Prospective CPA e-newsletter

	Practical experience: views from the ground
	Student programme
	Technical update
	Route to success with QP
	Practical experience
	Wanted: accountants in China
	Play to your strengths
	For your information
	Upcoming events

Authorized employer:

Chan Chak Chung & Co.

Member-in-charge:

Mr. Jack Chan, sole proprietor

Registered as an AE:

3.5 years

Maintaining quality workforce to stay competitive in the market becomes more important for accounting firms. "QP has helped our colleagues enhance their personal assets and gain the trust of our clients more easily," says Mr. Jack Chan, sole proprietor of Chan Chak Chung & Co. The firm has been an authorized employer under the Hong Kong Institute of CPAs' qualification programme since 2004.

Chan finds that the biggest advantage brought by QP is the gold standard of professionalism. "QP has become the hallmark in the accountancy profession." He adds that nowadays employers use QP as a selection criterion during job interview to identify good potential candidates who aspire to become successful professional accountants. Click here for details.

Module preparation seminars for the September 2008 session

The Institute is organizing a series of module preparation seminars on QP module A (financial reporting) and module C (auditing and information management) for the September 2008 session. The seminars aim to help QP candidates understand some of the more difficult topics to be covered during the workshops and to brush up their examination techniques. The seminars are scheduled before the QP workshops. Click here for enrolment details of the upcoming seminars.

Online module preparation seminars

Webcast videos of module preparation seminars for module A (financial reporting) and module C (auditing and information management) held on 5 October 2008 are now available online, free-of-charge, to assist your examination revision. Please visit the QP learning support centre to watch the videos.

Career forum 2008

To provide information on career development and market trends of various sectors in the accountancy profession, the career forum 2008 was held on 28 September 2008 at the Institute's auditorium. Over 200 QP and university students participated in the forum. Participants found the event very useful and practical for their career planning.

The forum comprised two major sessions, including a career development seminar and a series of career-oriented workshops on topics like reviewing résumé, interviewing skills, image building, career development plan for CPA, etc. Please click here to view the forum highlights.

Special thanks go to the following guest speakers who shared their time, professionalism and expertise with the participants in the seminar and workshops, making the forum a success:-

Career development seminar
	Mr. Philip Tsai, partner of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu
	Ms. Nancy Tse, director (finance) of Hospital Authority
	Mr. Eric Wong, vice-president of Li & Fung (Trading) Ltd.
	Mr. Howard Chan, manager of Michael Page Finance
	Moderator: Ms. Susanna Chiu, council member of the Hong Kong Institute of CPAs

Career-oriented workshops
	Mr. Philip Tsai, partner of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu
	Ms. Andrea Williams, managing director of Hong Kong, Ambition
	Mr. Michael Curtis, manager of commerce & industry, Ambition
	Ms. Lan Ting, founding member of Exciting Life Strategic Image Management
	Mr. Wallance Ma, director of Triton Development Ltd.

Internal controls see the light

Mainland companies are getting pushed to do better. The October issue of A Plus asks if mainland companies could survive the glare under the new internal control standard. Click here for more.

Name:

Ms. Alison Chong

Job Title:

Finance manager

Company:

Chaoda Modern Agriculture (Holdings) Ltd.

Click here to see Alison's career profile:

- career and study history

- job involvement

- career achievement

- career progression

Authorized employer or 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 working under an authorized employer or supervisor, please urge your employer or supervisor to apply for registration as an authorized employer or authorized supervisor with the Institute, so that your practical experience can be accepted for membership admission. Click here for more information.

In case your employer / supervisor is not qualified for registration, you may apply to the Institute for the assignment of an External Authorized Supervisor.

List of authorized employers and supervisors

The Institute has recently approved five applications for registration as authorized employers and 18 applications for authorized supervisors. Please click here for the list of newly registered employers or supervisors.

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

For enquiries about practical experience, please contact our admission department on tel. 2287 7049 or 2287 7353.

A new closer economic partnership arrangement extension smoothes the way for mainland CPA examination takers. One designation, three exemptions, and a world of opportunity. Click here for more.

This article is re-printed from A Plus (October 2008).

No one, however talented, is perfectly well-rounded. We all have unique strengths and weaknesses. An increasing number of businesses are coming round to the idea that people are most productive when they focus on their strengths rather than try to correct their weaknesses. But even if your organization has yet to follow the trend, you can still use the strengths-based approach to manage your own career. Dr. Rob Yeung, an executive coach at leadership consulting firm Talentspace, gives you tips on playing your strengths at the workplace. Click here for the full article.

This article was first published in the Accountancy magazine (May 2008) of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and is reprinted with permission from the ICAEW. The Accountancy magazine's website is: www.accountancymagazine.com

	Results of 2007/08 common english proficiency assessment scheme (CEPAS)

	The University Grants Committee announced the results of the International English Language Testing System taken by final year students of UGC-funded undergraduate degree programmes under the 2007/08 CEPAS. The major objectives are to provide a useful reference for recruitment purposes on a common and objective basis and to facilitate, in respect of English proficiency, the process of shortlisting suitable candidates for employment. More than 11,000 final year students, comprising 71 percent of all full-time and part-time undergraduate final year students, participated in the scheme. The average overall score is 6.62 on a nine-point scale. Click here to view the full report.