The Speech I delivered at the Accounting Association of Dar es Salaam University (AADU) Farewell Party

 

Monica Joseph

SPEECH BY MS. MONICA JOSEPH, GENERAL MANAGER – MOKASI MEDICAL SYSTEMS/PHILIPS HEALTHCARE REPRESENTATIVE IN TANZANIA AT THE AADU NIGHT,

LAND MARK HOTEL, FRIDAY 22^nd JUNE, 2012

WEB: www.monfinance.com

President of Accounting Association of Dar es salaam University,
Distinguished Guests;
Ladies and Gentlemen;
I thank you, Ms. Bahati, the Outgoing President of Accounting Association of Dar-es-Salaam University, for the honour you bestowed in me, of being the Guest of Honour at this farewell graduation party to the members of your association- who are completing their Bachelor degree at the University of Dar es salaam Business School this year. I must admit from the outset that when I received your invitation, I was a bit shocked, because I am not a public figure to deserve such a responsibility.
Nevertheless I had no choice but to oblige because I happen to be a member of the accounting fraternity, therefore I thought it would be unwise to turn down your colleagues. I appreciate the warm welcome accorded to me and fellow invited guests. I thank the organizers of the ceremony for a job very well done. We are all truly refreshed by the entertainment. I thank you.

Ladies and Gentlemen;
Today, we are celebrating an important milestone to our brothers and sisters who have completed their Bachelor degree at the prestigious Business School of UDSM. Indeed, they have achieved an important stage in their quest for higher education. I congratulate them, most sincerely, for being able to complete undergraduate education. I am quite sure they have made their parents very proud indeed. But let me hasten to say to our dear graduates, this is not the end of your journey in the search for education and knowledge.
Let this be the completion of the foundation and, therefore, beginning of the preparations for pursing the next level towards postgraduate educational achievements as well as career development. While I appreciate the fact that the journey you have just finished was exciting and demanding, pursuing post-graduate studies or career development is even more challenging and rewarding. The good news is that, it is achievable and manageable. Many of us have done it, you too can.
All that is required of you is to be focused and devoted to studying- for those who will pursue post-graduate education; and working hard-for those who will opt to start their careers. Whichever way you go-you all have to observe the highest levels of discipline, hard work and good conduct.
Dear Graduands;
While it befits to congratulate yourselves, you should never forget to congratulate your lecturers a job very well done. They have painstakingly taken good care of you, mentored you and gave you the education. I commend and thank them for their patience and perseverance.

Dear graduands, Dear members of the accounting association of UDSM, Ladies and Gentlemen;
Coming from the accounting profession myself, in a modest way, let me use this opportunity to share with you few tips on what both our graduands and other accounting student may need to have in mind to prepare for a successful career as an accountant. From the outset you should all be aware that in today’s world, facing the highly competitive and globalizing environment, everyone in every profession must be well equipped for more and more challenges. Then, what challenges would accountants face today and what can be done to raise our competitiveness? First of all, an accountant must be responsive to learning new things. When you come across something that is totally new to you, you have to understand them fully in a short period of time.
You may think that accounting is just dealing with the accounts according to the accounting principles, why is there the need to understand new things in a very short period of time? I can tell you that it is because the International Accounting Standard is changing rapidly from time to time to cope with the rapidly changing business environment. When you have been accustomed to one set of accounting principles, the new set of principles is ready to be launched. The cycle goes continuously and becomes a challenge for accountants.
The need to learn fast also arises from the requirement to understand commercial substances of business activities that may not directly related to accounting but could have significant impacts on accounting treatment and management decisions to which accountants are expected to contribute. Therefore, readiness to absorb new knowledge during the life long career in the accounting profession would be a key to success. Bear in mind that “Life Long Learning” is not only a slogan but also a must for accountants who are working in a highly dynamic business environment. A caveat here is accountants may need to be prepared to work long hours under stressful working environment. Once when you have become a qualified accountant, or even on the day you step out of the campus, you have to face stressful working environment. No matter what kind of duties you perform in the accounting profession, the situation is more or less the same.
As all of you here may understand, deadlines are always there for the accounting profession. No matter whether you are an auditor, a tax adviser or an in-house accountant, during peak seasons, when deadline is approaching, you have to work until very late under stress inevitably. I encourage you to make sure that you are physically and psychologically prepared for this challenging environment and seize every opportunity to enhance the competitiveness through continuous and vigorous learning and acquiring a comprehensive knowledge of accounting to prepare for the way to becoming successful accountants.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Before I conclude, I would like to say few things about the accounting association of the University. I urge you continue furthering students interest in the field of accounting as well as acquainting all phases of the University of Dar es salaam School of Business student body with the functions of the professional accountant. It is by doing so you will help your members to become competent accountants.
I understand that the accounting association requires resources to run its activities. I challenge you to come up with innovative ways to mobilize resources to your organization. One such way is to organize yourself to provide accounting consultancy services to small business and individuals who requires your skills but cannot afford to engage established accounting firms. On my part I commit to help linking your association with such firms and I will also provide a modest contribution to your association to further your work.
Ladies and Gentlemen;
This is not an occasion for making long speeches lest I sound like a politician. Tonight is a night for celebrations. So once again I congratulate all the graduands. I want you to be good ambassadors of the University of Dar-es-Salaam Business school when you go for further studies and in everyday life. Also be a good example of how a young educated Tanzanian should look like and behave. The future of the accounting profession is somehow in the hands of all of you here. Be hardworking and I am sure that all of you will be excellent accountants.
I wish you every success. I thank you for listening.

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