CISA is an audit professional certification sponsored by the Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA). Candidates for the certification must meet requirements set by ISACA。The CISA certification was established in 1978[1] for several reasons:Develop and maintain a tool that could be used to evaluate an individuals" competency in conducting information system audits. Provide a motivational tool for information systems auditors to maintain their skills, and monitor the success of the maintenance programs. Provide criteria to help aid management in the selection of personnel and development. The first CISA examination was administered in 1981, and registration numbers have grown each year. Over 60,000[1] candidates have earned the CISA designation.The CISA certification has been recognised with ANSI accreditation, along with the CISM certification- both of these certifications are managed by ISACA. It is one of the few certifications formally approved by the US Department of Defense in their Information Assurance Technical category (DoD 8570.01-M).RequirementsCandidates for a CISA certification must pass the examination, agree to adhere to ISACA"s Code of Professional Ethics, submit evidence of a minimum of five years of professional IS auditing, control, or security work, and abide by a program of continuing professional education.Substitutions and waivers of such experience may be obtained as follows:[2]A maximum of one year of information systems experience OR one year of financial or operational auditing experience can be substituted for one year of information systems auditing, control, or security experience. 60 to 120 completed college semester credit hours (the equivalent of an Associate or Bachelor degree) can be substituted for one or two years, respectively, of information systems auditing, control or security experience. Two years as a full-time university instructor in a related field (e.g., computer science, accounting, information systems auditing) can be substituted for one year of information systems auditing, control or security experience. [edit] ExaminationThe exam consists of 200 multiple-choice questions that must be answered within 4 hours. The exam is split between 6 Content Areas as of 2006:IS Audit Process - 10% of Exam IT Governance - 15% of Exam Systems and Infrastructure Lifecycle Management - 16% of Exam IT Service Delivery and Support - 14% of Exam Protection of Information Assets - 31% of Exam Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery - 14% of Exam The exam is now offered in 11 languages at more than 200 locations worldwide in June and December.The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) is a British chartered accountancy body with a global presence that offers the Chartered Certified Accountant (Designatory letters ACCA or FCCA) qualification worldwide. It is one of the world"s largest and fastest-growing accountancy bodies with 122,426 members and 325,606 affiliates and students in 170 countries. The Institute"s headquarters are in London with the principal administrative office being based in Glasgow. In addition the ACCA has a network of nearly 80 staffed offices and other centres around the world.The ACCA is a founding member body of the Consultative Committee of Accountancy Bodies (CCAB) and the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC).The term "Chartered" in ACCA qualification refers to the Royal Charter granted in 1974 by Her Majesty the Queen in the United Kingdom.Since Chartered Certified Accountant is a legally protected term, individuals who describe themselves as Chartered Certified Accountants must be members of ACCA and, if they carry out public practice engagements, must comply with additional regulations such as holding a practising certificate, being insured against any possible liability claims and submitting to inspections.The Association of Authorised Public Accountants (AAPA), one of the British professional bodies for public accountants, has been a subsidiary of ACCA since 1996.FSA is an independent non-governmental body, quasi-judicial body and a company limited by guarantee that regulates the financial services industry in the United Kingdom.The Financial Services and Markets Act imposed four statutory objectives upon the FSA:market confidence: maintaining confidence in the financial system public awareness: promoting public understanding of the financial system; consumer protection: securing the appropriate degree of protection for consumers; and reduction of financial crime: reducing the extent to which it is possible for a business carried on by a regulated person to be used for a purpose connected with financial crime [edit] Regulatory principlesThe statutory objectives are supported by a set of principles of good regulation which the FSA must have regard to when discharging its functions. These are:efficiency and economy: the need to use its resources in the most efficient and economic way. role of management: a firm"s senior management is responsible for its activities and for ensuring that its business complies with regulatory requirements. This principle is designed to guard against unnecessary intrusion by the FSA into firms" business and requires it to hold senior management responsible for risk management and controls within firms. Accordingly, firms must take reasonable care to make it clear who has what responsibility and to ensure that the affairs of the firm can be adequately monitored and controlled. proportionality: The restrictions the FSA imposes on the industry must be proportionate to the benefits that are expected to result from those restrictions. In making judgements in this area, the FSA takes into account the costs to firms and consumers. One of the main techniques they use is cost benefit analysis of proposed regulatory requirements. This approach is shown, in particular, in the different regulatory requirements applied to wholesale and retail markets. innovation: The desirability of facilitating innovation in connection with regulated activities. For example, allowing scope for different means of compliance so as not to unduly restrict market participants from launching new financial products and services. international character: Including the desirability of maintaining the competitive position of the UK. The FSA takes into account the international