ACCA Student Guide 2013/14

Transcription

1 ACCA Student Guide 2013/14 Our ACCA vision is simple - to provide a premium teaching and support service that establishes the highest possible levels of quality and leverages our knowledge and experience as a leading professional services firm.

2 PwC's Academy offers a full ACCA qualification program for the Latvian market. The ACCA Qualification is designed to provide the accounting knowledge, skills and professional values. Holding the ACCA qualification illustrates your quality over others in the business or finance profession. ACCA is recognised and respected in 170 countries and currently has over members and students. In Latvia PwC's Academy is an ACCA Gold Approved Learning Partner. This accreditation is given to tuition providers who show excellence in meeting the quality standards for ACCA tuition challenging performance targets. 2/2

3 Welcome to the ACCA Programme! Dear ACCA Students, The PwC s Academy in Latvia is pleased to offer you a full ACCA qualification programme. Whether you are new to ACCA or a returning student, we are excited to present our new courses, tutors, and study options for Spring Our ACCA vision is simple to provide a premium teaching and support service that establishes the highest possible levels of quality and leverages our knowledge and experience as a leading professional services firm. Ilandra Lejina Partner FCCA, Latvian Certified Auditor The ACCA Student Guidebook covers your participation in the ACCA programme at the PwC s Academy. All of our support services are listed within these pages, and are designed to help you achieve your goals in relation to ACCA. If there is anything that may concern you, you are welcome to meet with our dedicated ACCA support team. Good luck in 2014! PricewaterhouseCoopers SIA, Kr. Valdemara iela 21-21, Riga, LV-1010, Latvia T: , F: , PwC firms help organisations and individuals create the value they re looking for. We re a network of firms in 158 countries with more than people who are committed to delivering quality in assurance, tax and advisory services. Tell us what matters to you and find out more by visiting us at PwC. PwC refers to the PwC network and/or one or more of its member firms, each of which is a separate legal entity. Please see for further details.

4 Contents PwC s Academy Study Scheme...6 Computer Based Exam (CBE) Centre only in PwC s Academy...6 ACCA Examinations... 7 ACCA Practical experience requirement (PER)...8 The ACCA Work Experience Requirements...11 Approved Employers...11 The ACCA Ethics Module...11 Examination resources ACCA Programme Contact Details PwC s Academy Contacts in Latvia PwC s Academy Tutors Contacts Important dates for the ACCA Qualification Formal Complaints Procedure Student Feedback PwC s Academy Student Regulations First Aid and Emergency Procedures Terms and Conditions Student Suggestion Form...20 ACCA timetable: Spring PwC 4

5 We share our knowledge and expertise

6 PwC s Academy Study Scheme Our study programme for the ACCA qualification at the PwC s Academy is based on years of experience in ACCA training at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in Central and Eastern Europe. It is designed to give our students the best possible chances of passing all of their examinations on the first attempt. Our training for the Fundamental papers F1-F3 is based on a future success model all future papers are based on a basic understanding of the syllabus of these foundation setting examinations. We therefore encourage all students to take tuition courses to link their understanding of key syllabus components to future examinations, even if they are exempted from these papers. These papers can be sat at anytime at PwC with the use of our CBE facility with no administrative fee. Our tuition courses includes mock examinations to test your knowledge and show you just how much you need to study before the real exam and what to focus on. It is also an opportunity to practice under examination conditions. Our tutors provide constructive feedback summaries and individual analysis within eight days of mock completion. Computer Based Exam (CBE) Centre only in PwC s Academy PwC s Academy is an ACCA Approved Computer Based Examination Centre (CBE). Students have the ability to sit computer based exams for papers F1-F3. The main advantage of the CBE system is flexibility you can sit these examinations at any time of the year. In addition, you may resit the exams as often as necessary. Students also receive their exam results on screen immediately after completion and they are uploaded to your ACCA account within 72 hours. The ACCA examination fee for papers F1-F3 is 57 GBP pluss 45 EUR exam fee. PwC will provide the use of the facility and administration of the examinations Free of exam Charge for any students who are registered with PwC s Academy for our ACCA support services. For more information on the PwC s Academy CBE centre or to sign up for examinations, please contact the CBE Administration Centre at pwc.kursi@lv.pwc.com (Riga, Latvia). general management taxation ACCA is not just for accountants. Members have the knowledge and skill to succeed in other areas such as business consulting, taxation, IT, strategic planning, and general management. business consulting strategic planning IT PwC 6

