Journey to acquiring ACCA membership and ACCA title behind your name is a rigorous pathway through a set of three levels and 13 papers of ACCA coursework. However, students and educators often forget to mention an additional compulsory global module EPSM – it stands for Ethical & Professional Skills Modules. It is a central paper for completing your ACCA qualifications imparting you with refined ideas of Ethics and professional skill set. The ACCA institution has successfully built 100 year trust amongst employers and stakeholders the moral, ethical and professional skill sets imparted in its graduates.
So, let’s learn about it through this short writing – ACCA Ethical & Professional Skills modules: A Brief Guide.
What and Why Ethical & Professional Skills Modules?
EPSM is a module designed by experts at ACCA body to equip its graduating professionals to impart real world knowledge. Whether you turn out to be a financial consultant or a proficient auditor after your ACCA – governments, employers, public seek valid information, ethically attestable information and easy palatable communication. ACCA needs to learn this vital information as it’s ACCA’s duty to exchange information to stakeholders in a real world communication paradigm and accounting/financial standard set by governments. ACCA is not only about communication buyt acquiring employer and stakeholder accepted skills.
The EPSM module is an online module with the following feature
- Ten Units in total.
- Seven of the Ten Modules are learning units while remaining three units are assessment and support units.
- The module is 15 hours long.
Scope and ACCA EPSM Syllabus Structure
The scope of EPSM is to promote a list of key skills on ethics and professionalism but it considers key real world application skill like – workplace conflict, handling multiple projects, evaluating new finance products, assessing net effects of changes from economic conditions.
The syllabus structure of 15-hour-long Course EPSM is as follows:
| Syllabus Unit | Name of Syllabus |
| UNiT ONE | ETHICS & PROFESSIONALISM |
| UNIT TWO | PERSONAL EFFECTIVENESS |
| UNIT THREE | COMMUNICATION & iNTERPERSONAL SKILLS |
| UNIT FOUR | COMMERCIAL AWARENESS |
| UNIT FIVE | LEADERSHIP & TEAM WORKING |
| UNIT SIX | INNOVATION & SCEPTICISM |
| UNIT SEVEN | DATA ANALYTICS |
| UNIT EIGHT | INTEGRATED CASE STUDY |
| UNIT NINE | STRATEGIC PROFESSIONAL SUPPORT |
| UNIT TEN | FINAL ASSESSMENT |
The syllabus units and their scope of objectives for students to learn are:
| Name of Syllabus | Scope of Objectives |
| ETHICS & PROFESSIONALISM | Foundations of accounting ethics in the profession. |
| PERSONAL EFFECTIVENESS | Development of critical thinking, self and time management, situational adaptability. |
| COMMUNICATION & iNTERPERSONAL SKILLS | Improvement of verbal and written communication with varied stakeholders alongside relationship building skills. |
| COMMERCIAL AWARENESS | Assessing business trends, environment in conjunction with reporting the information |
| LEADERSHIP & TEAM WORKING | Development of leadership character and ability to delegate team effectively. |
| INNOVATION & SCEPTICISM | A core focus on developing critical thinking, innovation and skepticism on reports along with new finance/account products |
| DATA ANALYTICS | Data analysis for ethical considerations and critical-decision making. |
| INTEGRATED CASE STUDY | A practical real world example case for application of all the units combined to derive a solution. |
| STRATEGIC PROFESSIONAL SUPPORT | A supporting unit targeted to aid SBL paper. |
| FINAL ASSESSMENT | A test assessment focused on judging acquisition of all the knowledges and skills gained in the entire EPSM. |
End words and Quick Tips on EPSM exam
ACCA Ethical & Professional Skill Module is an important setting stone for a successful career in the industry. The real world practical application scenarios in the module prepare a student for an effective working capacity, ethical capabilities and quick decision making. Follow these quick tips for success in the subject.
- Make use of online portal effectively and track progress every day.
- Note down important points as notes before moving to a new unit.
- Consider practicing ethics case study every day.
- Complete all units prior to the final assessment attempt.
- Prepare thoroughly and take a mock exam under your teachers and guides at Seed Financial to attempt all questions within a 2 hour time constraint during examination day.
