,000 graduates at the three levels. In addition to degree programmes, FCM also offers tailor-made, short-term training programmes, some of which are specifically for government and parastatal executives. FCM conducts research and also offers consultancy services in business-related practical problems. At the undergraduate level, which is the focus of this paper, FCM offers a three-year, full-time Bachelor of Commerce (B.Com) degree programme with specialisation in accounting, in finance and in marketing. Of the 37 course units offered in the programme, 26 are core course units and only 11 are specialisation course units. All first-year courses are core courses. At the beginning of the first year, students are tested for English proficiency. Those found lacking are required to register for and pass (otherwise carry over) a course on Communication Skills. This course is remedial and is not counted as part of the courses of the B.Com programme. Knowledge and Skills of B.Com Graduates of the Faculty of Commerce and Management, University of Dar es salaam in the Job Market Page 3 During the second year, students do eight units of core courses and four units of specialisation courses. In the final year, units for specialisation courses increase to seven whereas units for core courses drop to six. Overall, B.Com students spend 70% of their allocated time doing core courses together and spend only 30% of the time on courses in their respective areas of specialisation. The B.Com course structure is presented as Appendix I to this paper. Theoretical setting and methodology" @default.
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• W2283081173 title "Knowledge and Skills of B.Com Graduates of the Faculty of Commerce and Management, University of Dar-es-Salaam in the Job Market" @default.
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