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About ACCA

ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) is the global body for professional accountants with 432,000 trainees and 154,000 qualified members in 170 countries. We help the world’s employers grow their businesses by enabling them to develop the finance leaders of today and tomorrow in all business sectors through our network of 83 offices and centres worldwide.

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Why choose ACCA?

REDUCE THE COST OF ATTRITIONIncrease staff retention through investment in employee capability and by helping them realise their potential.

ENHANCE YOUR REPUTATIONCreate a team of people with globally recognised qualifications that will distinguish your organisation from its peers or competitors.

ENHANCE PRODUCTIVITY AND INCREASE MARGINSPromote consistency and quality to improve service delivery and reduce costs.

DEVELOP FUTURE LEADERSDevelop individuals that will provide sound management and leadership for your organisation.

OPTIMISE YOUR OPERATING MODELGet insights that will help you to drive value for your business, and for clients or the retained finance function.

ACCA works with shared and outsourced service centres to help them achieve service excellence and business success.

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What others say

‘In my opinion, ACCA produces accounting professionals that have both technical and business acumen, who are able to meet the resource needs of IBM. The exposure and knowledge ACCA members gain through the ACCA Qualification gives them an edge and understanding of what is required to perform their roles and to also be groomed as future leaders.’ Melanie Phang, IBM APAC, Malaysia

‘The ACCA Qualification and training programme are critical for identifying and developing our talent, and also improving customer satisfaction in our SSC. ACCA students and members deliver better results and higher efficiencies. They are also able to absorb additional challenging tasks and therefore accelerate their career. All of this results in higher talent retention, increased continuity and ultimately, improved customer satisfaction.’

Pavel Šustek, Edwards Services s.r.o., Czech republic

‘With the ACCA Qualification, you know you are getting quality.’

Richard Lundon, IBM, Ireland

‘To me, there is an integrity to the ACCA Qualification. If you start someone in one role and want to move them to another, with ACCA you can do that because it will not be completely unfamiliar territory to them.’

Caroline Curtis, Yahoo!, Ireland

‘By partnering closely with ACCA, we can leverage on their extensive training platform to develop our talent. We have also participated in various professional events held by ACCA for best practice sharing. Their knowledge and skill contribute significantly to shape the future of our organisation.’

Jason Wang, Henkel China Investment Co. Ltd., China

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ACCA trained people are equipped with skills that make them fit for business – regardless of business sector or country borders. As shared services and outsourcing has progressed to being an enabler of business growth, ACCA members and students are being increasingly employed in the sector to meet the demand for real accountants with serious career aspirations.

ACCA works closely with shared services centres, outsourced service providers, industry associations and other partners across the world. Our network and qualifications give you scaleability in terms of geographic location and service scope.

Because ACCA qualifications develop broad and deep functional expertise, you are able to deliver greater value and build capacity to develop your service offerings.

With 83 offices and 400 examination centres worldwide, we have the greatest network delivery capability and professional development programme of any accountancy body. We will work with you to ensure flexible, accessible, cost effective training delivery at every level.

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Our global infrastructure means that exams and support are delivered, together with reputation and influence building, at a local level directly benefiting employers wherever they are based – or plan to move in pursuit of new business opportunities.

Our unique set of values sets us apart in the accountancy profession, in particular by championing opportunity, diversity and integrity. These values make ACCA attractive to potential recruits - together with our global reach, this opens up opportunities for you to access and develop new talent pools.

We also provide research and insights into finance function effectiveness that promote thinking around optimum models for the delivery of finance and accounting services. Partnership with ACCA delivers great brand exposure for your organisation to promote excellence in finance. We do this through a leading platform with unmatched visibility, channels to market and influence at global, regional, national and local levels.

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Building your finance capability

Our qualifications develop and retain people with the technical expertise and business insight to deliver added value across the whole delivery model from the retained finance function through to shared services and outsourced providers.

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= DIPLOMA IN ACCOUNTING

AND BUSINESS

FOUNDATIONS IN PROFESSIONALISM MODULE

+ PROFESSIONAL ETHICS MODULE

MATHS AND ENGLISH SELF-CHECK MODULES (optional)

= CERTIFIED ACCOUNTING

TECHNICIAN (CAT)

= INTRODUCTORY CERTIFICATE IN

FINANCIAL AND MANAGEMENT

ACCOUNTING

= INTERMEDIATE CERTIFICATE IN

FINANCIAL AND MANAGEMENT

ACCOUNTING

+ 2 exams + 2 exams + 3 exams

+ 6 exams

+ 2 exams + 1 years’ relevant

practical experience*

= ADVANCED DIPLOMA IN

ACCOUNTING AND BUSINESS

BSc from Oxford Brookes University

Foundations in Accountancy

ACCA Qualification

= ACCA MBA from Oxford Brookes University

ENTRY LEVEL 1

ENTRY LEVEL 2ENTRY LEVEL 1 No prior qualifications required.

