What do you get out of your membership of the ICAEW and what does it cost you?
As an MD of an accounting software company, I probably shouldn’t be sounding off about them, but I’m starting to get really annoyed with them. Annoyed on your behalf.
They’re currently putting together a ”IT Faculty Software Product Guide (SaaS)”.
They say:
Quote:
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The aim of the guide is to provide accountants with the information they need to decide whether or not online accounting can benefit their business
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If I were a member of this body I would expect the guide to contain impartial information about the various services available and their relative merits.
But what you’re actually going to get is a guide that contains reviews of just the companies willing to pay the £3,500 to be reviewed. Hardly an impartial overview of the whole market.
It’s not that I begrudge paying for a review. We may well get a reasonable ROI as it’s not ludicrously expensive. I just find it a little disheartening that an organization that outwardly exists for the benefit of its members is ultimately more interested in making money from advertisers than providing relevant information to its members.
I’ve mentioned elsewhere my views on ICAEW accreditation. I was speaking to the MD of a much bigger accounting software company recently (who will remain nameless as you'd all instantly recognise the name). His comment summed it up perfectly: “You need two things to become ICAEW accredited – a person to tick all the boxes on the form and someone to write the cheque”.
I suspect that if I wanted to, I could get ICAEW accreditation for a non-existent product.
Rant over. I hope that those of you that are ICAEW members can assure me the organization has some redeeming features.
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