Professional accountancy bodies have long been advocating that in order to become a member of that profession, specific skills should be acquired. Table 1 summarises the skills requirements of the following professional accountancy bodies: the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia (ICAA), the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants (CICA), the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants (NZICA) and the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA)