Personality Profiles as a Guide to Selecting the Accounting Major

Abstract

This research considers the issue of personality profiles as related to academic performance in the principles of accounting sequence within the context of declared major area of study, either accounting or business administration.  If personality characteristics discriminate between these groups, this information may be productive in guiding students as they select an appropriate major area of undergraduate study.  The Predictive Index, a practical, cost-effective, proven system for gathering objective information respecting personality characteristics, is utilized to obtain empirical measurements of four personality traits from a group of undergraduate accounting and business administration majors at a Midwestern university in the United States.  Contemporary recruiters increasingly use personality profiles as a means to assess an application pool.  The findings of this study provide empirical support for an assertion that declared accounting and business administration majors exhibit different personality profiles respecting two of the four personality traits subjected to analysis after controlling for important demographic differences.  This research utilized a cost-effective personality profiling instrument to model a previously untested group of undergraduate students in an effort directed at providing useful academic advising information surrounding accounting majors.  For university administration cost containment is always an issue; effective advising and retention of students are core to their missions; and for undergraduate students, proven information sources are extraordinarily useful and highly valuable in supporting successful progression in their studies and timely migration to a career.