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January 31, 2009 • 6:45 am 0

Are you following a tractor

A couple of days ago, when I was at the roundabout, I saw a tractor entering on the right. Since it was on my right, it had the priority on the road. Then I entered the road and was behind it. The road was a A road – single carraige way. The tractor was driving at a speed of 20m per hour and I had no choice but to follow it. My vision was blocked by the tractor, I could not overtake since there was a oncoming traffic on the other road. All the traffic behind was driving at 20 miles per hour and the queue of cars was building up. We had to follow it for another 1 mile till the road become a dual carriage lane.

The question I would ask is, “Are we following trends in real life and accepting them ? ” Or can we change them or look issues in a different perspective.

  1. Accounting Body: Being a member of a particular accounting body, your institute would be advising you on latest happenings through various medium like seminars, internet and journal. As a professional, you should be asking yourself, “Is my accounting body re they doing enough for the membership fees I pay?” If not, start communicating with your accounting body on what you need from your accounting body as tools for your knowledge and how your accounting body should interact with business. A positive public image of the accounting body and “Can do” approach helps the members in the profession. You are not there to drive your career at 20 miles per hour. Do you ?
  2. Business Models: Most of us read a lot of books to understand the business models. And acquire a ready made recipe directly from the brains of management gurus without any effort. Don’t you feel we are restricting ourselves to think. Just find out any business that is different and analyse why it is successful E.g. I pondered when I picked up copy of Friday-Ad for free ads, how does it make money. And one of thing that caught my attention was the 070 telephone number on every ad. This looked to be a premium telephone number. So when the buyer calls the seller, he is being charged at a higher rate and Friday Ad must getting a cut. More the callers, more the revenue. !!! Did you notice on Amazon website, there are sponsored links of their competitors selling the same products amazon is selling ? How does it help Amazon ? … Amazon does follow trend, it creates them.
  3. Corporate Governance: Recently the word “Corporate Governance” have taken a beating. Satyam scam (and banks going bust all over the world.) The company decorated with all the honours for good governance and numerous awards both locally and internationally. Today everyone is questioning, “Is audited financial statements reliable to judge a company ?” Our training in accountancy taught us to look at the financial statements along with non financial indicators like the directors report and then judge how the company is doing. I am wondering, whether Porter Diamond, be a good tool to analyse corporate governance ? E.g. MS Office is a expensive product but it is widely used. In developing countries, where the legal protection is not strong, piracy is a problem. So whether small business can afford it ? If we apply Porter’s diamond, our analysis for corporate governance would be under heading “Social” to arrive at any conclusion. A change in perspective would help to analyse the business. Analyse Satyam Computers using Porter’s Daimond for Corporate Governance for last seven years and see whether you get right answers.
  4. Tail Wagging the Dog: You buy a laptop and then you subscribe for a broadband. The competition is so intense in the market that the broadband companies are offering laptop for free, if you subscribe to their broadband for a 18 months contract. You must have noticed, a song is available £0.99 for download and the ring tone for a whopping £1.50.!!! So people who are selling ancilliary products are making more than money than people who sell the originals. They are ahead of the tractor.
  5. Knowledge from books: We generally tend to believe that all the knowledge is gained from books. It is true to some extent but sharing views in the forum would refine what you gained so far. When my views are challenged with proper arguments, I tend to view them from a different perspective. So participating in forums, social networking, comments on articles / blogs or start your own website are ways to break the trend. As a management accountant you have more to gain by doing new things rather than reading books.

Following a tractors may not be a good idea. Either make the tractor run faster or drive past before it comes.

Please share your views by commenting on this article ? Also let me know whether you are following any tractor ? May be we can discuss how you can drive ahead of it.

