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Stereotypes In Movies

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Overall, this research determined that the portrayal of accountants in American movies did several things. These include the over-glamorization of the profession, enhancement of professional traits, and belittlement of the professions hallmark characteristic, integrity. Additionally, the portrayal of accountants goes so far as to make the stereotypical accountant in the movies inconsistent with reality.
First, American movies glamorize the profession. For example, in the daily completion of financial tasks, accountants typically will perform the entry and posting of journal entries (Plumlee, Rixom, & Rosman, 2015). In none of the films reviewed did the actors perform these tasks. An example of this is the character portrayed by Danny Glover …show more content…

Being a profession that is entrusted with other peoples or organizations money, the accounting profession understands professionals must be honest and ethical. Survey respondents felt that American filmmakers manipulate the professions strength into a weakness for typical accountants. In the movie Hitch, Alex “Hitch” Hitchens, played by Kevin James, is described as the “bumbling client” with hopes to win the heart of “glamorous” Allegra Cole. Additionally, this research found that the highest stereotype portrayed negatively is that accountants are “physically awkward.” In the fast moving profession of accounting that relies on cognitive skills and training, there are no body types that would be better suited for the …show more content…

One limitation includes the fact that individual actor characteristics could be more dominant that professional stereotypes. For example: Ben Affleck is known for his good looks and lifestyle while Johnny Depp may be typecast as a “pirate” and playing “antisocial” roles. Another limitation is the structure of the research weighted each movie equally regardless of box office revenues or impact. A third limitation was the use of perceptions by the survey respondents. An additional limitation is the difficultly in determining impact. For example, this research did not consider sales from revenue sources different from box office. Some of this missed revenues from streaming and video sales. Added to this is researchers did not adjust sales for

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