Los Contadores Profesionales en Empresas ( PAIB ) Comité publicó este artículo para apoyar la profesión contable mundial para responder a los cambios en las expectativas de la sociedad , los mercados financieros, y de las organizaciones, y promueve el valor de los contadores profesionales en el negocio para sus organizaciones. Dado que las necesidades organizativas están evolucionando más rápido que nunca , los contadores profesionales tienen que adaptarse a estos cambios para servir mejor a sus empleadores, y mantener la pertinencia y la confianza del público.

The IFAC Professional Accountants in Business (PAIB) Committee values the opportunity to comment on the International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA)’s Exposure Draft proposing changes to Part C of the Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants (the Code) addressing presentation of information and pressure to breach the fundamental principles.

In early March, IFAC Senior Technical Manager Vincent Tophoff presented at the Institute of Internal Auditors 2015 General Audit Management Conference on risk management. The conference brought together internal audit leaders and key stakeholders, including audit committee and board members.

Mr. Tophoff’s presentation reminded the audience that the main objective of any organization is not to have effective controls, nor to effectively manage risk, but to properly set and achieve its goals, avoid surprises, and create sustainable value. But managing risk is an inseparable and integral part of this.

Small- and medium-sized accountancy practices (SMPs) around the world are generally optimistic about the year ahead, according to the results of the 2014 IFAC Global SMP Survey. Out of four areas—audit and assurance; accounting, compilation, and other non-assurance/related services; tax; and advisory/consulting services—tax and business advisory were nearly tied in terms of pace of expected growth, with about half of respondents expecting at least moderate growth in each area.

While SMPs have long engaged in compliance-driven tax engagements for their clients, business advisory is emerging as an area of increasing importance to SMPs’ growth. In 2013, advisory ranked third out of the four service areas in terms of pace of projected growth, while in 2014, advisory (13%) edged out tax (11%) as the area most likely to drive substantial revenue increases in the coming year.

The results also indicate that advisory is now commonly offered by SMPs, as 93% of respondents provided some form of advisory in 2014. Tax planning is the most common type of advisory service by a wide margin, suggesting that tax services—whether in the realm of compliance or advisory—are driving revenues overall.

“The findings from the 2014 Survey are critical to increasing, and acting on, our understanding of this critical sector,” said IFAC SMP Committee Chair Giancarlo Attolini. “Over 60 IFAC member organizations and regional bodies participated in the survey, allowing us to collect an even broader sample of responses than in previous years, while contributing to our mission of collaborating with our member organizations in building and supporting a global community of SMPs.”

Additional findings from the survey included:

• The regulatory environment and competition topped the list of environmental factors most likely to impact SMPs over the next five years;
• Business intelligence/data analysis software and customer relationship management/document management are the two types of technology most likely to impact SMPs in the next five years; and
• While only 27% of SMPs are currently part of a network, association, or alliance, another quarter are considering joining one.

The survey also included a number of questions about SMPs’ clients—typically small- and medium-sized entities (SMEs). Key findings included:

• While the majority of respondents (87%) reported that at least some of their SME clients seeking financing experienced difficulty in 2014, for most respondents, a relatively small portion (less than 25% of total clients) experienced difficulty;
• Over half (54%) of respondents reported that at least one of their SME clients experienced some type of financial crime, but volume of crimes overall was low, with most respondents indicating that less than 5% of their total clients experienced a crime; and
• Many SMPs are part of the globalization trend; 44% of total respondents have at least 5% of clients that operate internationally, while 69% of the largest SMPs (those with 21+ partners and staff) have at least 5% international clients.

The 2014 IFAC Global SMP Survey was conducted in 21 languages between November 3 and December 29, 2014 and received 5,083 responses from 135 countries. The survey was undertaken in collaboration with lead researchers from the University of Dayton (US), and the report was authored by professors Timothy and Marsha Keune. IFAC wishes to thank the many member and regional organizations that helped with translation and distribution of the survey. See the full results and subscribe to SMP updates on the IFAC website: www.ifac.org/SMP.

Some regions, countries, and larger SMPs were not well represented in the survey results; caution should be exercised when attempting to generalize survey results to specific countries, specific regions, or SMPs of all sizes.

