A Higher Standard of Ethics
Not everyone wants to become a Certified Management Accountant because it pays better or might open doors to senior positions. Some people, like Kazuhiko Enokido of Japan, become CMAs because they believe in doing what’s right.
Meet Kazuhiko Enokido
Kazuhiko lives in Tokyo and worked as software engineer before switching his focus to accounting. He currently works for a company focused on Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP).
After starting his new career, Kazuhiko realized he needed a deeper understanding of management accounting to make better decisions and maintain ethical client relationships.
At the same time, many cases of unethical business behavior came to light, both within his industry and throughout Japan. Because of this, Kazuhiko decided he wanted to ensure he stood for and practiced ethical behavior in his professional work.
Why CMA Certification?
For Kazuhiko, earning his CMA certification was an obvious choice once he read through the IMA’s Statement of Ethical Professional Practice.
He wanted to adhere to this standard of ethics to better serve his customers and stand out professionally. Having a network of peers within the IMA to consult when he encounter ethical conflicts was also attractive.
“Moreover, I can seek out advice from IMA counselors when faced with unethical activity.”
— Kazuhiko Enokido
Focusing On Learning Outcome Statements
When it came to studying for the CMA Exam, Kazuhiko was most concerned with understanding and mastering the IMA’s Learning Outcome Statements (LOS) and being able to practice multiple-choice questions (MCQ).
He chose UWorld CMA Review to help him prepare because its the official prep materials of the IMA and closely aligned with all the LOS.
“First, I did practice question in simulation mode many times,” says Kazuhiko. “If I got a wrong answer, I did the question repeatedly and thoughtfully to reaching correct answers.”
His Plan To Pass: Focus & Time Management
Kazuhiko says the most important part of preparing for the CMA Exam is to have the determination and “confidence to pass on the first attempt.”
He put his focus on learning the fundamental concepts (the LOS) and, secondly, on completing question drills.
Kazuhiko knew good time management would be key to passing. Because English is not his first language, his wanted to give himself plenty of time to complete the essay questions. So, he planned to halt his work on the MCQ section at two hours and 50 minutes and devote a full hour and 10 minutes to his essay answers.
The strategy worked perfectly and Kazuhiko passed both parts of the CMA Exam on his first try.
“Silence Is Not Golden”
Now as a full-fledged CMA, Kazuhiko strives to always be professional and ethical in his business duties.
As he says, he knows that “silence is not golden” in today’s business environment and he is committed to upholding the ethical standards of the IMA.