The Accountant (magazine)

Last updated
The Accountant
EditorJoe Pickard
Staff writersJoe Pickard, Santiago Bedoya-Pardo
Categories Accounting magazine
FrequencyMonthly
Founded1874
CompanyGlobalData
Country United Kingdom
Based inLondon
LanguageEnglish
Website theaccountant-online.com

The Accountant is the "oldest accountancy journal in the world". [1] It was initially developed as a journal of accountancy issues in the UK, but has since expanded to cover broad global issues. Today, The Accountant is published monthly and reports on a range of topics, including changes in accounting standards, corporate reporting, audit quality, staff shortages, technology, IFRS, succession planning, tax and auditor liability.

Contents

History

The Accountant was established in 1874 as a journal for the accountancy profession. [2] Its first publisher was Alfred Gee who wanted the publication to be independent. As the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales explains in its library database, Gee didn't want the magazine to be affiliated with any professional body, although in 1890 ICAEW's council encouraged its members to subscribe and submit articles for publication. [3]

The Accountant was originally published monthly but switched to a weekly publication date after January 1875. It developed a reputation for campaigning on issues of importance for accountants from its first edition— which called for accountants to lay aside rivalries and work together to develop the profession.

From 1890, members of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) were encouraged to subscribe and submit material to the publication, whilst publisher Alfred Gee persuaded several societies to advertise, making it a reputable publication. [3]

Gee & Co published The Accountant in 1980. [3] Since then, the publication has undergone several ownership changes and was acquired by current owners Progressive Digital Media in 2012.

First World War

According to the ICAEW. The Accountant published two columns during the First World War, entitled ‘'Roll of Honour'’ and ‘'News from the Front'’.

“The column 'Roll of Honour' listed individuals who were missing, killed in action, wounded, or who had been awarded medals. The column 'News from the front' included details of individuals who had received commissions, were awarded medals, or were recognized for their bravery. The level of information provided varies from entry to entry, but in many cases, there is more detail in the journal. Details for 929 individuals are recorded in this index (615 recording deaths, 314 recording other news).” [3]

Coverage

Issues regularly include a region up, feature articles, analysis, comments, and interviews with senior figures in the profession. The Accountant produces proprietary research in the form of Country Surveys of professional bodies. These reports provide an analysis of the most important professional issues in national accountancy markets. They also survey professional bodies for student and membership data.

The publication covers:

An inaugural world survey of the accountancy profession was published in the December 2009 edition of The Accountant (Issue 6073) which provides details of membership numbers for 37 professional accountancy bodies in 24 countries. In addition to this, a league table of the 'Top 20 World's largest professional accountancy bodies by membership' was published. [4]

Readership

The Accountant is read by professional accounting bodies, university students, standard-setting bodies, regulators and accountants.

The ICAEW Library & Information Service holds a complete run of The Accountant. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Accounting</span> Measurement, processing and communication of financial information about economic entities

Accounting, also known as accountancy, is the process of recording and processing information about economic entities, such as businesses and corporations. Accounting measures the results of an organization's economic activities and conveys this information to a variety of stakeholders, including investors, creditors, management, and regulators. Practitioners of accounting are known as accountants. The terms "accounting" and "financial reporting" are often used interchangeably.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Accountant</span> Practitioner of accounting or accountancy

An accountant is a practitioner of accounting or accountancy. Accountants who have demonstrated competency through their professional associations' certification exams are certified to use titles such as Chartered Accountant, Chartered Certified Accountant or Certified Public Accountant, or Registered Public Accountant. Such professionals are granted certain responsibilities by statute, such as the ability to certify an organization's financial statements, and may be held liable for professional misconduct. Non-qualified accountants may be employed by a qualified accountant, or may work independently without statutory privileges and obligations.

The International Accounting Standards Committee (IASC) was founded in June 1973 in London at the initiative of Sir Henry Benson, former president of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. The IASC was created by national accountancy bodies from a number of countries with a view to harmonizing the international diversity of company reporting practices. Between its founding in 1973 and its dissolution in 2001, it developed a set of International Accounting Standards (IAS) that gradually acquired a degree of acceptance in countries around the world. Although the IASC came to include some organizations representing preparers and users of financial statements, it largely remained an initiative of the accountancy profession. On 1 April 2001, it was replaced by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB), an independent standard-setting body. The IASB adopted the extant corpus of IAS which it continued to develop as International Financial Reporting Standards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chartered Institute of Management Accountants</span> Body concerned with global managerial accounting

The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) is the global professional management accounting body based in the UK. CIMA offers training and qualification in management accountancy and related subjects. It is focused on accountants working in industry and provides ongoing support and training for members.

