The September 1999 issue of Strategic Finance contains the article “Counting More, Counting Less: Transformations in the Management Accounting Profession,” written by Keith Russell, Gary Siegel, and C. S. Kuleszo. It appears on pages 38 to 44. This article reviews findings from a survey of managerial accountants conducted by the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA). Read this article and complete the following requirements.

Required:

a. What skills did the management accountants identify as being most important for their success?

b. Did the respondents see their work as being more closely associated with the accounting or finance function?

c. Like all business professionals, management accountants must continuously update their skills. What were the five most important skills the respondents said they had acquired in the five years prior to the survey?

d. Nonaccountants often view accountants as persons who work alone sitting at a desk. What percentage of the respondents to the IMA survey said they work on cross-functional teams?