The Fast Future With IFAC is a conversational podcast series that features innovative SMPs sharing how they’re adapting to the rapidly changing global economy.

Episode one features an interview with Amela Kmetas, a member of the Chartered Accountants of Australia and New Zealand (CAANZ). Her small firm in Melbourne, Australia specializes in taxation advice, management accounting, budgeting, and bookkeeping.

Our host, IFAC principal Kristy Illuzzi, spoke with Amela about many pressing issues facing the SMPs, including:

• The impact of technological advances on the firm’s business model
• The firm’s experience with cybersecurity
• Covid-19’s effect on the firm, its clients, and its employees
• Advisory services
• Recruiting and hiring

Visit IFAC's iTunes podcast channel or click below to listen to this episode of The Fast Future With IFAC.

Stay tuned for our next conversation with an innovative practitioner, coming in March.

(Back to the Fast Future With IFAC homepage.)

IFAC has updated its Practice Management Guide to reflect changes made to the 2018 International Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants (including International Independence Standards), effective June 2019. The update includes:

• Changes to section 7.2 ‘Professionalism and Ethics within the Firm';
• Information on identifying, evaluating and addressing threats; and
• Available safeguards to reduce threats to an acceptable level.  

The Guide provides comprehensive guidance to help small- and medium-sized practices operate more efficiently in the increasingly complex and competitive global marketplace for professional services. The fourth edition is organized into eight stand-alone modules, with a comprehensive range of topics including:

• Strategic planning
• Practice models
• Firm expansion
• Managing staff
• Leveraging technology
• Client relationship management
• Risk management
• Succession planning

In order to help member organizations and practices maximize the Guide's use, IFAC provides a companion manual with suggestions on making best use of the Guide. 

Click here to access the updated Practice Management Guide and Companion Manual on the IFAC website.

The IFAC Small and Medium Practices Committee welcomes the opportunity to provide input to the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board future strategy and supports the planned work to explore what more can be done for audits of smaller or less complex entities. Worldwide, small- and medium-sized entities, representing over 90% of business, rely primarily on SMPs as their preferred advisers. It is important for the IAASB to give greater consideration to matters relating to SMEs and SMPs in all of its activities.

The IFAC Small and Medium Practices Committee had responded to the Fees Questionnaire towards the end of February 2018. On a macro level, it is the view of the Committee that the issue of fees is multi-faceted and IESBA will need to develop a more holistic approach to tackle any issue, perceived or otherwise in this domain in their next Strategic Work Plan 2019-2023. It is hoped that the data collected from this Survey will assist in shaping the IESBA’s work effort going forward.

IFAC is excited to launch the 2018 Global SMP Survey! As in past years, your support and promotion to your members is vital to its success, and importantly, provides an opportunity for your members to contribute.

The survey helps your member organization and IFAC gain an understanding of the specific challenges and opportunities faced by SMPs and SMEs and as a result, better serve this critical constituency. Individual country results will be available to enable you to compare to regional and global findings.

The #SMPSurvey is open in 20+ languages until May 21, 2018! This year's survey includes new questions on next generation talent, technology developments, talent management initiatives and marketing and branding.

IFAC Member Organizations can use this toolkit with material to share, and translate - when appropriate - with your members. This includes key messaging, a draft e-mail, social media and a PowerPoint promotion slide.

The IFAC Small and Medium Practices (SMP) Committee submitted this comment letter to the International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants in response to its Exposure Draft, Proposed Revisions to the Code Pertaining to the Offering and Acceptance of Inducements.