The PAIB Committee submitted this comment letter to the International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA) Exposure Draft on Proposed Changes to the Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants (the Code) Addressing Conflicts of Interest. Recommendations include expansion of some of the definitions and parameters to better cover the work and domain of professional accountants in business.

The PAIB Committee submitted its Comment Letter for the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO)'s Internal Control - Integrated Framework. The PAIB Committee provides the perspective of professional accountants in business. Among other recommendations, the Committee suggests broadening the scope of the Framework and the definition of internal control as well as including a strategic objective and an objective setting component.

The Professional Accountants in Business Committee was invited to participate in the Institute of Cost Accountants of India's National Cost Convention in New Delhi, India, in March 2012.

This is the executive summary for Investor Demand for Environmental, Social, and Governance Disclosures:Implications for Professional Accountants in Business, which considers trends in investor demand for and use of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) information, and recommends how professional accountants can better support their organizations in responding to these demands, and ultimately improve the management and reporting of ESG performance.

This report from the Professional Accountants in Business Committee considers trends in investor demand for and use of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) information, and recommends how professional accountants can better support their organizations in responding to these demands, and ultimately improve the management and reporting of ESG performance.

An Executive Summary of the report is also available below.

The PAIB Committee submitted its Comment Letter for the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC)’s Discussion Paper, Towards Integrated Reporting: Communicating Value in the 21^st Century. The PAIB Comment Letter provides the perspective of a preparer of internal and external business reporting. Among other recommendations, it highlights the need for how-to guidance for preparers to help them develop or redesign their internal processes to ensure readiness, and suggests that materiality needs to be defined in relation to investors and wider stakeholders.

The Professional Accountants in Business (PAIB) Committee of the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) has issued proposed International Good Practice Guidance, Evaluating and Improving Internal Control in Organizations for public comment. The aim of this guidance is to establish a benchmark for good practice in maintaining effective internal control in response to risk, and help professional accountants in business and their organizations create a cycle of continuous improvement for their internal control systems.

“Strong internal control is both one of the best defenses against business failure, and an important driver of business performance. It mitigates risk and adds sustainable value,” said Roger Tabor, chair of the PAIB Committee. “We looked at the sort of things that can go wrong with the way organizations apply internal controls, and drew out principles that professional accountants in business can apply to support their organizations in avoiding these problems.”

With this proposed publication, the PAIB Committee aims to provide principles-based guidance that focuses on the role of professional accountants in business and how they can support their organizations in evaluating and improving internal control as an integrated part of the organization’s governance, risk management, and internal control systems.This proposed guidance can be implemented regardless of the existing internal control frameworks or standards used, as it deals with those internal control issues that are often unsuccessful because of poor implementation and design.

Professional accountants, their organizations, and other interested parties are encouraged to respond to the proposed guidance to help improve its applicability to professional accountants in organizations of all sizes.

How to Comment
The PAIB Committee invites all stakeholders to comment. To access the exposure draft and submit a comment, visit the PAIB Committee section of the IFAC website at www.ifac.org/paib. Comments on the exposure draft are requested by February 29, 2012.

About the PAIB Committee
The PAIB Committee serves IFAC member bodies and professional accountants worldwide who work in commerce, industry, financial services, education, and the public and the not-for-profit sectors. Its aim is to promote and contribute to the value of professional accountants in business by increasing awareness of the important roles professional accountants play, supporting member bodies in enhancing the competence of their members, and facilitating the communication and sharing of good practices and ideas.

About IFAC
IFAC is the global organization for the accountancy profession dedicated to serving the public interest by strengthening the profession and contributing to the development of strong international economies. IFAC is comprised of 167 members and associates in 127 countries and jurisdictions, representing approximately 2.5 million accountants in public practice, education, government service, industry, and commerce.

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This International Good Practice Guidance is designed to help professional accountants in business use predictive business analytics to identify new opportunities for growth and improvement in their organizations, as well as to highlight areas for corrective actions and strategy adaptations. Predictive business analytics can help any organization select the appropriate actions and best decisions to improve performance and achieve sustainable organizational success.

The Professional Accountants in Business (PAIB) Committee of the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) has issued new International Good Practice Guidance, Predictive Business Analytics: Improving Business Performance with Forward-Looking Measures. The guidance is designed to help professional accountants in business working in commerce, industry, financial services, education, and the public and not-for-profit sectors, as well as their organizations, embrace predictive business analytics to help develop and execute strategy.

Professional accountants in business can use predictive business analytics to identify new opportunities for growth and improvement in their organizations, as well as to highlight areas for corrective actions and strategy adaptations. Predictive business analytics can help any organization select the appropriate actions and best decisions to improve performance and achieve sustainable organizational success.

“Predictive business analytics is a tool that professional accountants should use to help their organizations better understand likely future performance outcomes,” said Roger Tabor, chair of the PAIB Committee. “Professional accountants in business should be able to assist their organizations in making the most of predictive business analytics and forward-looking indicators of performance to improve strategy and performance management enterprise-wide.”

This International Good Practice Guidance assists professional accountants in business as they contend with rising expectations from their organizations. The quality of management information expected by internal business users is expanding, both in terms of the range of data to be considered and the level of required analysis. From strategic issues to routine tasks, executives, managers, and operational staff require higher-quality information from professional accountants to support strategic and operational decision making.

About the PAIB Committee
The PAIB Committee serves IFAC member bodies and professional accountants worldwide who work in commerce, industry, financial services, education, and the public and the not-for-profit sectors. Its aim is to promote and contribute to the value of professional accountants in business by increasing awareness of the important roles professional accountants play, supporting member bodies in enhancing the competence of their members, and facilitating the communication and sharing of good practices and ideas.

About IFAC
IFAC is the global organization for the accountancy profession dedicated to serving the public interest by strengthening the profession and contributing to the development of strong international economies. IFAC is comprised of 164 members and associates in 125 countries and jurisdictions, representing approximately 2.5 million accountants in public practice, education, government service, industry, and commerce.

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This Preface sets out the scope, purpose, and due process of International Good Practice Guidance (IGPG) published by IFAC’s Professional Accountants in Business Committee. IGPG, which starts by clearly identifying principles, (a) is generally accepted internationally, and (b) applies to organizations of all sizes in commerce, industry, the public sector, education, and the not-for-profit sector.