Regards,

Santosh Puthran

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You may also like to read

  1. Ethics on ACCA website 11-Feb-2008
  2. Combined of Corporate Governance UK 20-April-08
  3. MOU With CIMA ICWAI a historic agreement 12-Jan-09
  4. Resistance to Change – Kotter and Schleinger
  5. Strategic Drift

Filed under: Management Fundas

January 24, 2009 • 7:51 pm 0

Alternative Office Applications for Small Firms and Cloud

Small accountancy firms and indivdual management accountants may have tight budgets and find it difficult to spend on software applications like Microsoft Office or individual email ids for their employees. However there are good alternatives available in the market which either free or cheap. You must read the End-user license agreements (EULA) before downloading the application to ascertain whether it is available free for individual and commercial purpose.
The top software free applications are
  1. Open Office / Star Office: They are very good alternative to MS Office since they have all the applications similar to Word, Excel and Powerpoint. Star Office has the ability to convert the document into pdf. This is now a industry standard which could be your standard for sending soft copies to your clients. Star Office 8 is available for free with google pack. The latest release is Star Office 9 which is available for $ 34.95 as opposed to MS Office Small Business Edition $ 449.95.
  2. Website / Personal Domain/ Email ids: You have to make yourselves known in the internet world. When someone asks you for your address, 4 line address will not impress them the most but one line www….. Google Apps Standard Edition is an affordable alternative. Google started with unlimited accounts initially and now they have restricted to upto 50 accounts. So you have to watch the space for the change in end user agreements. You should register your own domain, and then use google apps for email ids upto 50 for you and your employees and collaborative features like calendar, sites and chat. You may spend $10 p.a. for domain registeration. You can design your own simple website in few minutes. But if you need professional help, then you should negotiate with the web designers.
  3. Free Antivirus: The most popular free antivirus software is AVG free http://free.avg.com. The free version provides an excellent protection to your PC and it is value for money. Free Norton anti virus is available on google pack. Sometimes you get McAfee free when you buy laptop or PC. My personal experience with McAfee is it slows down your computer and that could affect your work. My suggestion is to use AVG and avoid McAfee.
  4. Internet Browsers: Almost all the browsers available in the market is free and most dominant is Internet Explorer. The question is which browser is open, collaborative. and makes your task easier The answer is Firefox which is a open source application. It has most number of add-ons for a browser.
  5. Email Client: The email clients were primarily designed to download the emails on your computer and read mails offline. Google Apps offers 7 GB space for your emails. So I do not see the need for you to have an email client unless you are paying for your broadband on a hourly rate. Mozilla Thunderbird is a popular choice.
  6. Social Networking: Linkedin and Xanga are free professional networking sites that are very popular which you should extensively. Facebook is for keeping in touch with your friends. Facebook Pages is a useful application to promote. You need to check guidelines from your accounting body for website whether Facebook pages is acceptable for use for your firm.
  7. Accounting Softwares: You need to shop around to find good accounting software. It would be difficult to find any accounting software available free on the internet.

Cloud Computing – A emerging concept

According to Wikipedia,

Cloud computing is Internet (“cloud”) based development and use of computer technology (“computing”). It is a style of computing in which typically real-time scalable resources are provided “as a service” over the Internet to users who need not have knowledge of, expertise in, or control over the technology infrastructure (“in the cloud”) that supports them.

It is a general concept that incorporates software as a service (SaaS), Web 2.0 and other recent, well-known technology trends, in which the common theme is reliance on the Internet for satisfying the computing needs of the users. An often-quoted example is Google Apps, which provides common business applications online that are accessed from a web browser, while the software and data are stored on Google servers.

The cloud is a metaphor for the Internet, based on how it is depicted in computer network diagrams, and is an abstraction for the complex infrastructure it conceals.

A good example would be Google Apps. “Software-as-a-service for business email, information sharing and security”

With the advances in the technology, the relationship with the Service Provider changes. Earlier the business had to manage the procurement of software and its IT department and now it has to manage relationship with its software service providers or BPOs or KPOs. Companies have to get the best services to keep its business running smoothly since the business revolves round use of technology. Services will become expensive and so do Service Level Agreements (SLAs).

The vendors that provides the best and affordable ervices to the companies are the ones who will continue in the long run.

Please share your view by positng comments. Don’t forget to tick “Email Follow on Comments” so that you are always in loop when this article is commented by others.

