IRBA Newsletter Issue 52

Issue 52 | October-December 2020 17 EDUCATION & TRANSFORMATION UNLOCKING THE VALUE PROPOSITION OF THE REGISTERED AUDITOR BRAND In 2019, the Education and Transformation (ET) team commenced research activities with stakeholders to understand their experience of the Audit Development Programme (ADP). The objective of this outreach was to identify areas of improvement to the ADP. These areas have been identified and are currently being implemented as part of the ADP Reloaded project. For more information on the proposed changes to the ADP, please refer to IRBA News Issue 50 . One of the themes that emerged during the research was that there is a lack of awareness and understanding of the role of the registered auditor (RA) and the value of their work. This was cited as a potential barrier to talented individuals who are interested in joining the audit profession. These conversations aligned with our experiences when engaging with students, trainees and other stakeholders. Additionally, an analysis of the declining RA register, and the low number of candidates registering on the ADP, supported a deeper exploration of this theme. Consequently, earlier this year the ET team embarked on a project to understand the positioning of the RA brand in South Africa, with the objective of unlocking the value proposition of the brand. The RA brand project comprised the two phases that are detailed in the graphics below. Phase 1: Understanding Our Brand Positioning - STEP 1 STEP 3 UNDERSTAND SOCIETAL SHIFTS Uncovering and making sense of the key social and economic developments in South Africa and their impact on the audit profession. UNDERSTAND OUR PROFESSION Mapping out the genealogy of the auditing profession in South Africa, and exploring its reputation and evolving role in our society today and in the future. UNDERSTAND OUR BRAND Examining our communication style to find our voice within the current cultural context and to better understand how to unlock the value of all role-players in our ecosystem, to create a new narrative. STEP 2 STEP 4 UNDERSTAND OUR YOUNG TALENT Exploring the values of a new generation to understand their expectations of the working environment.