ENTRY LEVEL 2 Technician level entry or equivalent eg CAT.

ENTRY LEVEL 3 Graduate entry for accredited degrees from recognised institutions. These graduates will also need to complete the Professional Ethics module.

*Relevant practical experience can be gained before, during or after exams.

ENTRY LEVEL 3+ 5 exams + 3 years’

relevant practical experience*

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Shared services and outsourcing has proven to be a great launching pad for careers in finance, when talent management is addressed from the outset. Foundations in Accountancy enables us to add value through a range of additional technician level qualifications, including a revised Certified Accounting Technician (CAT) Qualification.

With multiple entry and exit levels, Foundations in Accountancy qualifications help you to reach new talent pools and develop competent employees cost effectively. It is designed for people in transaction, technician and junior accounting roles. Those with the potential for advancement to expert, analytical and managerial roles can be fast tracked to the ACCA Qualification.

Foundations in Accountancy provides a test of the core knowledge needed in a shared and outsourced service environment, including cost control, AP, AR and financial reporting as well as the essential understanding and context of the role of accountants in business.

With increased scrutiny in recent years on how businesses operate, your employees must also know what it means to act and behave professionally and ethically in the workplace. This is tested through the Foundations in Professionalism module.

INTRODUCTORY CERTIFICATE IN FINANCIAL AND MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTING

FA1 Recording Financial Transactions

MA1 Management Information

INTERMEDIATE CERTIFICATE IN FINANCIAL AND MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTING

FA2 Maintaining Financial Records

MA2 Managing Costs and Finance

DIPLOMA IN ACCOUNTING AND BUSINESS

FAB Accountant in Business

FMA Management Accounting

FFA Financial Accounting

CERTIFIED ACCOUNTING TECHNICIAN All of the above exams plus two of the following specialist exams:

FTX Foundations in Taxation

FFM Foundations in Financial Management

FAU Foundations in Audit

Foundations in Professionalism online module to be completed in order to achieve any of the above awards.

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Foundations in Accountancy

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To gain the CAT Qualification, students need to complete seven core exams and two specialist exams, one year’s relevant practical experience and Foundations in Professionalism.

Certified Accounting Technician

Exams

FA1 Recording Financial Transactions

MA1 Management Information

FA2 Maintaining Financial Records

MA2 Managing Costs and Finance

FAB Accountant in Business

FMA Management Accounting

FFA Financial Accounting

plus of the following specialist exams:

FTX Foundations in Taxation

FFM Foundations in Financial Management

FAU Foundations in Audit

Experience

ESSENTIALS COMPETENCESBelow is the list of the Essentials Competences (EC). All FOUR must be achieved.

EC1: Act professionally at workEC2: Manage selfEC3: Communicate effectivelyEC4: Using information and communications technology

TECHNICAL COMPETENCESBelow is the full list of Technical Competences (TC). A total of SIX must be completed.

GROUP 1 Technical Competences linked to papers FA1 and MA1

Minimum of ONE to be achieved

1 TC1: Verify and record income and receipts from originating documents

2 TC2: Verify and record purchases and payments from originating documents

3 TC3: Prepare ledger accounts and an initial trial balance4 TC4: Provide basic information on costs and revenues.

GROUP 2 Technical Competences linked to papers FA2 and MA2

Minimum of TWO to be achieved

1 TC5: Correct errors and process accounting adjustments in the extended trial balance

2 TC6: Maintain records relating to capital acquisition and disposal3 TC7: Prepare the final accounts of unincorporated entities4 TC8: Prepare and complete sales tax/vat returns 5 TC9: Record and analyse information relating to direct costs 6 TC10: Record and analyse information relating to indirect costs 7 TC11: Record and analyse information relating to costs, revenues

and profit8 TC12: Manage and control cash receipts, payments and balances.

GROUP 3 Technical Competences linked to the Diploma and specialist Options papers

Minimum of THREE to be achieved

1 TC13: Draft financial statements for different business sectors2 TC14: Interpret financial statements for different business sectors3 TC15: Use management accounting techniques to support planning

and decision-making4 TC16: Measure and evaluate financial performance5 TC17: Plan and control financial performance6 TC18: Use and evaluate accounting systems and financial controls 7 TC19: Implement internal and external audit procedures8 TC20: Prepare personal taxation computations and complete tax returns9 TC21: Prepare business taxation computations and complete tax returns10 TC22: Grant credit and monitor and control the collection of debts.

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ACCA professional accountants transform the finance capabilities of organisations through their in-depth skills in finance strategy, business analysis, investment appraisal, cost control, financial management, performance management, risk management and financial reporting.

These capabilities may be distributed across shared service centres, outsourced providers and retained finance functions. Accountants on all sides must have complementary knowledge and skills to work effectively in partnership with each other.

Our finance and accounting professionals gain membership through our core product – the ACCA Qualification. This delivers the accounting and finance knowledge, skills and professional values needed by people in expert and high value analytical roles within shared and outsourced service centres.

