The World in 2030: Pressure on Resources and a Completely New Approach to Global Business

New ACCA Report Collates Expert Opinion on What Our World Will Look Like in 20 Years Time

LONDON, July 12, 2010 - The world in 2030 will be a startlingly different place, with a
'flattening' of the economic landscape and a more genuinely global market
place, according to a new report from ACCA (the Association of Chartered
Certified Accountants), in collaboration with the strategic research and
consulting group Lighthouse Global.

The report, Where next for the global economy? A view of the world in
2030 (www.accaglobal.com/af), collates predictions from 15 global
experts in business, economics, and accountancy. Covering areas such as the
future global power, the future of the earth's resources, and the future of
the corporate eco-system, the paper sees the world turned completely on its
head in 2030.

"Distracted by the powerful effects of the global financial crisis,
commentators, politicians, and economists have recently been focusing on the
short term; it's important that the longer term isn't forgotten", says Helen
Brand, ACCA's chief executive.

Ms Brand adds: "In 2030, the world could be facing intense pressure on
resources, a big shift in global power, and a completely different way of
doing global business. These aren't things that we can just deal with when
they crop up. We need to start thinking about tomorrow today.

"As a wide-ranging collection of insights, covering a wide array of
scenarios and possibilities, the report is designed to encourage people to
think about how their actions today will affect the world tomorrow. We're
sharing our panel's ideas and perspectives to provide accountants and
business with new thinking to help them make decision based on the insights
of those at the forefront of debate."

The report looks at the future of: the distribution of global power; the
earth's resources; financial markets; the corporate world; and the future of
government. Among the predictions made by ACCA's panel are the following:

1. Some of today's biggest companies are likely to de-conglomerate by
2030, outsourcing almost all central functions to achieve efficiency.
'Federations of businesses' will be the corporations of tomorrow. Strong
virtual ties will connect increasingly specialist and remote businesses,
located in increasingly specialised regions and cities. Small businesses will
act like shoals of fish, becoming a strong global force in the global
environment.

2. With the world's population growing and with resources heading in the
opposite direction, there could be severe pressure on access to oil, gas, or
water. Food will be limited too, leading to increasing elements of
nationalism in discussions about resources.

3. The world will be made 'flatter' as a result of globalisation. This
could lead to a shift in global influence to the East. The East won't be the
next big thing; it will be the big thing. One of the report's contributors,
Nenad Pacek, the president of Global Success Advisors, says: "The business
world will be astonished by the rise of new companies from emerging markets.
At how powerful they will become. They should not be underestimated in any
way."

The predictions made in the report come from experts including: the
economist Andrew Dilnot, former director of the Institute of Fiscal Studies,
now principal of St Hugh's College Oxford; Chin Kwai Fatt, the managing
director of PwC Malaysia; Loughlin Hickey, KPMG's global head of tax; Tony
Hegarty, chief financial management officer at the World Bank; and Professor
Saul Estrin from the London School of Economics.

Where next for the global economy: a view of the world in 2030 can be
downloaded from ACCA's website: www.accaglobal.com/af

About ACCA

1) ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) is
the global body for professional accountants. We aim to offer
business-relevant, first-choice qualifications to people of application,
ability and ambition around the world who seek a rewarding career in
accountancy, finance and management.

2) We support our 140,000 members and 404,000 students in 170
countries, helping them to develop successful careers in accounting and
business, with the skills required by employers. We work through a
network of over 80 offices and centres and more than 8,000 Approved
Employers worldwide, who provide high standards of employee learning and
development. Through our public interest remit, we promote appropriate
regulation of accounting and conduct relevant research to ensure
accountancy continues to grow in reputation and influence.

3) Founded in 1904, ACCA has consistently held unique core values:
opportunity, diversity, innovation, integrity and accountability. We
believe that accountants bring value to economies in all stages of
development and seek to develop capacity in the profession and encourage
the adoption of global standards. Our values are aligned to the needs of
employers in all sectors and we ensure that through our qualifications,
we prepare accountants for business. We seek to open up the profession to
people of all backgrounds and remove artificial barriers, innovating our
qualifications and delivery to meet the diverse needs of trainee
professionals and their employers.

About Lighthouse Global

Lighthouse Global provides strategic advice and business analysis to the
world's leading financial institutions, professional firms and business
services. Over the last seven years, the firm has built a global client list
which includes Bank of America/Merrill Lynch, JP Morgan, UBS, Credit Suisse,
KPMG, Ernst & Young, Clifford Chance, Freshfields, Baker & McKenzie and the
London Stock Exchange. For more information, visit
www.lighthouseglobal.eu.com.

    For further information, please contact:
    Laura Strong - Ruder Finn - UK
    Junior Account Executive - Corporate and Technology Division
    Direct: +44(0)20-7462-8921
    Mobile: +44(0)7837-943645
    Email: lstrong@ruderfinn.co.uk
    Web: www.ruderfinn.co.uk
    Twitter: @laurastrong1985

For further information, please contact: Laura Strong - Ruder Finn - UK, Junior Account Executive - Corporate and Technology Division, Direct: +44(0)20-7462-8921, Mobile: +44(0)7837-943645, Email: lstrong at ruderfinn.co.uk, Twitter: at laurastrong1985