MIA meets USM students Visit to Universiti Darul Iman (UDM

INSTITUTE NEWS
Visit to Universiti Darul Iman
(UDM)
MIA was invited to visit Universiti Darul Iman, UDM
Terengganu on 5 February 2008. The purpose of
the visit was to brief the Dean and staff of the Accounting and Business Administration Faculty of
UDM about MIA’s accreditation process for the
Bachelor of Accountancy (honours) programme.
Apart from the accreditation briefing, there were
also other issues discussed namely the Halatuju 2 Report. Since this was MIA’s first visit to the university,
there were also discussions on how MIA and UDM
can collaborate to foster a closer relationship. AT
(l-r) Head of Accounting Department, Noryati Yaakub,
Dean of the Faculty of Business Management and
Accountancy, UDM Nik Wan Omar and MIA Education
Manager Wan Norehan Wan Ahmad after the meeting
MIA Council Member
and PAIB Committee
Chairman Yeo Tek Ling
presenting Professor Dr.
Maliah the certificate of
recognition awarded by
IFAC for the article
Malaysian article selected by
IFAC
An article submitted by the Malaysian Institute of Accountants to the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) for its
2007 Ar ticles of
Merit compilation
has been selected
for inclusion in this
year’s publication.
The article is titled
Environmental
Management Accounting: Towards
a Sustainable Future and was
authored by Professor Dr. Maliah
Sulaiman and Associate Professor Dr. Nik Nazli Nik
Ahmad of the International Islamic University of Malaysia. This article first appeared in the March 2006
issue of the Accountants Today.
The compilation containing ten ar ticles was
judged to be those of outstanding merit. These were
then selected for the 2007 Articles of Merit booklet.
The booklet is available on the IFAC website at
www.ifac.org
The winning article for this year’s competition was
Finding the Right Mix: How to Match Strategy and Management Practices to Enhance Firm Performance submitted by the Institute of Management Accountants, US.
IFAC member bodies submitted 38 articles for
inclusion in the judging for the 2007 Articles of Merit
competition — one of the highest since the
programme started in the early 1990s.
MIA would like to congratulate Prof. Dr. Maliah
and Dr. Nik Nazli on their achievement. AT
PENANG BRANCH
MIA meets USM students
MIA booth at the MAX2 exhibition
44
Penang Branch Committee Member, Andrew Loh represented the Institute
at the opening ceremony of The Management and Accounting Week
eXhibition 2gether (MAX2) on 7 January 2008 at Universiti Sains Malaysia
(USM).
MAX2 was organised by the USM’s Management and Accounting Societies to foster closer ties between the students and the corporate world.
Later in the week, Branch Committee Members, Ooi Kok Seng and Lee
Then Thoong presented a talk on Career Opportunities in the Big Four Firms
and It’s An Exciting Time To Be An Accountant respectively.
The talks were aimed to disseminate information on the attractive and diverse career options in accountancy to the students. MIA also participated
in the exhibition held in conjunction with MAX2. AT
ACCOUNTANTS TODAY • March 2008
Institute News
PENANG BRANCH
MIA and State Economic Planning Unit hold
workshop
On 12 January 2008, some 50 department heads and senior officials from various government agencies attended a half-day workshop on the Evaluation of
Project Proposals at the Evergreen Laurel Hotel. Penang State Secretary, Datuk
Jamaludin Hasan who delivered the inaugural address was also present at the
workshop.
The workshop, a collaborative effort between MIA and the State Economic
Planning Unit was conducted by three Committee Members of the MIA Penang
Branch.
Danny Tan, par tner of DTF Consulting commenced the workshop with an insightful session on
the objectives, common pitfalls and a perspective of
historical versus projections of Financial Evaluation.
