Financial management education: Is there a gap between academics and practitioners?

Abstract

From previous studies it seems that Financial Management may be regarded an important managerial skill. This study investigates the importance of different topics in Finance. The ranking of these topics according to their importance, as perceived by academics versus practitioners, is compared here. It was found that some topics are indeed regarded as more important than others. There were significant differences in the rankings of topics by the two groups of respondents. Areas which practitioners believe need more research to enhance the value of Finance for South African managers are indicated. Finally, conclusions are drawn about the implications of this study for the volatile management environment in South Africa, and possible areas for further research are indicated.