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Latest research

• Accountants for Business 
• ACCA's global theme for 2009-10 is Accountants for business. It emphasises a new, value-adding agenda for accountants in whatever role they occupy. The theme examines the role of accountants as promoters of sound business practice, champions of sustainable business development and identifiers of value drivers that all lead to high-performing organisations. This report considers how accountants add value to business. It uses the 'finance function' as the case study or example to demonstrate the role that professional accountants play and to identify the differentiators between the good and the great.
• The 2009 employer guide to training trends in finance 
• This report explores what accountants consider to be the most important areas for professional development in the current business climate. The research presents development requirements relating to both technical and business skills, as well as the type of mediums finance professionals prefer to have their learning content delivered through. It is hoped that these findings will help inform the decisions organisations in practice, corporate and the public sector make in relation to the content of the development programmes they provide.

Previous research

• The future of professional development (2009) 
• This report briefly looks at some of the future trends in professional development. It considers the current approach to professional development across the profession, and how this may evolve in the future, as well as the external environment influencing the developments and approaches to professional development. It draws on developments in technology, social, economic and environmental issues to understand how these will influence and shape programmes in the future.
• Perspectives on talent management in challenging times (2009) 
• At the start of 2009 the global business environment is facing challenging global economic conditions. In this opinion piece, we briefly consider the implications for the finance profession in relation to aspects of talent management. We hope this commentary helps inform the decisions that organisations in practice, business and the public and government sectors make about learning and development for their finance staff. We would expect that these findings will have relevance and usefulness for individual accountants, either by influencing decision-makers within their own employer organisations, or as guidance on how to take greater responsibility for their own development needs and activities.
• CPD benchmarking (2009) 
• In 2005 ACCA commissioned its first international survey into training and development policies specifically for finance staff. The survey concluded that a wide range of approaches to continuing professional development (CPD) for finance professionals were being adopted by employers. Three years on, this report considers what has changed since the original research activity in terms of employers approaches to CPD. It is hoped that these findings will help inform the decisions that organisations in practice, business and the public and government sectors make about learning and development for their finance staff.
• Professional development trends analysis (2009) 
• This report draws upon a global survey to outline finance professionals’ demand for technical and business skills and their preferred learning mediums for professional development.
• The coaching and mentoring revolution - is it working? (2008) 
• This research explores what is understood by coaching and mentoring, and whether there anything unique about the finance profession that makes coaching and/or mentoring a particularly valuable development tool. Other issues explored within the report include: the objectives of coaching and mentoring programmes for finance professionals; the business case for coaching and mentoring programmes; the extent to which coaching and mentoring processes are currently adopted across the finance community, and how their success is measured. Finally, the report considers how we expect coaching and mentoring to evolve in the future.
• A changing profession? The evolution of accounting roles, skills and career aspirations (2007) 
• This report examines the roles and skills currently in demand across the accountancy profession, and those expected to emerge in the near future. It is hoped that the findings will enable organisations to benchmark their current learning and development strategies to ensure they are fit for purpose. The report also provides useful advice for finance professionals seeking to maximise career development opportunities currently available.
• Paths to the top - best practice leadership development for finance professionals (2007) 
• This report, based on a substantial global survey of finance professionals, explores the following issues: the factors shaping leadership roles in finance; the experience, skills and qualities required to become a finance leader; the steps organisations are taking to support leadership development for finance professionals and how effective they are; and, finally, are there any common paths to the top and if so, what are they?
• Talent management in the finance profession (2006) 
• Previous research has established a strong link between the recruitment, development and retention of productive individuals and the long-term growth and performance of the organisation, measured through profitability and shareholder return. This paper shares worldwide research on talent management and explores the purpose of talent management programmes, the extent to which the concept is being used within organisations, the delivery methods employed on the programmes and key issues that should be considered when implementing a talent management programme.
• The finance professional in 2020 (2006) 
• This report considers the future landscape for the finance professional. It identifies the drivers and future trends which are likely to shape the profession, the individuals within it and their employers. Analysis of the research considers the skills and knowledge likely to be required of the finance professional of the future and the potential career structures of the future.
• The future of professionalism in the knowledge society (2006) 
• This paper considers the effect of developments in the availability of knowledge on the professions, in particular accountancy. Some of the themes explored include: the impact on the profession of near instant public access to sophisticated information that used to be the preserve of professionals; the importance of professional judgement and ethics; and professionalism in a global context.

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