7 ACCA Examinations KNOWLEDGE MODULE Paper F1 Accountant in Business (AB) Paper F2 Management Accounting (MA) Paper F3 Financial Accounting (FA) SKILLS MODULE Paper F4 Corporate and Business Law (CL - UK) Paper F4 Corporate and Business Law (CL - RUS) Paper F5 Performance Management (PM) Paper F6 Taxation (TX - UK) Paper F6 Taxation (TX - CZ) Paper F6 Taxation (TX RUS) Paper F6 Taxation (TX HUN) Paper F7 Financial Reporting (FR) Paper F8 Audit and Assurance (AA) Paper F9 Financial Management (FM) ESSENTIALS Paper P1 Governance, Risk and Ethics (PA) Paper P2 Corporate Reporting (CR) Paper P3 Business Analysis (BA) OPTIONS Paper P4 Advanced Financial Management (AFM) Paper P5 Advanced Performance Management (APM) Paper P7 Advanced Audit and Assurance (AAA) PwC 7

8 ACCA Practical experience requirement (PER) ACCA s practical experience requirement (PER) is a key component of the ACCA Qualification. To become an ACCA member all trainees - students and affiliates - must successfully complete: the ACCA exams, the Professional Ethics Module, the practical experience requirement. What do I have to do? There are three components to the PER: Achieve nine (9) Essentials and at least four (4) Options performance objectives (making a total of 13 or more) to the satisfaction of your workplace mentor. Complete 36 months experience in one or more accounting or financerelated roles. Record and report your PER progress in your online My Experience record. Use your online My Experience record to track and record your achievement of the performance objectives*. This can be accessed via myacca. Try to get your employer s support to help you gain the PER. You will also need to work closely with your workplace mentor. Why is the PER important? In order to perform effectively as an ACCA qualified accountant, you need to develop your skills in the workplace as well as passing the exams. The PER helps you to: apply in practice the knowledge and techniques you are gaining through your studies towards the ACCA exams; observe and be involved in real-life work situations that help you to develop the skills, attitudes and behaviours that a qualified accountant needs; develop your judgment, encouraging you to reflect on the quality of your work and how you may improve your work performance in the future. Employers expect ACCA members to show high levels of knowledge and ability in the workplace, and to behave ethically. PER enables you to confirm your effective and sustained high-quality workplace performance, making you a more valuable employee. PwC 8

9 What is a workplace mentor? A workplace mentor* is a person who supports your development in the workplace and reviews your progress and achievements at work, and so plays an important role in the achievement of your PER. Your workplace mentor should guide and support you in the following ways: Help you to identify which performance objectives you should aim to achieve, and the date by which you should achieve them. Help you plan the experience needed to achieve targeted performance objectives, for example by helping you to arrange job rotations, project work, or other opportunities to gain relevant experience. Help you identify any personal development needed to achieve the necessary level of workplace performance required by the performance objective, and how you might get that development. For example, you may need to improve your report writing or communication skills. Your workplace mentor may recommend appropriate training, research, or practice in this area. He or she may also provide you with some on-the-job training or coaching, or find someone else to help you develop these skills. You could use the development plan in My Experience to help you plan this activity, evaluating your progress on a regular basis. The mentor will also review your answers to your challenge questions and sign off your experience and the performance objective as soon as you both agree that you have met the standard required. *It is student s responsibility to find a workplace mentor. PwC 9

