The International Federation of Accountants Professional Accountants in Business Committee has released a paper highlighting how employer expectations of professional accountants in business are expected to change in light of global trends and evolving organization needs.
The consultation paper, which the committee is releasing for comment, analyzes these expectations in relation to eight drivers of sustainable organizational successwhat companies need to do to achieve and sustain success in the changing global economic landscape. The drivers were defined based on an analysis of three long-term trends influencing organizations: globalization, complexity, and technology.
The drivers provide the framework for key activities that professional accountants will be expected to perform. These activities are highlighted under the following four roles that form the cornerstones of the services provided by professional accountants: creators, enablers, preservers, and reporters of sustainable value. Previously defined in the proposed
This employer-based view of the expectations of professional accountants in business will help accountants prepare for the roles they will be expected to fill in the future, said committee chair Roger Tabor in a statement. The world is changing, organizational needs are evolving, and professional accountants need to adapt their skills and competences to these changing requirements and circumstances. Our demand-driven approach will enable the global accountancy profession to ensure that its members are positioned to help drive their organizations sustainable performance.
The discussion questions that precede the consultation paper ask for feedback on, for example, the usefulness of developing an international competency framework that would cover the roles and domain of professional accountants in business, among other key topics.
To access the exposure draft or submit a comment, visit