Regards,

Santosh Puthran

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Filed under: I T, Technology

January 17, 2009 • 8:25 am 1

MOU With CIMA ICWAI a historic agreement

CIMA has signed an “historic” agreement with the Institute of Cost and Works Accountants of India (ICWAI) on 12-Jan-09.

This agreement will serve to both strengthen the professional accounting links between two of the world’s leading economies and provide highly skilled professional accountants for the global labour market enabling both institutes to work together to enhance recognition of the profession and their professional bodies.

Glynn Lowth, President of CIMA, explained that the agreement will strengthen links between the British and Indian economies, as well as creating highly-skilled accountants.

ICWAI members Accelerated Route to CIMA Membership

Members and passed finalists of the Institute of Cost and Works Accountants of India (ICWAI) who have completed the ICWAI Final Examination are eligible for exemptions from all CIMA’s certificate and managerial level exams. There are 11 exemptions in total.

CIMA Professional Gateway Assessment Examination

Candidates must pass the CIMA Professional Gateway Assessment (CPGA) Examination before they are eligible to begin studying for CIMA’s strategic level exams.

The examination is three hours long and consists of :

* three compulsory questions worth 25 marks each
* a series of objective test questions worth a total of 25 marks.

A student must score at least 50 marks to pass the examination.

The first sitting of the CPGA Examination will take place on 20 May 2009 at regular CIMA exam centres in India. More details about enrolling for the examination will be available when CIMA exam entry opens on 2 February 2009. Click here for details.

CIMA members Accelerated Route to ICWAI membership

CIMA passed finalist and members will also have a fast track route to ICWAI membership. Details on ICWAI website.

Two years back both the institutes were in loggerhead about CIMA conducting examinations in India. I had posed a question on the Management Accountant Blog “Does CIMA add value to ICWAI member” ? The opinion poll was majority “Yes” whereas I had a different opinion. My opinion is still remains the same.

Does the MOU benefit ICWAI member to gain membership to CIMA ? The answer is Yes.

  • ICWAI passed finalist and members has now most number of exemptions with CIMA as compared to any other accounting body. This was not the case earlier.
  • They will not be required to pay exemption fees for the eleven exempted papers. The student registration fee and annual subscription fee are the same as for all CIMA students.
  • CIMA membership is widely recognised in the world. So one does have to do any explaining about your qualification.

The passed finalist and graduate of ICWAI will have to apply for membership of ICWAI. Then they will be able to gain membership of CIMA under the MOU. So members of ICWAI is going to increase and the institute has to provide improved services to its members.

Looking at MOU between ICWAI – CIMA, CIMA website does not seem have details on how a CIMA member would become member of ICWAI. Their focus is working with business rather than practise accountancy in India.

The entry requirement will prompt ICWAI members to go for CIMA qualification which in long run would increase membership of CIMA. A growing membership will fund CIMA to promote itself and influence the business in the long run through its members.

On November 20, 2008, ICAI signed a MOU with ICAEW, UK and terms of agreements are more favourable to ICAEW, UK. The entry requirement for ICAI members are more stringent and expensive ( £1,990 to start with). ICAEW, UK member has an easier route to become a member of ICAI and start practice in India.

Recent controversy on Satyam has taken ICAI off guard. The statements in the press by ICAI President is very surprising.

According to Hindu Businessline

The ICAI President, Mr Ved Jain, said, “KPMG cannot be an auditor for Satyam as it is not registered with ICAI. It is not subject to the code of conduct prescribed for CAs. They are also not subject to disciplinary proceedings.”

He said ICAI will take up the issue of KPMG with Satyam and also the Government. On Price Waterhouse, he noted that ICAI could issue a notice in the wake of the Satyam fiasco as it was registered with ICAI, but in the case of KPMG, it could not do anything. A KPMG spokesperson said, “We are working with the board of Satyam. The scope of work and terms of reference are being discussed.”

When contacted by Economic Times, a KPMG spokesperson said: “We are working with the new board of Satyam Computers. The scope of work and terms of reference are being discussed with a view to their finalisation . It is our understanding that the scope of work to be finalised is not reserved for chartered accountants registered with the ICAI.”