aspects of much financial business and the competitive position of the UK. This involves co-operating with overseas regulators, both to agree international standards and to monitor global firms and markets effectively. competition: The need to minimise the adverse effects on competition that may arise from the FSA"s activities and the desirability of facilitating competition between the firms it regulates. This covers avoiding unnecessary regulatory barriers to entry or business expansion. Competition and innovation considerations play a key role in the FSA"s cost-benefit analysis work. Under the Financial Services and Markets Act, the Treasury, the Office of Fair Trading and the Competition Commission all have a role to play in reviewing the impact of the FSA"s rules and practices on competition. [edit] Accountability and managementThe FSA is accountable to Treasury Ministers, and through them to Parliament. It is operationally independent of Government and is funded entirely by the firms it regulates through fines, fees and compulsory levies. Its Board consists of a Chairman, a Chief Executive Officer, a Chief Operating Officer, two Managing Directors, and 11 non-executive directors (including a lead non-executive member, the Deputy Chairman) selected by, and subject to removal by, HM Treasury. Among these, the Deputy Governor for Financial Stability of the Bank of England is an ex officio Board member. This Board decides on overall policy with day-to-day decisions and management of the staff being the responsibility of the Executive. This is divided into three sections each headed by a Managing director and having responsibility for one of the following sectors: retail markets, wholesale and institutional markets, and regulatory services.Its regulatory decisions can be appealed to the Financial Services and Markets Tribunal.HM Treasury decides upon the scope of activities that should be regulated, but it is for the FSA to decide what shape the regulatory regime should take in relation to any particular activities.The FSA is also provided with advice on the interests and concerns of consumers by the Financial Services Consumer Panel [2]. This panel describes itself as "An Independent Voice for Consumers of Financial Services". Members of the panel are appointed and can be dismissed by the FSA and emails to them are directed to FSA staff. The Financial Services Consumer Panel will not address individual consumer complaints.Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) is an international professional designation offered by the CFA Institute of USA (formerly known as AIMR) to financial analysts who complete a series of three examinations. Candidates must have a bachelor"s degree (or equivalent), be in the final year of their bachelor"s degree program, or have at least four years of qualified, professional work experience in order to take the exams. In order to become a "CFA Charterholder" candidates must pass all three exams, agree to comply with the code of ethics, pay member dues, and have four years of work experience deemed acceptable by the CFA Institute. CFA charterholders are also obligated to adhere to a strict Code of Ethics and Standards governing their professional conductThe Certified Financial Planner (CFP) designation is a certification mark for financial planners conferred by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards in the United States, Financial Planners Standards Council in Canada and 18 other organizations affiliated with Financial Planning Standards Board (FPSB), the international owner of the CFP mark outside of the United States. To receive authorization to use the designation, the candidate must meet education, examination, experience and ethics requirements, and pay an ongoing certification fee.[1]. The information contained herein relates specifically to CFP certification in the United States. For information on CFP certification outside of the United States, please see the FPSB website at http://www.fpsb.org/CMS/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=84&Itemid=110 for a list of affiliate member organizations and their respective websites.The CFP Certification Examination is a 10-hour multiple choice exam, divided into one four-hour session (Friday afternoon) and two three-hour sessions (Saturday). The exam includes three major case problems and is designed to assess the student"s ability to apply his or her knowledge of the aforementioned areas to financial planning situations. The exam was set as a requirement in 1993 and at that time CFPs were grandfathered without having to pass this exam. [5]Individuals holding professional designations pre-approved by the CFP Board (like PhDs in business and economics, attorneys, Certified Public Accountants (CPA), Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), Chartered Accountants (CA), Chartered Wealth Managers (AAFM) ), and Chartered Financial Analysts (CFA) are entitled to register for and take the exam without having to complete the education requirements by using the CFP-board"s challenge status.Project Management Professional is properly expressed as the credential PMP. The credentialing agency is the Project Management Institute ([1] PMI). This credential is obtained by gaining a certification in project management through the completion of PMI certified training and examination. PMP training and examination material comes from the Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge PMBOK published most recently in 2007. Most exam questions reference PMI"s project quality standards documented in the PMBOK. The PMP credential undergoes rigorous validation by ISO, and the PMBOK methodology is widely regarded as the industry standard for Project Management and has been adopted as the single standard for project management by agencies such as NASA.PMP (Project Management Professional) is one of four concentrations offered by PMI in the study of Project Management:1. CAPM Certified Associate in Project Management: This certification is obtained after passing the CAPM Exam2. PMP Project Management Professional: This certification is obtained after passing the PMP Exam3. PgMP Program Management Professional: This certification is obtained after passing the PgMP Exam4. PMI RMP PMI Risk Management Professional: This certification is obtained after passing the PMI-RMP Exam
