ACCA - The global body for professional accountants

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Employers of accountants

Not all finance professionals come complete. Unlike some, ACCA accountants are properly grounded in all areas of business and finance including reporting, taxation and audit. This ensures truly forward looking “business ready” finance professionals who can help grow organisations

For organisations that want to strengthen their finance function and grow, the ACCA Qualification covers everything that a professional accountant needs to know –it is a “complete” syllabus and no important areas of knowledge or skill are left out.

Recent research titled 'The complete finance professional 2013: why breadth and depth of finance capability matter in today’s finance function’ was carried out by ACCA with 500 Chief Financial Officers (CFOs), and found that the vast majority of CFOs looking to appoint new staff for their businesses believe it is important for each potential employee to have both a breadth and depth of finance expertise and capabilities.

The report brings together key thinking and insights on the future of the finance function and why businesses need finance skills. As the report concludes, for those aspiring to become the next generation of CFOs running global finance functions, we can expect career development paths to look different to traditional routes; breadth of experience and knowledge will be key.

Potential student of accountancy

As an ACCA finance professional, you get the complete picture. Unlike some, ACCA accountants are properly grounded in all areas of business and finance including reporting, taxation and audit.

Because the ACCA Qualification additionally covers the value added areas of Leadership and Management, Strategy and Innovation and Sustainable Management Accounting, new ACCA members are truly forward looking “business ready” finance professionals, more thoroughly prepared for strategic leadership roles.

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To help employers understand how the competencies of an ACCA qualified accountant can help them grow your business, ACCA has developed ‘The ACCA Competency Framework’ that will be available online in March, so employers can easily check what the syllabus covers. As an overview, this is what is covered:

 

Corporate ReportingPreparing high quality business reports to support stakeholder understanding and decision making
Leadership and ManagementManaging resources and leading organisations effectively and ethically, understanding stakeholder needs and priorities
Strategy and InnovationAssessing and evaluating strategic position and identifying imaginative options to improve performance and position; implementing strategies to ensure cost effective and innovative business process improvement and change management
Financial ManagementImplementing effective investment and financing decisions within the business environment in areas such as investment appraisal, business re-organisations, tax and risk management, treasury and working capital management, to ensure value creation
Sustainable Management AccountingAssessing, evaluating and implementing management accounting  and performance management systems for planning, measuring, controlling and monitoring business performance to ensure sustainable value creation
Law and taxationUnderstanding laws and regulation relating to business; understanding taxation, regulation and systems, to establish tax liabilities for individuals and companies, and minimising these liabilities using tax planning
Audit and AssuranceProviding high quality external audits; evaluating information systems and internal controls, and gathering evidence and performing procedures to meet the objectives of audit and assurance engagements
Governance, risk and controlEnsuring effective and appropriate governance; evaluating, monitoring and implementing appropriate risk identification procedures; designing and implementing appropriate and effective internal audit and control systems
Stakeholder relationship managementManaging stakeholder expectations and needs; aligning the organisation to their requirements; engaging stakeholders effectively and communicating relevant information
Professionalism and ethicsUnderstanding and behaving in accordance with fundamental principles of ethical behaviour and personal ethics; ensuring implementation of appropriate corporate ethical frameworks

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The ACCA Qualification gives students the essentials to be the complete finance professional. There is thorough coverage of financial accounting, management accounting, risk management and control, supported by other areas such as reporting, taxation and audit which are essential to understand. It additionally covers the value added areas of Leadership and Management, Strategy and Innovation and Sustainable Management Accounting, as these are important to every professional accountant.

ACCA prepares accountants thoroughly for strategic leadership roles. Employers want to employ our accountants because the Qualification covers everything that a professional accountant needs to know – it is a “complete” syllabus and no important areas of knowledge or skill are left out.

ACCA is unique in offering students different pathways to qualification, such that by choosing appropriate options in their exams and performance objectives, students can choose which sector they wish to specialise in as their career develops.

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Last updated: 9 Apr 2013