ACCOUNTANTS' RESERACH

Evening Star, Issue 21821, 10 September 1934, Page 5

ACCOUNTANTS' RESERACH

AUSTRALIAN ACTIVITIES

‘ Accountants and Research Wox-k ’ is the heading of a comment in a recent issue of ‘ The Accountant ’ (published by the English Institute of Chartered Accountants). “It is frequently urged upon accountants in England that they should use some of the material at their disposal as a basis for research work on problems affecting the public welfare,” the writer states. ‘‘lt is therefore interesting to note that tho Commonwealth Institute of Accountants has decided to set up machinery for such work and for post graduate studies in certain specific subjects. It is proposed that in each State of the Commonwealth a research committee shall be formed which can be divided into groups or sub-committees, each of which will devote its attention to a particular branch of accountancy. The results of their work are to be published from time to time for the benefit of both members of the institute and the business community generally. The following subjects have been selected for specialised study:—‘ Federal Taxation,’ ‘ Cost Accounting,’ 1 Budgetary Control,’ * Statistical Methods as Applied to Business,’ ‘ Bankruptcy,’ ‘ Banking Principles and Practice,' ‘Economics,’ ‘Finance and Foreign Exchange,’ ‘ Company Finance.’ ‘ In order to encourage the interest of the members the institute will ask for theses on all of these subjects each year, and these will lie submitted first to a State board and subsequently, if approved, to the general council. Writers whose theses are of sufficient merit will be deemed to be honoursmen for the year in the subjects submitted by them. It is hoped, says the ‘ Commonwealth Journal of Accountancy,’ that members and students will take advantage of tho post graduate courses and obtain by specialised study the broader mental equipment so desirable in an accountant.” The New Zealand Society of Accountants gave a load to tho Commonwealth Institute two years ago with a thesis competition on ‘ Accounts, Finance, Costing, and Statistics of Dairy Factory Companies.’ The society is now promoting a similar competition on ‘ Local and Public Body Finance and Accounts,’ with an allocation of a hunjlrcd guineas in prize money, in addition to a gold medal for the winner*