President should have gathered facts first before making statements in the press. And in any case, the Companies Act is very specific on who can be appointed as an Auditor of the company. Read the comments of Readers of ET.

So you have to watch the space on MOU of ICAI-ICAEW . Whether ICAEW members will pursue ICAI membership for a slice of share in accountancy practise in India.

Post your comments on the article and always choose the option “Email follow-up comments to”. You will be able to track the discussions.

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Filed under: CIMA, ICAI, ICWAI, Management Accountant

January 11, 2009 • 7:58 am 3

New Year Resolution 2009

I was reviewing my New Year resolution for the year 2008 and  taking stock of whether I have achieved of what I thought in 2008. My focus last year was on networking management accountants across the globe and also make them known in the industry.

With help, advise and efforts of active management accountants, we were able to achieve the following:
  1. CMA India Portal: The CMA Portal was given the final shape with the efforts of CMA B V Prabhakar, RV, Ramesh Joshi, Devarajan, Ashutosh and many more. Today the portal has 770 members which includes members from other profession and business. The focus of the portal has been quality discussions and actions, particularly discussing business events in India and globe. The members who are active are likely to be known in the accounting fraternity. Readers will be benefitted from the discussions.
  2. CMA India Portal on Linkedin: This was suggested by CMA Devarajan so that we would be able to connect to other professionals. A profile on linkedin is a passport for networking. and ideal substitute for a website. I would suggest you create your profile on linkedin and join CMA India Portal Linkedin. Today the membership is 29 and will definitely grow. This will ensure that you are always connected with us some way or other.
  3. Management Accountant Blog: The blog moved on to it own domain www.managementaccountant.in and I have a personalised email id associated with the domain name. The alexa ranking today is 678,162. I will strive for ranking around 100,000 which is an indicator of how the blog is ranked in the search engine results. I will look forward to your support to use various social networking tools like digg, stumbleupon or yahoo buzz on the articles posted.

Being a member of ICWAI, I am proud to say ICWAI has achieved a lot in the last year. Some of them are

  1. Number of seminars hosted by ICWAI has increased and this should bring our institute closer with the industry,  members and other stakeholders.
  2. ICWAI website has been improved a lot. Few suggestions I have made are implemented. I would sending them suggestions on a regular basis.
  3. ICWAI signs MOU with CIMA, UK: This is a good indicator of qualification going global. The MOU will definitely help to the members to work globally without being to explain everytime who they are. This agreement will serve to both strengthen the professional accounting links between two of the world’s leading economies and provide highly skilled professional accountants for the global labour market enabling both institutes to work together to enhance recognition of the profession and their professional bodies.

My New Year Resolution 2009

  1. iPhone and look alikes: The reason iPhone/iPod is a marketing success is because it does what you want with the touch on its screen. It is user friendly, innovative and people like it because of positive experience using it. I would be focussing on articles that will bring you more closer to business.
  2. Business and Social Networking: This resolution will continue. My efforts will be to connect all the management accountants with the business. The objective is the management accountants should be the first choice for the business.
  3. New Technologies on the internet: It is said, one who controls the technology ,controls the world. Romans dominated the world because they built roads, British dominated because they built ships and Americans dominate the world as they have advanced technology on weapons. Management Accountant of today has to follow a similar route in  the workplace. This will include in depth knowledge on ERP solution, Business Processes, Office applications and usage of tools on the internet to gain knowledge and provide solutions to the business . E.g. Social networking sites Twitter, Facebook and linkedin were considered to be joke on the internet when they started. They are now  a disruptive technologies which are very popular. Join me on Twitter . Use add-on on your Firefox browser to keep in tune with the latest. I will be focussing on some of the technologies on the internet.

Just as last year, please post your comments and views.

Wish You and Your Family a Very Happy and Prosperous New Year 2009

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Filed under: ACCA, CIMA, I T, ICAI, ICSI, ICWAI, Management Accountant

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