Marketers and Accountants in hot debate

The Simon Page Business School (SPBS), an International Business School in Ghana, held a corporate debate for business and corporate executives in Accra.

The debate, the first of its kind in the country brought together business executives, corporate manager, entrepreneurs from the financial sector and the academia to brainstorm and share ideas on current global business trends and was on the theme: “Battling Business Brains”.

Speaking on the motion:” Shareholder Values, Who Contributes More”, two groups of debaters, were made up of a team of two Chartered Accountants, and a team of two Chartered Marketing Professionals.

The first debater, Mawuli Ben Forson, a Chartered Accountant, in his submission described marketing professionals as a bunch of spenders whose objective is to safeguard the parochial interest of marketers.

He argued that the cardinal objective of the Chartered Accountant is to protect and safeguard the interest of the shareholder.

Solomon Adu Ettiful, a Business Development Manager, who was the first marketing speaker, rebutted the argument of his opponent in his submission and said the underlining factor of marketing is for profitability.

He said marketers do rigorous research, create products and think about what is happening in the environment and to the customer. He reiterated the role of the marketer is to help shareholders to maximize interest on their investments.

Charles Bentsil, a Chartered Accountant, who was the second speaker, also disproved marketers’ slogan “Image is Everything” as “image is not everything”. He argued that shareholder value is not attracted by billboards but in the financial performance of an organization which is the core function of the accountant.

He said marketers are best in increasing turn over and creating debt, but accountants provide information to investors to invest and maximize output and not marketers.

Mr. Bentsil said it is important for shareholders to be updated with performance of an organisation .This he said helps shareholders to know the state of their investments, adding that the accountant helps the shareholder to maximize the share of shareholders.

Mawuli Ocloo, the second marketing speaker, argued that marketers design to reposition companies to grow. He intimated that it is the function of marketers to revive dying companies through rebranding and not accountants.

The Chartered Accountant debaters were declared winners with 172 points as against 160 for Chartered Marketers at the end of the keenly contested debate.

Princewill Omoroginwa, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Simon Page Business School, organizers of the debate, said subsequent corporate debates will be organized by the school to bring business and corporate executives together to share ideas on global business trends.