Business Members Showcase 2009
12th - 23rd October
The business world has changed dramatically and now, more than ever, Chartered Accountants in business can look to their Institute and one another for support. A survey undertaken in June indicated that business members were not aware of the many services already available to them.
For that reason, the Chartered Accountants in Business Committee decided to undertake a Showcase fortnight, when all services for business members would be brought together to demonstrate the range, variety and accessibility of what is available. There are also a number of new and exciting initiatives being launched during this period.
A wide range of committees and others are partnering in this Showcase, as their remit includes business members. They are co-operating in providing you, the member, with a range of training, networking and information services, opportunities and choices which will not only facilitate you with fruitful engagement with fellow members, but will also help boost your professional development and learning.
The Showcase includes the announcement of the latest Business Confidence Survey undertaken by Chartered Accountants Ireland Marketing Department in association with KBC Bank. The Career
Mentoring programme, which has been successfully piloted over the past few months will be launched on Thursday 15th.
Business Networks Groups (BNGs) around the country have scheduled meetings during this fortnight. Check the map to discover where the group nearest to you is, and if unaware of the group, email business.members@charteredaccountants.ie for information. Three new
groups are being launched during the fortnight - in Kerry, Dundalk and Belfast - to join the existing 18 groups. These groups will develop their own dynamics, and the Members Services team will provide support in terms of topics and guest speakers, and connection with the other BNGs.
Breakfast briefings will take place in Dublin, on Taxation, Property and Bank Lending. The special interest groups have scheduled events, including the Risk Management/Internal Audit Group's annual half-day seminar on Corporate Governance, and an interactive evening meeting for Chartered Accountants in Insurance - not only dealing with the demands of Solvency II, and implementation practicalities, but exploring in round table discussions the approaches of other CAs to the issues. The Public Sector Group is hosting a seminar on Procurement, and the
Banking Group will look at where we are and how we got there. A Business Taxation Group is in development for those with responsibility for taxation issues and a Survey will be issued to business members during the Showcase to identify their needs.
The IT Committee, together with Sage, is presenting a morning seminar particularly for members in or dealing with SMEs under the banner "Driving Business Efficiencies through IT". The speakers will provide practical information and guidance as well as case studies. This event was first introduced in November 2008, and received excellent feedback from delegates. It's an event for finance people, their advisors and their management colleagues about the business benefits of IT.
Business Reporting Ireland Ltd. will deliver an opportunity for all those involved in financial reporting and their advisors to hear from experts on XBRL - extensible business reporting language. Since June 2009, XBRL is now mandatory for the top 500 companies filing with the SEC in the United States, with over 400 filings received to date.
In the UK, the Inland Revenue XBRL filing system goes live this November and all company tax returns must be submitted online from April 2011. Companies House is linking in with this initiative from the summer of 2010. Irish companies with subsidiaries in the US and UK will need to
plan for such filing now. The latest Irish developments in relation to XBRL will also be discussed.
Chartered Accountants Publishing is supporting this Showcase by offering 20% discount off all business publications purchased between 12th to 23rd October. The suite offered includes such leading titles as Strategic Cost Reductions, Corporate Strategy for Irish Companies, This
Business of Writing, The Natural Presenter, Slave to the Clock - Master of Time, Slave to a Job or Master of your Career (pre-publication order), Crack the Books and Human Resource Management. Full details on these publications are available on http://www.charteredaccountants.ie/business-books
The District Societies and CPD are also programming relevant events as part of Business Members Showcase. A new electronic newsletter, Corporate Update, developed by Representation & Technical Policy in conjunction with the Members Services Department, will join the other free electronic newsletters already provided in the areas of Tax and Financial Services. If you have not received either of these and would like to do so, please contact business.members@charteredaccountants.ie and we will forward your request to the relevant departments.
CA to CA Business Connections is coming in your direction and members will be invited to participate during the Showcase, for launch in January 2010. Given the times that are in it, we want
to encourage Chartered Accountants to do business with one another. Therefore your company will have the opportunity to advertise its wares, free of charge, in an electronic directory.
We have a very active on-line community developing on LinkedIn and a growing community atCharteredAccIrl on Twitter. Ongoing support is available from the Technical Enquiry Service. The Careers Advisory service has become the first port of call for job-seekers and those considering a career change. And ethical support for business members is delivered through the Institute's CARE service.
So what do you do now?
Scroll through the Showcase events programme and book on your selection at events@charteredaccountants.ie, join a BNG or connect with your fellow-members on LinkedIn and Twitter (CharteredAccIrl ), email business.members@charteredaccountants.ie with your queries, and remember as we do, that we are here to serve you.
All Chartered Accountants in Business that book or attend an event during Business Members Showcase will receive an invitation to a special networking welcome reception in Chartered Accountants House before the end of the year. This will be your opportunity to view this exceptional new training facility and administrative headquarters of your Institute.