Prospective CPA e-newsletter

	Practical experience: views from the ground
	Examination matters
	Student matters
	Student programme
	Route to success with QP
	Practical experience
	Team management
	For your information
	Upcoming events
	Useful links

Authorized employer: HLB Hodgson Impey Cheng

Mr. Raymond Cheng is a partner of HLB Hodgson Impey Cheng, a firm with a history of over 50 years in Hong Kong. The firm provides a wide range of services including auditing, taxation, IPO's regulatory compliance and business consultancy.

HLB Hodgson Impey Cheng has been registered as an Authorized Employer (AE) with the Institute's Qualification Programme (QP) since 2003. Qualified and trained in the U.K., Raymond is now in charge of HLB Hodgson Impey Cheng's regulatory and financial industries department. Raymond says his firm has no hesitation in joining the AE scheme, as they were confident that the scheme would assist the firm with their staff development. "Although we have a comprehensive in-house staff training programme, we believe that the practical experience can be incorporated smoothly into our own programme which will be beneficial to both the staff and to the firm." Click here for details.

Annual award and graduation ceremony

On 12 September 2007, the Institute conferred certificates on 916 students who passed the final examination of the QP. At a ceremony officiated by the guest-of-honour, Mr. Paul Chow, the chief executive and executive director of the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited, 14 top QP candidates received the award of merit, 19 students received QP scholarships and 29 top accounting students from 11 universities and educational institutions received the Hong Kong Institute of CPAs scholarships. In addition, this year's Master Workshop Facilitator Awards went to Mr. Nelson Lam and
Mr. Edmund Li. Please click to view the ceremony highlights, a full version of Mr. Paul Chow's speech and a full list of December 2006 and June 2007 graduates.

Memorial prizes for top final examination candidates

Li Fook Shu Memorial Prize

The memorial prize is established by Dr. the Honourable David Li in memory of his late father, Mr. F. S. Li, one of the Institute's founding members. The value of each memorial prize is HK$10,000 and is awarded to the candidate attaining the highest marks in the final examination of each examination session. The December 2006 session award recipient is Mr. Chu Wai Ka (left) whilst the June 2007 session award recipient is Mr. Wong Wai Chung, Philip (right).

ICAEW/Simon Morris Memorial Prize

Mr. Morris, who worked in Hong Kong for 25 years, was a member of ICAEW and the Institute. After he passed away, his widow made the prize donation of HK$10,000 per annum via Mr. Morris's name to the ICAEW. The value of each prize is HK$5,000 and is awarded to the graduate attaining the highest aggregate marks in the four modules of each final examination session. The December 2006 session award recipient is
Mr. Kong Wing Hung, Ken, and the June 2007 session award recipient is
Ms. Chui Wai Man.

Certificates collection for QP graduates who did not attend the annual award and graduation ceremony

QP graduates who did not attend the annual award and graduation ceremony can collect their certificates on or before 30 November 2007 at the Institute's reception desk on 27/F Wu Chung House. Please present your student ID or HKID when collecting the certificates.

PC competency requirement in local law for QP graduates with non-Hong Kong accountancy degree

To be eligible for a Practising Certificate (PC), a person must satisfy the PC issuance requirements as set out in sections 29A and 30 of the Professional Accountants Ordinance. One of these requirements is to possess such local experience and knowledge of local law and practice as the Council may consider necessary.

To meet this requirement, the Institute currently prescribes PC examinations in Hong Kong Law, Taxation and Auditing. Under the current policy, members who qualified through completion of the QP are exempted from the Institute's PC Examinations including the PC-Law paper.

However, QP graduates with non-Hong Kong accountancy degree who are registered on or after 1 January 2008 will need to sit and pass the Aptitude Test on Hong Kong Law if they wish to apply for a Practising Certificate. That is, non-Hong Kong accountancy degree holders registered to study the QP before 1 January 2008 have been grandfathered under this new Council's ruling.

Enhanced examination assistance seminars

Commencing September 2007 session onwards, Examination Assistance Seminar (EAS) will be enhanced by organizing more quality seminars catering to difficult special topics and examination drilling techniques. These seminars will be run after each QP workshop with an aim to help QP candidates to reinforce their understanding on the difficult topics highlighted after the workshops.

A series of EAS on QP Module B (Financial Management) and Module D (Taxation) has been scheduled from late October to mid December 2007. Speakers from leading course providers will give lectures on a list of published difficult special topics designated for module examinations for the September 2007 session, as well as provide guidance on examination techniques using past examination questions. Click here for enrolment details.

Name: Van Lai
Job title: Senior Tax Supervisor
Company: Henderson Real Estate Agency Limited
Click here to see Van's career profile:
- career and study history
- job involvement
- career achievement
- career progression

Authorized employer/supervisor experience for membership admission

For admission to membership of the Institute, practical experience acquired on or after 1 January 2005 will only be counted if it is gained under an Institute-authorized employer or supervisor.

If you are not currently working under an authorized employer or authorized supervisor, please urge your employer or supervisor to apply for registration as an authorized employer/authorized supervisor with the Institute, so that your practical experience will be accepted for membership. Click here for more information.

List of authorized employers and supervisors

The Institute has recently approved 10 applications for registration as authorized employers and 15 applications for authorized supervisors. Please click here for the list of newly registered employers/supervisors.

A full list of all authorized employers and authorized supervisors can be found on the Institute's homepage.

For enquiries on practical experience, please contact our Admission Department on 2287 7049 or 2287 7069.

It's not uncommon for a manager who is good at his or her job to lack the skills to manage a team. Making sure a team works effectively to meet deadlines and achieve targets takes a certain type of skill. Then there are the challenges of handling employee conflicts, resolving internal problems and staff turnover. Raymond Yuen, a member of the Institute, gives you some tips on managing a team. Click here for the full article.

This article is re-printed from A Plus (March 2007).

GAA passport
London? New York? Sydney? If you're working in any of these cities, you're eligible for support under the Global Accounting Alliance's "Passport for Member Services." The nine institutes under the alliance offer services to its members at discount rates or free of charge. Click here to apply for the GAA passport before you go abroad.

Insurance benefits
Insurance plans for life, medical, dental, household, motor and office are available for members, students and firms at special group premiums. Click here for details of the personal insurance programme arranged by the Institute.