Amid all the consolidation talks, the institute has kept focused on its own strategic commitments.

AuthorKaye, Roland

We at CIMA have long believed that a consolidation of accountancy bodies--on the right terms--is good for the profession. As you will be well aware, the institute's council is in talks with CIPFA and the ICAEW in pursuit of this belief. At the time of writing, the bodies need to reach an agreement that meets our requirements for tripartite consolidation. These discussions continue with the aim of agreeing a joint way forward based on the principles that we believe are essential for success. A copy of these has been sent to all members and they are also available at www.cimaglobal.com/consolidation.

In the meantime, the institute is still focused on its medium-term strategy for 2010. Our recently published annual review for 2004 shows the clarity of this strategy and the inroads we have made in implementing it. It reports a pleasing 4 per cent growth in student numbers and a 4.3 per cent increase in the membership. Employer demand is also healthy, with a net growth of over 700 new partners on the CIMA Training programme. Results from our member and student surveys show respectively 79 per cent and 89 per cent (UK students only) satisfaction. And highly regarded reports such as Enterprise Governance: Getting the Balance Right have contributed to a 63 per cent increase in the number of positive articles in the UK national press. Operationally, our main achievement is the effect of the new IT system we implemented in 2003. It has contributed to a 30 per cent reduction in customer processing times and a 50 per cent decrease in printing, mailing and other admin costs.

CIMA is not only focused on hitting the right numbers. We represent a gold standard for quality and are determined to provide the best possible qualifications tailored to the needs of employers. This in turn has made our members and students even more employable in 2004. And the response of all our stakeholders to...

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