10 July 2007
CIMA, the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, can now officially confirm that its syllabus is best suited for business, following the publication of independent research conducted by the University of Bath School of Management. The research compared the syllabi of several leading accountancy qualifications throughout the world.
During 2006, the University of Bath School of Management was commissioned by CIMA to undertake a comparative study of CIMA's syllabus and examinations alongside those of eight other professional bodies. As one of the UK's leading business schools, the University of Bath School of Management has built a reputation for research excellence.
The research from the original 180 page document is summarised into the CIMA Difference report, which places the findings of the research in the context of CIMA’s Business Success Circle. This report provides a comprehensive summary of the comparative strengths of the main accounting qualifications and can be viewed at www.cimaglobal.com/thecimadifference.
The Business Success Wheel was developed by CIMA’s technical department and advisory panel which consists of CFOs and other board members of FTSE 100 companies, together with individuals of equivalent standing from public sector bodies, and senior academics. The CIMA difference report will be useful for employers researching which accountancy body is most suitable for their training and development programmes and for potential students looking for a single source to compare accountancy qualifications.
Fabio Marchiori, Development Director - Finance Academy, at Unilever U.K. Central Resources Limited, explains why employers find the research useful, "At Unilever, the Finance Academy has reviewed the syllabus comparisons from the Bath University research and has found them to be a particularly useful tool when improving the training strategy for our global finance function. The research is very comprehensive and has helped us to compare the specific skills developed within each qualification so we can make more informed training decisions."
ENDS
For media enquiries only, please contact:
Annette Heninger
Press Officer, CIMA
+44 (0) 20 8849 2427
annette.heninger@cimaglobal.com
1. CIMA (the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants) is the only international accountancy body with a sole focus on business. It is a world leading professional institute that offers an internationally recognised qualification in management accountancy, focusing on accounting in business, in both the private and public sectors. It is the voice of over 158,000 students and members in 161 countries. CIMA is responsible for the education and training of management accountants who work in industry, commerce and not-for-profit and has more members in the public sector than any other UK based body. CIMA prides itself on the commercial relevance of its syllabus, which is in tune with the activities of high performance organisations, and evolves continually to reflect the latest developments in global business. According to independent research conducted by the University of Bath School of Management, CIMA’s syllabus and examination structure are the most relevant to the needs of business of all the accountancy bodies assessed. See the CIMA Difference report for further information. CIMA is committed to upholding the highest ethical and professional standards of members and students, and to maintaining public confidence in management accountancy. For more information about CIMA, please visit www.cimaglobal.com