10 ESSENTIALS Professionalism, ethics and governance 1. Demonstrate the application of professional ethics, values and judgement 2. Contribute to the effective governance of an organisation 3. Raise awareness of non-financial risk Personal effectiveness 4. Manage self 5. Communicate effectively 6. Use information and communications technology Business management 7. Manage on-going activities in your area of responsibility 8. Improve departmental performance 9. Manage an assignment OPTIONS Financial accounting and reporting 10. Prepare financial statements for external purposes 11. Interpret financial transactions and financial statements Performance measurement and management accounting 12. Prepare financial information for management 13. Contribute to budget planning and production 14. Monitor and control budgets Finance and financial management 15. Evaluate potential business/investment opportunities and the required finance options 16. Manage cash using active cash management and treasury systems Audit and assurance 17. Prepare for and collect evidence for audit 18. Evaluate and report on audit Taxation 19. Evaluate and compute taxes payable 20. Assist with tax planning For more information on the PER see your PwC s Academy representative or visit the ACCA website at PwC 10

11 The ACCA Work Experience Requirements Gaining the relevant practice experience is a key component to the ACCA qualification. In the demanding accounting and business professions it is essential to link your theoretical knowledge from the examinations to practical applications in the workplace. The ACCA Practical Experience Requirements (PER) are closely linked to the exam syllabus to further develop your skills in the workplace. The framework of the PER enables you to achieve a high level of knowledge, ability, and ethics in the workplace, demonstrating to employers that you are the right person for the job. ACCA students are required to achieve a set of objectives over a three year period working in an accounting or finance-related role and record the completion of the PER through the Trainee Development matrix (TDM). There is no time limit to complete the PER though it is necessary to complete it before applying for ACCA membership. You will need to seek your employer s assistance to gain your PER, so it is up to you to choose the right employer to meet your requirements. To meet the ACCA qualification PER you will need to complete all nine Essential performance objectives and four Options. Approved Employers If you work for an ACCA Approved Employer at the Gold or Platinum level, students and members are not required to submit a Training Development Matrix at the end of every calendar year to confirm that they have met their ACCA Work Experience Requirements objectives. Instead, students and Member must submit an Annual ACCA Return, stating that they are employed by in a company holding this accreditation. The annual return should be submitted by December 31 st. For more information on Approved employers and your work experience requirements, please visit the ACCA website: professional/ or contact the administrative team at the PwC s Academy. The ACCA Ethics Module Ethics is an integral component of the ACCA qualification, directly appearing in 11 of the 14 examination papers and in all of the essential work experience performance objectives. The Ethics Module is an online training course with the aim of exposing student to a range of ethical perspectives in business. Students have access to the module in the examination session they are eligible to sit paper P1 Professional Accountant. The ethics module is a key component to P1 training at PwC s Academy. All students are required to sit the module in conjunction with the tuition courses, and completion is mandatory before applying for ACCA membership. In addition, statistics show that completion of this module before the P1 tuition course greatly increases a students understanding of the syllabus and results in higher examination pass rates for all Professional Level examination papers. More information on the Ethics module can be found at: knowledge ability ethics in the workplace PwC 11

12 Examination resources The PwC s Academy Course Notes PwC s Academy develops our own course notes for each paper. The course notes contain relevant technical articles, study guides with suggestions for home study, examination techniques and full information on syllabus. Students can contact their tutors by for any study advice. Kaplan Engage The Kaplan engage study system provides electronic resources for each paper. To register, follow the instructions on the blue Kaplan information sheet located at the back of your study systems or visit ACCA Student Accountant Magazine Every month ACCA publishes the SA magazine containing technical articles, study advice, and a range of accounting and business stories. Pick up a copy at PwC s Academy information stands or visit ents/student_accountant. Additional material request Need a specific book for your paper? Contact PwC s Academy with your suggestions on material to add to our library! ACCA offers business-relevant, first-choice qualifications to people of application, ability and ambition around the world who seek a rewarding career in accountancy, finance and management. PwC 12

