1. Executive Director, CGA-Canada International, China
Southwest University of Finance & Economics (SWUFE) Introduction to “Professionalism” & CGA-Canada’s Competency Framework
Barbara Ko
Executive Director, CGA-Canada International, China
April 11, 2011

2. AGENDA Profession, Professional, and Professionalism
Academic versus Professional Qualifications
Professional versus Technician
Professionalism
Competency Framework for Professional Accountants
Structure of CGA-Canada Professional Program

3. Profession, Professional, & Professionalism
What is a profession? What does it represent? 什么是 “专业”？ 或 “行业”？ 或 “职业”？ 或 “执业”？

4. Profession, Professional, & Professionalism
What is a “Professional”? What does it represent?
Examples: Accountant, Doctor, Lawyer, Engineer, Architect, etc.

5. What is professionalism?
Example:
Your client requires some information about the results of a survey.

6. Example “A” Your reply will be: “To: XXXXX
Total no. of questionnaires distributed: 500
Total no. of responses we obtained is 206.
Yours truly,
xxxxxx”

7. Example “B” CGA-Year 3 Survey Response Rate - China City Universities
Number of Students
Distributed
Received
Response Rate
Male
Female
Total
Beijing
Tsinghua University 12 25 37
100.00%
Shanghai
Shanghai University of Finance & Economics 15 26 41 38
92.68%
Guangzhou
Sun Yat-sen University 5 20 21
Jinan University
Tianjin
Nankai University 29 50 33
Changchun
Jilin University 9 18
Chengdu
Southwest University of Finance & Economics 39 51 34
66.67%
Hangzhou
Zhejiang University of Finance & Economics 28 24
72.73% 92
188
280
235
206
87.66%

8. Professionalism
How will you assess Example A and Example B? Which is better, more informative? Why are the two responses different? “Professionally trained” “Competency” “Answers to users’ needs”

9. Academic vs. Professional Qualifications

10. Qualifications process
Academic
Undergraduate Bachelor Degree
Conventional classroom lectures
Post-graduate Master Degree, Ph.D.
Strategic thinking
Research based
Case studies
Application of technical knowledge and specialized knowledge

11. Professionals How do I become a professional?
Choose the discipline or trade
4 “E’s”
Education
Examination
Experience
Ethical Standards

12. Professional vs. Technician

13. Professional vs. Technician
What is a “professional”?　
Western culture
A “Professional” implies　
Education　
Examination
Experience
Ethics
西方国家的概念
Professional
Education
Examination
Experience

14. Professional Designations 专衔
Representing Individuals with :
Strong technical knowledge
Expertise and mastery of the technical skills
Credibility
Practising Right
Specialists　
Respectable
High income
Examples: Accountant, Doctor, Lawyer, Engineer, Architect, etc.
(CGA), (MD), (Attorney at Law),
(P.Eng),
(AIA)

15. Professional vs. Technical
Technician
Technical training
Working mechanically
Skilful and experienced

17. Competency Framework for Professional Accountants

18. All-rounded competencies
Leadership
Professionalism
Professional Knowledge

19. CGA –Competency Framework
Professional knowledge (71 competencies)
Financial Accounting & Reporting
Management Accounting
Assurance & Other Related Services
Finance & Financial Planning
Business Environment
Information Technology
Taxation

20. CGA –Competency Framework
Leadership (24 competencies)
Strategic and Organizational Leadership
Organizational Effectiveness
Individual and Team Leadership
Individual and Team Development

21. CGA –Competency Framework
Professionalism (35 competencies)
Ethics & Trust
Stakeholder Focus
Communication
Integrative Approach
Problem Solving
Professional Development
Professional Self-evaluation

22. Structure of CGA-Canada’s Professional Program

23. CGA Training What are students being trained for?
Technical knowledge and its applications
Analytical skills
Judgmental skills
Organizational skills
Communications skills
Professionalism, answering to users’ needs

24. Path to Certification – Education
Competency-based program
CGA Program of Professional Studies or equivalent studies
Career option at certification level
Corporate / SME
Information Technology
Government / Not-for-profit
Public Practice
Degree required prior to certification level

25. MBA for CGA’s

26. Laurentian University
Provides academic programs leading to recognized Bachelor, Master, and PhD degrees
SWUFE-CGA undergraduates may be admitted to the 1-year full-time MBA (on-campus) program

27. Today’s Professional Accountant
Control & Management
Professional Judgement
High ethical standards
Lifelong learning =Continuous Professional Development
Traditional Accountant
Bookkeeping
Follow instructions and routine
No emphasis on ethical standards
No requirement for high technical standards

28. Types of Accountants
Private accountants normally work for one employer and offer services such as general accounting, cost accounting, budgeting, and internal auditing.
Public accountants work for many clients and offer auditing, management advisory, and tax services.
Government accountants audit tax returns and accumulate financial information for federal, provincial, and municipal agencies.

29. Fields in Accounting Financial Accounting Managerial Accounting
Taxation
Accounting-related
General Accounting
Cost Accounting
Budgeting
Internal Auditing
Management Consulting
Preparation
Planning
Regulatory
Investigations
Consulting
Lenders
Consultants
Analysts
Traders
Managers
Directors
Underwriters
Planners
appraisers
Statement Preparation
Statement analysis
Auditing
Regulatory
Consulting
Planning
Forensic Accounting
Service Cost - Actuaries compute service cost as the present value of the new benefits earned by employees during the year. Future salary levels considered in calculation.
Interest on Liability - Interest accrues each year on the PBO just as it does on any discounted debt.
Actual Return on Plan Assets - Increase in pension funds from interest, dividends, and realized and unrealized changes in the fair market value of the plan assets.
Amortization of Unrecognized Prior Service Cost - The cost of providing retroactive benefits is allocated to pension expense in the future, specifically to the remaining service-years of the affected employees.
Gain or Loss - Volatility in pension expense can be caused by sudden and large changes in the market value of plan assets and by changes in the projected benefit obligation. Two items comprise the gain or loss:
difference between the actual return and the expected return on plan assets and,
amortization of the unrecognized net gain or loss from previous periods

30. CGA – Professional Program
HOW TO STUDY?
HOW TO LEARN?

31. How to Use Course Materials
Lesson Notes (LN)-pay attention to the Level of Competence
-Level 1-Master the knowledge
-Level 2-Comprehensive
-Level 3-General
Why do we categorize the levels of competence?
Training for exercising professional judgement
Textbooks and Selected readings
-Follow the Instructions on LN

32. Learning “How to Learn”
What are students being trained (examined) for?
Technical knowledge and its applications
Analytical skills
Judgmental skills
Organizational skills
Communications skills
Professionalism, answering to users’ needs, and caring for the others

33. How to learn? Know your objectives for each lesson
know your objectives as you cover the course contents
Read the course contents and focus on “KEYWORDS”, e.g. matching principle, conservatism, substance over form, etc.
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT!! You must apply what you have learned by working with problems. Do not just keep reading and looking up the dictionary. (use an English-English dictionary, not English-Chinese)
After studying all the material, review the objectives and make sure that you have grasped them well.

34. How to learn?

35. Communication How do we communicate?
Communication is a “2-way traffic”, whether it is oral or written
Language is the “means” to communicate with others
We have to speak the same language
We have to “listen” to the others and to “answer” others’ questions, not only to express our own opinion! This is why we have to write exams.

36. Conclusion

37. Fun of Accounting 会计的乐趣
Balance your life well:
Learning, Working, Playing

38. Good health, happiness, & a bright future!