Exploring the effectiveness of total quality management in accounting education: the case of Egypt

In this study, we explore actual and perceived effectiveness of accounting education (AE) pre/post the application of total quality management in Egypt, which constitutes an interesting educational context. In a mixed-methods approach, we examine the effect of applying quality measures on accounting-major senior students’ performance, measured by test scores. Then, we target various stakeholders to assess deficiencies and potential quality improvement. Using in-depth interviews and survey questionnaires, we identify eight performance-improvement dimensions for the application of quality measures in AE institutions using a sample of 513 respondents. Results show that the current practice of AE generally suffer from deficiencies that can be significantly improved by applying quality measures related to students, instructors, institution, program, facilities, training/internships, financing costs, and employer feedback. The findings are relevant to educators and policymakers seeking to sustain competitive advantage of graduates in a fiercely competitive market. We provide future avenues for research to accounting scholars.