ACCA Special Business Resolutions...

ACCA Special Business Resolutions...

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Any ACCA members looked at the online AGM pack?

The Special Business Resolutions are superb. Lets all make sure we vote!

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By User deleted
01st Aug 2015 12:41

Whilst some of the proposed resolutions do make sense I do not see them getting passed. Greater member involvement in how these professional bodies are run is indeed welcome but merely proposing a few resolutions at the AGM without garnering enough ground support from members is unlikely to produce anything worthwhile.  

In theory, in governance terms, members (being membership-based bodies) elect the council and the council takes all the decisions. The council ought to have the best interests of the stakeholders (members, students etc etc) in mind whilst taking those decisions. However, in line with what happens in large corporates, in practice, the management takes all the decisions and the council merely rubber stamps them. In effect the management ends up running it with the sole objective of securing their employment first, and the membership suffers at the altar of the management's interests. CIMA case comes to mind: they spent £000s going after a council member and lost it in appeal: all the result of an ego-clash!

With half-a-dozen professional bodies together having already produced more than 400k accountants, survival is the key. So each tries to differentiate (more flexible, easier, buy one qual get one free!) to attract more students and to remain in the race.   With the market for compliance-services (form-filling/number-crunching jobs) nearly lost to software and unregulated accountants members continue to suffer. There is a risk that in the not-too-dstant future this market may not need qualified accountants at all. With no 'tax returns' HMRC seem to have signalled it all.

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Replying to whitevanman:
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By Ken Howard
03rd Aug 2015 12:33

Council sounds like School governors - pointless talking shop

taxguru wrote:
In theory, in governance terms, members (being membership-based bodies) elect the council and the council takes all the decisions. The council ought to have the best interests of the stakeholders (members, students etc etc) in mind whilst taking those decisions. However, in line with what happens in large corporates, in practice, the management takes all the decisions and the council merely rubber stamps them. 

Yes, any very much like school Governors.  I was a governor for a short while and was very disillusioned with it.  It soon became clear that the Head and LEA representative would do what they wanted anyway, regardless of the Governors.  It was hunky dory when the Governors agreed with what the Head and LEA rep had pre-agreed - they allowed a full consultation and the votes went "the right way".  BUT, a couple of times, the full consultation went ahead, and when it was clear that the majority of the governors were going to vote against the Head and LEA rep, they suddenly came out with some rule or other which basically said we couldn't do as we wanted, which made the whole evening pointless and it became clear we had all wasted our time, because there was no alternative option.  Basically, a complete stitch up for anything important.  It was only the small and insignificant things that we had any choice over.  

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By User deleted
01st Aug 2015 18:26

I've voted for ...

... Councils responses show just how out of touch with the membership they are, ACCA is primarily to represent the interest of its members, effectively an accountants union, and it fails woefully in this, seeming to exist mainly for the benefit of the "directors" not the members and focusing of world domination rather than fighting HMRC's own power grab and is not visibly fighting to prevent unworkable and ill-conceived legislation such as AE, RTI and legalised theft from tax payers bank accounts.

More importantly, they should be fighting to have the profession regulated (and I don't mean qualified/unqualified, just to ensure accountants are fit for purpose and there are legal requirements for PII, CPD, etc. for any one acting as an accountant)

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Replying to SA2016:
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By mumpin
02nd Aug 2015 18:58

See what the voting figures are...

@ taxguru:

I agree with most of what you say but change has to start somewhere.

 "...but merely proposing a few resolutions at the AGM without garnering enough ground support from members is unlikely to produce anything worthwhile."

These agitators have given us the opportunity to vote For and so to have the level of dissent measured. I would say that anything above 15% in favour of their proposals will send a strong signal to the Executive. In previous years the only option has been to vote against adoption of the accounts, reappointment of the auditors, etc.
These proposals could well focus dissent on some contentious issues.

@OGA:
I've also voted FOR in direct opposition to the Executive's advice!
 

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By Democratus
03rd Aug 2015 11:41

Thanks - I was going to ignore it like I am ignored...

... but have now voted (for) - hopefully there will be at least some recognition that ACCA needs to re-look at what it is supposed to do and who pays for it.

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Locutus of Borg
By Locutus
03rd Aug 2015 15:20

Ooooh

Thanks for the heads up mumpin. Some of the 'specials' look interesting. I might even bother to vote this year.

Why can't ACCA take a leaf out of the book of ICPA (which I am not even a member of) and provide a service that the local membership actually want instead of trying to build a global corporate accounting empire?

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By Ken Howard
03rd Aug 2015 16:23

How many council candidates are in Britain anyway?

Had a look through the candidates seeking election and could only spot one person who was in Britain, and they weren't in small practice.  Looks like the Council doesn't even have a UK small practitioner member.  No wonder the ACCA is of no relevance to most of us anymore!

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Replying to Tax Dragon:
Locutus of Borg
By Locutus
03rd Aug 2015 16:30

My thoughts exactly

Ken Howard wrote:

Had a look through the candidates seeking election and could only spot one person who was in Britain, and they weren't in small practice.  Looks like the Council doesn't even have a UK small practitioner member.  No wonder the ACCA is of no relevance to most of us anymore!

I was trying to vote for all of the candidates that best represent and understand the world I live in (a small practitioner in the UK) and couldn't find any!  I despair.

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