About the SMP Committee
The SMP Committee of the International Federation of Accountants^® (IFAC^®) represents the interests of professional accountants operating in small- and medium-sized practices (SMPs). The committee develops guidance and tools and works to ensure the needs of the SMPs are considered by standard setters, regulators, and policy makers. The committee also speaks out on behalf of SMPs to raise awareness of their role and value, especially in supporting SMEs, and the importance of the small business sector overall.

About IFAC
IFAC^® is the global organization for the accountancy profession, dedicated to serving the public interest by strengthening the profession and contributing to the development of strong international economies. It is comprised of more than 175 members and associates in 130 countries and jurisdictions, representing approximately 2.5 million accountants in public practice, education, government service, industry, and commerce.

IFAC's Financial Statements are prepared in accordance with International Public Sector Accounting Standards^® (IPSASs®) and include an independent auditor’s report. Notable in the 2014 Financial Statements is a substantial surplus.

The 3rd Africa Congress of Accountants (ACOA), held by the Pan African Federation of Accountants (PAFA) and the Mauritius Institute of Professional Accountants (MIPA), will be held May 12-14, 2015 in Mauritius. Rising Africa: Partnering for Results will include sessions on partnerships between the public and private sectors, professional accountancy organization development, women and accountancy, and public sector accountancy, among other topics. Full details are available on the ACOA website.

The 2014 IFAC Global SMP Survey asked practitioners operating in small- and medium-sized practices (SMPs) a number of questions about the challenges they face, the market factors and technologies most likely to affect them in the future, the consulting services they provide, and their performance, both in 2014 and projected for the year ahead. In addition, respondents were asked about their small- and medium-sized entity (SME) clients, including questions around the challenges they face, exposure to financial crimes, access to finance, and the extent of their international operations.

The International Federation of Accountants^® (IFAC^®) welcomes the release today of the International Public Sector Accounting Standards Board^® (IPSASB^®) Governance Review Group^[1] report on the future governance of the IPSASB, which is an important milestone in further strengthening its governance and credibility.

“We fully support the recommendations of the Review Group, and believe they will strongly enhance the robustness of the standard-setting arrangements and ultimately improve the legitimacy and acceptance of the International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSASs) across the globe” said Fayez Choudhury, Chief Executive Officer of IFAC. “High-quality internationally accepted standards provide the necessary foundation for high-quality financial reporting in the public sector—an area that needs vast improvement in many jurisdictions around the world, and which leads to better government decision-making, transparency, and accountability.”

Following a public consultation early last year, the Review Group made several important recommendations, including that:

• a governance body, the Public Interest Committee, be established to ensure that the public interest is served by the standard-setting activities of the IPSASB; the Committee’s membership should include, but not be limited to, individuals from the IMF, OECD, World Bank Group, and INTOSAI;
• the Committee’s objectives should be to review and advise IFAC and the IPSASB on the (i) terms of reference of the IPSASB; (ii) arrangements for nomination and appointment of IPSAB members; and (iii) procedures and processes for formulation of the IPSASB’s strategy and work plan and development of IPSASs to ensure that the views of all relevant stakeholders are sought and given due consideration;
• the Committee should not have a direct role in the development, adoption, and implementation of public sector accounting standards;
• IFAC should establish a Consultative Advisory Group (CAG) for the IPSASB; and
• a public consultation on the effectiveness of the IPSASB’s reformed governance arrangements be undertaken no later than 2020.

“The recommendations represent strong support for robust and balanced standard-setting arrangements, whereby the involvement of the profession, public sector, and international organizations ensure that the standards that are produced are in the public  interest and are high quality—and can be practically implemented.” Mr. Choudhury added, “IFAC is highly appreciative of the work done by the Review Group and its members and looks forward to working with these organizations to put the new arrangements in place in 2016.”

Pillar IV – Resource Revenue Management, will complete the IMF Fiscal Transparency Code by stating principles and practices for each stage of the resource revenue management process for resource-rich countries. It recognizes the need to account for differences in the institutional and legal systems which govern natural resource activity in individual countries, and follows the structure and approach of the first three pillars in measuring the transparency and quality of output rather than processes, and in placing greater emphasis on fiscal risk disclosure and management.