Training towards the ACCA Qualification enables you to build a talent base for centres that deliver (or have aspirations to deliver) services higher up the value chain.

The ACCA Qualification: is internationally recognised; offers flexible study options which can be built round your business needs; has flexible entry requirements to attract a diverse range of candidates – essential in a world where demand for talent continues to outstrip supply; comprehensively covers the main technical areas any accountant would be expected to master.

ACCA training can also be used to retain the best and brightest of your more junior staff by providing a development path beyond Foundations in Accountancy and enabling them to progress their careers into roles higher up the value chain and into senior positions.

The ACCA Qualification

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Exams

Trainees should complete 14 papers in total. A maximum of nine papers in the Fundamentals level are availablefor exemption.

FUNDAMENTALS (nine papers in total)

KnowledgeF1 Accountant in Business

F2 Management Accounting

F3 Financial Accounting

Skills

F4 Corporate and Business law

F5 Performance Management

F6 Taxation

F7 Financial Reporting

F8 Audit and Assurance

F9 Financial Management

PROFESSIONAL (five papers in total)

Essentials (all three to be completed)

P1 Governance Risk and Ethics

P2 Corporate Reporting

P3 Business Analysis

Options (two to be completed)

P4 Advanced Financial Management

P5 Advanced Performance Management

P6 Advanced Taxation

P7 Advanced Audit and Assurance

Ethics

Professional ethics is at the heart of the ACCA Qualification. It is covered in 11 of the 16 exam papers – including all papers at Professional level – and in three of the Essentials performance objectives. Underpinning the educational syllabus and the practical experience is the Professional Ethics module. The aim of the Professional Ethics module is to give trainees exposure to a range of ethical perspectives. Ideally, this should be completed before, at the same time or soon after completing Paper P1, Governance Risk and Ethics, but must be completed before applying for membership.

Experience

Trainees must complete three-years’ relevant practical experience and achieve13 of the performance objectives listed below.

ESSENTIALS (all nine to be completed)

Professionalism, ethics and governance1 Demonstrate the application of professional ethics, values and judgement2 Contribute to the effective governance of an organisation3 Raise awareness of non-financial risk

Personal effectiveness4 Manage self5 Communicate effectively6 Use information and communications technology

Business management7 Manage ongoing activities in your area of responsibility8 Improve departmental performance9 Manage an assignment

OPTIONS (four to be completed)

Financial accounting and reporting10 Prepare financial statements for external purposes11 Interpret financial transactions and financial statements

Performance measurement and management accounting12 Prepare financial information for management13 Contribute to budget planning and production14 Monitor and control budgets

Finance and financial management15 Evaluate potential business/ investment opportunities and the required finance options16 Manage cash using active cash management and treasury systems

Audit and assurance17 Prepare for and collect evidence for audit18 Evaluate and report on audit

Taxation19 Evaluate and compute taxes payable20 Assist with tax planning

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RESEARCH AND PUBLICATIONS D LICATIONS From participation in ACCA research forums to featuring in ACCA publications and joint branding of major research, there are many ways for your organisation to get involved with ACCA.

EVENTS AND NETWORKINGACCA regularly works with partners on ACCA conferences, forums and roundtables giving opportunities for shared hosting, keynote speakers, collateral contribution and advertising.

If you would like more information on ways to work with us, speak to your local ACCA office or email employers@accaglobal.com

Building your brand reputation

As the leading global professional accountancy body, we can uniquely support building your business brand because we can offer you opportunities to raise your profile through our local, regional and global network of offices and partners.

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ACCOUNTANTS FOR BUSINESSWe share our research and opinion on what’s affecting individuals and the profession now, as well as insight into what the future could look like.

This includes a shared services and outsourcing (SSO) programme that is taking a comprehensive look at how organisational value is created through the use of SSO models. Accounting for Delivery is examining operational, geographic and organisational challenges, and identifying critical initiatives to improve the management of remote finance and accounting models through training, organisation design, geographic considerations and other methods.

Visit www.accaglobal.com/ accountants_business to access our research.

ACCOUNTANCY FUTURESThe economic, political and environmental climate has exposed shortcomings in the way public policy and regulation have developed in areas such as financial regulation, financial reporting, corporate transparency, climate change and assurance provision.

Think differently

Take advantage of ACCA’s work in identifying future trends in finance and accounting for business.

In response to the challenges presented to the accountancy profession by this new business environment, ACCA’s Accountancy Futures programme has four areas of focus – access to finance, audit and society, environmental accountability and corporate reporting. Through research, comment and events ACCA contributes to the forward agenda of the international profession, business and society at large and shares the latest thinking through our dedicated websitewww.accaglobal.com/af

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Contact us to find out how we can help you to grow your business.

Simply visit www.accaglobal.com/employers to find your nearest ACCA office or email employers@accaglobal.com

Interested?

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15Your local contact

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