13 ACCA Programme Contact Details ACCA Connect 2 Central Quay, 89 Hyde Park St., Glasgow Scotland G3 8BW Tel: +44 (0) Fax: +44 (0) Website: students@accaglobal.com Information regarding ACCA Ethics and Policy: Steve Willis ACCA Leader Central & Eastern Europe tel.: steve.willis@cz.pwc.com Ilandra Lejiņa Partner, PwC Latvia Kr. Valdemara iela 21-21, Riga LV-1010, Latvia Tel: Website: pwc.kursi@lv.pwc.com PwC s Academy Contacts in Latvia Linda Vanaga PwC s Academy Manager Tel: Mob: linda.vanaga@lv.pwc.com Guna Kalnakarkle Administration Tel: Mob: guna.kalnakarkle@lv.pwc.com PwC s Academy Tutors Contacts Tutor John Moffat john@johnmoffat.lv Colin Prentice cprentice1954@aol.co.uk Jan Czerniawski janczerniawski@wp.pl Ken Garrett interactmm@btopenworld.com Module F2, F3, F5, F9 F6 F8 P3, P5 Mike Little e- mail: mike@mikelittle.lt F4, F7, P1, P2, P7 PwC 13

14 Important dates for the ACCA Qualification January Payment of Annual Subscription Fees. Applications for exemptions for the June exams must be submitted by January 31 st. February Results from December examination sessions can be accessed from February 8 th. March March 8 th is the deadline for early exam entry for the June session. April April 8th is the standard deadline for exam entriy for the June session and also the deadline for applications to change your variant papers. May Students receive their examination Attendance Docket with details of the subjects of papers and the address of the examination centre. May 8th is the late exam entry deadline if you plan to sit examinations in June. June ACCA examinations in the first two weeks of June. July Applications for exemptions for the December exams must be submitted by July 31 st. August ACCA June examination results are accessible on the ACCA Exchange from August 8th. September September 8 th is the deadline for early exam entry for the December session. October October 8th is the standard deadline for exam entry for the December session and also the deadline for applications to change your variant papers. November Students receive their examination Attendance Docket with details of the subjects of papers and the address of the examination centre. November 8th is the late exam entry deadline if you plan to sit examinations in December. December ACCA examinations in the first two weeks of December. PwC 14

15 Formal Complaints Procedure PwC' Academy is committed to building strong relationships with our clients, which includes following the PwC Code of Conduct, regulating all of our business and training activities. A copy of our Code of Conduct can be viewed on the PwC s Academy website. If you have any concerns about PwC s Academy operations, administration, or quality of service please write a letter to PwC s Academy Leader Linda Vanaga or an anonymous statement on our Suggestion Forms located at the PwC s Academy or at the back of the Student Handbook. Formal complaints and suggestions should describe any concerns and state the action or outcome desired. Trainees will receive an acknowledgement of receipt within 3 working days, and a resolution to the nature of the feedback, where necessary, within 21 working days. All formal complaints and suggestions are dealt with according to the following flow chart: PwC 15