Lee Then Thoong, executive director of
PricewaterhouseCoopers elaborated on the various
techniques, the Do’s & Dont’s of Financial Evaluation while Ooi Kok Seng, partner of KPMG presented a session on case studies and practical exercises. Danny closed the workshop with a briefing
on the role of accountants in the light of recent
changes in Corporate Governance. AT
Dinner cum dialogue with
Penang Chief Minister
The Institute along with nine other professional
organisations were invited to participate in a Dinner cum Dialogue session with the Penang Chief
Minister, Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon on 29 January
2008 at Bayview Georgetown.
The accountancy profession was represented by
22 members led by Branch Chairperson, Adelena
Chong.
Dr. Koh briefed some 300 participants on the
achievements and progress so far and the lessons
learnt from the many trials and tribulations of the
past as we get ready to continue our march towards an even more exciting and challenging future.
He also emphasised the need to continue generating innovative and creative ideas and methods as
we are going through a renewed process to cater
for a more challenging environment.
The other participants were the Institution of Engineers Malaysia, Association of Banks in Malaysia, Malaysian Institute of Planners, Persatuan
Arkitek Malaysia, Institution of Surveyors Malaysia, Malaysian Pharmaceutical Society, Penang
Medical Association, Malaysian Dental Association
and Malaysian Medical Association. AT
March 2008 • ACCOUNTANTS TODAY
Penang State Secretary, Datuk Jamaludin Hasan
delivering the inaugural address
The participants listening attentively to the talk
Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu
Koon delivering his
speech
The participants at
the dialogue
45
Institute News
SARAWAK BRANCH
Briefing by Kastam Diraja Malaysia in Kuching
Apin Pauzan, Abg Hussen and Gerry Ho
addressing questions from members
MIA Sarawak Branch
Committee Member
David Tiang presenting a
memento to Apin Pauzan
Kastam Diraja Malaysia held a briefing at its headquarters in Kuching in collaboration with the MIA Sarawak Branch recently. The briefing was to address
the recent development whereby professional firms are subject to apply for a
service tax licence due to the abolishment of the previous threshold under the
2008 Budget.
More than 30 members and staff of member firms attended the briefing, which
was presented by the Superintendent of
Customs, Apin Pauzan. Together with
Abg Hussen (Superintendent) and Gerry
Ho (Assistant Superintendent), they also
addressed members’ queries during the
Q & A session.
The briefing also served as a platform to
further clarify the license application process and licensing requirements, such as
eligibility and licencee responsibilities. AT
SABAH BRANCH
Sabah Branch Spreads Festive Cheer
Alexandra (second from left) handing the cheque
over to Brother Ben who runs the home
It’s ang pow time!
One for the album
46
In conjunction with the Chinese New Year celebration on 28 January 2008, the
Malaysian Institute of Accountants — Sabah Branch visited the Don Bosco
Children’s Home in Bundu Tuhan. During the visit, RM4,000 was contributed to
the home for its upkeep as well as to support the children staying at the home.
Sabah Branch Chairperson, Alexandra Thien together with Sabah Branch
Committee Members and the MIA management also contributed “Ang Pow”,
presents and foodstuff to each child at the home.
Meanwhile, the children entertained the guests by singing beautiful and touching songs and performed the ‘SUMAZAU’ dance for the crowd.
Don Bosco Children’s Home was started in Bundu Tuhan in 1966. With the
generosity of kind donors, a building was erected and today it is home to 83
children aged between 6 to 19 who are currently studying in kindergartens and
government secondary schools. These children are from all over Sabah including the East Coast, Sonsogon, Kuala Penyu, Papar, etc. Some of the students
are still waiting to get a chance to further their education at the local university
after completing their STPM.
The vision of Don Bosco Children’s Home is to try to provide a normal education and social life for the children since many have suffered as orphans or
come from broken, neglected and poverty-stricken homes. Its current needs
are groceries and food
items for daily consumption. Clothing, slippers,
shoes and umbrellas are
needed especially during the rainy season as
some children have to
walk 20 minutes to attend secondary school.
The home is entirely dependent on the generosity of the public as its
source of income. AT
ACCOUNTANTS TODAY • March 2008