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (ICAS) is the world's first professional body of Chartered Accountants (CAs).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales</span> UK professional organisation

The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) is a professional membership organisation that promotes, develops and supports chartered accountants and students around the world. As of December 2023, it has over 208,000 members and students in 146 countries. ICAEW was established by royal charter in 1880.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chartered accountant</span> Professional designation for accountants

Chartered accountants were the first accountants to form a professional accounting body, initially established in Scotland in 1854. The Edinburgh Society of Accountants (1854), the Glasgow Institute of Accountants and Actuaries (1854) and the Aberdeen Society of Accountants (1867) were each granted a royal charter almost from their inception. The title is an internationally recognised professional designation; the certified public accountant designation is generally equivalent to it. Women were able to become chartered accountants only following the Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919 after which, in 1920, Mary Harris Smith was recognised by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and became the first woman chartered accountant in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Association of Chartered Certified Accountants</span> Global professional organization

Founded in 1904, the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) is the global professional accounting body offering the Chartered Certified Accountant qualification (ACCA). It has 240,952 members and 541,930 future members worldwide. ACCA's headquarters are in London with principal administrative office in Glasgow. ACCA works through a network of over 110 offices and centres in 51 countries - with 346 Approved Learning Partners (ALP) and more than 7,600 Approved Employers worldwide, who provide employee development.

The Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants is the professional accounting body of Hong Kong.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Institute of Chartered Accountants of India</span> National professional accounting body in India

Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) is India's largest professional accounting body under the administrative control of Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Government of India. It was established on 1 July 1949 as a statutory body under the Chartered Accountants Act, 1949 enacted by the Parliament for promotion, development and regulation of the profession of Chartered Accountancy in India.

Myanmar Institute of Certified Public Accountants is a professional body of Certified Public Accountants in Myanmar. It was first formed in 2003 in association and permission of the Ministry of Home Affairs of Myanmar. The function of the body is to communicate with international accountancy bodies and to distribute information to its members. MICPA was founded under the Myanmar Accountancy Council (MAC), a policymaking body of accountants and auditors.

The Consultative Committee of Accountancy Bodies (CCAB) is an umbrella group of chartered professional bodies of British qualified chartered accountants. The primary objective of the CCAB is to provide a forum for the member bodies to discuss issues of common concern, and where possible, to provide a common voice for the accountancy profession when dealing with the United Kingdom government.

British qualified accountants are full voting members of United Kingdom professional bodies that evaluate individual experience and test competencies for accountants.

Accountancy in Hong Kong is regulated by the HKICPA under the Professional Accountants Ordinance. The auditing industry for limited companies is regulated under the Companies Ordinance, and other Ordinances such as the Securities and Futures Ordinance, the Listing Rules, etc.

The accountancy profession in Malaysia is regulated by the Malaysian Institute of Accountants (MIA) through the powers conferred by the Accountants Act, 1967. The MIA is an agency under the Ministry of Finance and reports directly to the Accountant General Office. As at 4 February 2016, MIA has 32,618 members of which 68% are involved in commerce and industry, 22% in public practice and 10% in government and academia. Selangor and the Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur Federal Territory have the largest concentration of MIA membership with 13,125 and 7,351 members respectively. https://web.archive.org/web/20150725035639/http://www.mia.org.my/new/members_statistics_state.asp

International Accounting Bulletin (IAB) is a monthly accountancy trade magazine that covers the global accounting business.

The Society of Incorporated Accountants, founded in 1885 as the Society of Accountants, was a professional association of accountants in England. It was known from 1908 to 1954 as the Society of Incorporated Accountants and Auditors, and from 1954 to 1957 as the Society of Incorporated Accountants.

Herbert Jeffrey Wooller is an English accountant and educationalist. He is noted for his accountancy tuition initiatives, and for campaigning for reform of his professional institute, the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. The institute eventually excluded him from its membership because of his association with the Irish International University, Irish University Business School and International University Business School. Wooller has founded several educational institutions such as the Jeff Wooller College, Institute of Professional Financial Managers and Irish University Business School.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CPA Canada</span> National organization representing the Canadian accounting profession

Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada is the national organization representing the Canadian accounting profession through the unification of the three largest accounting organizations: the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants (CICA), the Society of Management Accountants of Canada and Certified General Accountants of Canada (CGA-Canada), as well as the 40 national and provincial accounting bodies. It is one of the largest organizations of its type in the world, with over 217,000 Chartered Professional Accountants in Canada and around the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chartered Accountants' Hall</span> Office building in London, England

Chartered Accountants' Hall is a Grade II* listed building located at 1 Moorgate Place in the City of London. It is the headquarters of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales (ICAEW). The Hall is one of the richest examples of late Victorian architecture in the City and has been praised for its seamless integration of sculpture.

References

  1. ↑ ICAEW: Knowledge guide to Accountancy Ancestors, web guide to the history of accounting and accountants from the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, March 2008
  2. ↑ ICAEW: Accountancy Ancestors, ICAEW's history of The Accountant
  3. 1 2 3 4 ICAEW's history of The Accountant
  4. ↑ ICAEW: Accountancy statistics, Members of the world's largest professional accountancy bodies.
  5. ↑ ICAEW: Library holdings, Library holdings for The Accountant from the ICAEW.
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