16 Student Feedback In order to assist the PwC s Academy in providing continued excellent service and education, clients are encouraged to provide feedback on their training, either informally with any member of the PwC s Academy, through our Trainee Feedback System, or by filling in a suggestion form located in the reception area of the PwC s Academy. At the end of each course, trainees have the opportunity to express their opinions in a satisfaction questionnaire, providing feedback on lectures, administration staff, course materials, and facilities. The completed evaluation questionnaires will be submitted to an independent staff member and the identity of all trainees and their comments we be treated confidentially. Opinions and information obtained form the forms will be used in the development of course procedures and course committee meetings. Teaching staff meet quarterly with PwC s Academy Director at course committee meetings to discuss: Course evaluations Trainee performance Evaluation of lecturers Trainee complaints Examination rates (if applicable) PwC s Academy Student Regulations 1. Clients attending seminars at PwC s Academy must ensure that they bring the personal identification and will be required to sign in at the reception desk. Failure to provide identification may result in clients or students being refused entry into PwC s Academy. 2. The Company will not be held responsible for loss of any personal items left in any training room or on PwC s Academy premises. 3. All Customers undertaking any training with the Company are required to adhere to any notices or instructions given to them by any member of the company's staff. 4. Smoking is not permitted on PwC premises except in designated areas. Customers who are considered to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs will have their course terminated immediately and all course fees forfeited. 5. Course participants are expected to exhibit professional behaviour while attending lectures and seminars. Any action that generally interferes with the quality of tuition a class is receiving, which includes the use of mobile telephones or other electronic devices, or any form of abusive verbal or written communication may result in the breech of this service agreement and the removal of clients from the courses. 6. Full course attendance is required of all students at PwC s Academy. Repeated failure to attend tuition courses may result in the termination of the services Agreement. Students who are not able to attend a course should contact their PwC s Academy representative in advance of courses. All effort will be made for a student to join alternative course dates if available. Course Syllabus ACCA's mission is to achieve and promote the highest professional, ethical and governance standards. PwC 16

17 First Aid and Emergency Procedures First Aid In situations where an employee is suddenly taken ill in PwC s Academy and needs immediate medical assistance, the following steps should be taken: 1. Call the ambulance on Advise PwC s Academy staff immediately. If no staff is readily available, advise PwC reception. Fire & Evacuation Procedures If a fire is discovered: Any person who discovers a fire must report it to a PwC s Academy representative or ensure it is reported by pressing the fire alarm button without delay. If fire extinguishing means are available and no people are in imminent danger an attempt should be made to get the fire under control. 3. Stay with the person who is ill and provide first aid, according to the best of your knowledge. 4. Ensure that everyone leaves the immediate area, so that the person who is ill is in a quiet place and privacy is maintained. If the fire alarm goes off: In case the fire alarm goes off, persons must leave the building only when a voice signal tells you to do so (no evacuation is required if the fire alarm is not followed by a voice signal). If a voice signal tells you to leave the building, take your personal belongings with you only if this does not keep you or others from exiting as quickly as possible. The evacuation process should not take longer than two minutes. Evacuation plans are posted on all floors of the PwC s Academy premises. Alternatively you should follow your designated PwC s Academy representative out of the building. Use stairs only (do not use elevators). PwC 17

