Нет комментариев 14.07.2005

1. What is a CMA?
2. Why did you choose getting the CMA over the CPA?

These questions often arise during job interviews. Below you can find excellent explanation of the differences between the CMA and the CPA from Steve Colton:

My undergraduate days were spent at Iowa State University which had, and still has, a highly regarded College of Engineering. Many of my friends were engineering students and knowing them made me keenly aware of the many different flavors of engineering that existed. Some of my friends were civil engineers; others electrical engineers and still others mechanical engineers, chemical engineers and so on. While freshmen, all shared a common curriculum, but as upperclassmen, they branched off into the specialized studies that gave each engineering discipline its uniqueness.

In much the same fashion, the field of accounting has underlying specialties built upon a common foundation. At the highest-level, the field of accounting is subdivided into two specialties: financial accounting and management accounting.

Financial accounting is concerned with in providing information about a company's operations to parties external to the company such as the IRS, bankers, suppliers, creditors and shareholders. A primary focus is on standardized reporting and achieving compliance with applicable regulations. Management accounting is concerned with providing financial information about a company¹s operations to its internal managers. The focus is on developing relevant and timely information that helps internal managers resolve the problems and make the decisions that arise on a day-to-day basis.

A Certified Public Accountant (CPA) is the industry-acknowledged expert in financial accounting. There are both internal and external financial accounting roles mandated by law and regulation. Consequently CPAs are employed both inside and outside of organizations. In general, a public accounting firm is composed of CPAs who perform the external tasks (such as audit and attest) in the financial reporting process.

A Certified Management Accountant (CMA) is the industry-acknowledged expert in the practice of management accounting. CMAs are most frequently employed within an organization. Management accounting firms, such as Accounting Insights, provide management accounting services to companies that, for one reason or another, do not have the expertise internally.

Steve Colton
Accounting Insights
Management Accounting & Business Economics

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CPA

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