This year marks a very important milestone – ACCA’s 75th anniversary of thought leadership. Starting off in 1943 as a Technical advisory committee (now called Technical research committee) – publishing their first report a mere four years later – and over the years transforming into the expert thought leadership team that Professional Insights is today.
ACCA’s research has pushed forward the state of debate on topics from accounting for water resources to the effect of tax havens on the taxation of corporate income. As we move further into the 21st century, the changing shape of business and society is reflected in research into robotics and AI, and the importance of the human element in accountancy.
ACCA has also been at the forefront of the integrated reporting movement, as the first international professional body to examine integrated reporting in the ACCA Qualification and the first to produce an integrated report on its own corporate performance.
ACCA has been a bold innovator in the accountancy profession for over 110 years, the outputs of the research teams at ACCA have contributed increasingly to their mission to be a global leader in the profession. In Pakistan, ACCA has undertaken several researches when it comes to China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to share the key focus areas. In recent past ACCA has launched two reports; one around the Chinese perspective and the other is purely focused on the opportunity for Pakistan under CPEC. ACCA and PCI’s joint report aims to encourage businesses to think ahead about possible scenarios for better strategic planning for growth and risk management.
ACCA qualification is the world’s first to emphasise professional as well as technical skills and ethics. ACCA was also the first professional accountancy body in Pakistan to introduce a compulsory ethics module a decade ago – and reinforcing ACCA members’ standing as professionals who deliver public value. The report, Ethics and trust in a digital age, published in August 2017, is ACCA’s compelling look at the perceived importance of ethical behaviour in a rapidly evolving digital era, and the challenges that technological advance puts on the professional accountant.
Over the last 75 years, the outputs of the technical and research teams at ACCA have contributed increasingly to its mission to be a global leader in the profession.