18 Terms and Conditions All clients are informed of our terms and conditions which are readily available from our website and PwC s Academy facility. All Customers are deemed to have read them before requesting our services or products. These terms and conditions together with the registration form comprise the Agreement pursuant to which PwC s Academy provides training programmes to the client/student. 1. Payment Terms After initial registration for a course, you will receive confirmation of receipt and an invoice for services. Full payment is required before final registration on a course will be confirmed. All course fees must be paid prior to the commencement of any training, unless other arrangements have previously been agreed with PwC s Academy. PwC s Academy reserves the right to take any outstanding balances due from the Customer's debit/credit card on or after the course start date. 2. Cancellations, Deferrals, and Course Changes Any course cancellation made by the client must be made in writing or to PwC s Academy. Refunds (less an administrative fee of 25% of the total course fee) will be made for cancellations received in writing more than 5 working days prior to the event. No refund is available for cancellations made within the 5 working days prior to the event. Delegates may be substituted in order to avoid cancellation at any time prior to the event. There will be no charge if a substitute person wishes to replace the original delegate. Please inform the course administrator of any change to the original booking. PwC s Academy shall make every effort to avoid the cancellation or rescheduling of an event. However, we reserve the right to cancel an event at any time and, should the need arise, PwC s Academy shall endeavour to provide attendees notice in good time and refund or reallocate any payments made in respect of the event. PwC s Academy can not accept liability for expenses or any other losses relating to costs or time to the client or their employer. 3. Intellectual Property PwC s Academy grants the client a non-transferable, non-exclusive license to use PwC and Kaplan material under the terms of this agreement. This license expires upon the termination of the agreement for services for any reason. The use of PwC s Academy and Kaplan material is for educational purposes only, and clients will not reproduce, retransmit, sell, disseminate, publish, or broadcast this material other than in accordance with this agreement. 4. Limitation of Liability PwC s Academy liability (other than in respect of liability for death or personal injury) for direct losses arising out of their negligence or breech of contract in connection with this agreement is limited to the cost to the client for the courses for which they are registered, and any other costs related to study material. PwC s Academy is not liable for any indirect loss arising from negligence or breech of contract. 5. Data Protection PricewaterhouseCoopers SIA, is required, pursuant to Personal Data Protection Act, to obtain your consent to maintain and process your personal data and to Information Society Services Act to obtain your consent to use your private electronic address for the purpose of disseminating business-related communications in the form of marketing materials and invitations to professional seminars and conferences as part of electronic communication. The personal data will be maintained and processed only by PricewaterhouseCoopers SIA for the purpose of registration and distributing marketing materials and invitations. The personal data will be processed by PricewaterhouseCoopers SIA as the data processor. Consent is voluntary and you may withdraw your consent at any time. PwC 18

19 Appendix: Student Suggestion Form

20 Student Suggestion Form If you would like the receipt of your complaint, please provide your contact details below. Otherwise, statement may be made anonymously. Name Telephone Date Please describe the nature of your complaint or suggestion to PwC s Academy below. Include as much detail as possible, including the training room, tutor, staff member, or any issue involved. You can submit your complaints, suggestions and / or comments: 1) By leaving completed suggestion form at PwC s Academy reception 2) Using the online form available at 3) Sending pwc.kursi@lv.pwc.com 4) Sending direct to ACCA PwC s Academy contacts in Latvia: guna.kalnakarkle@lv.pwc.com or linda.vanaga@lv.pwc.com 5) By telephone: ) By contacting ACCA Global: professionalconduct@accaglobal.com

21 Business-relevant, first-choice qualification

22 ACCA timetable: Spring / Anonymous feedbacks we have received from our students: "Direct communication with tutor is very useful, also practical explanation and examples helps a lot". "Friendly environment where you learn everything what you really need for exam". "Tutors are very helpful and explains everything in understandable way". "Thank you for making believe that accounting is fun!" Paper Number of days Price of the course (EUR without VAT) Course Dates F February March F March March F April 9-11 April F April May Early Bird registration deadline* Exam 1 February 11 December 1 March 10 December 1 March 9 December 1 March 2 December F April 1 March 3 December F May May 1 March 4 December F March - 4 April 1 March 5 December F May 1 March 6 December May P1** April 1 March 11 December 7-8 April P2** May 1 March 10 December May P3** May 1 March 9 December P4** May **** P5** May 1 March 5 December P7** Autumn session March 2 December *If registering early 15% discount applied ** All courses will be organised if at least 5 persons will be attending each course More: pwc.kursi@lv.pwc.com T.: PwC 22

23 Never stop learning

24 This publication has been prepared for general guidance on matters of interest only, and does not constitute professional advice. You should not act upon the information contained in this publication without obtaining specific professional advice. No representation or warranty (express or implied) is given as to the accuracy or completeness of the information contained in this publication, and, to the extent permitted by law, PricewaterhouseCoopers SIA, its members, employees and agents do not accept or assume any liability, responsibility or duty of care for any consequences of you or anyone else acting, or refraining to act, in reliance on the information contained in this publication or for any decision based on it PwC. All rights reserved. PwC refers to the PwC network and/or one or more of its member firms, each of which is a separate legal entity. Please see for further details.