Exclusive discount prices on wine! Exploring the semiology of the relationship between CIMA and its members

This paper briefly charts the development of accounting during the Industrial Revolution and shows a mirroring of the development of the UK professional accounting bodies. This is used as a platform to consider the efforts made by one of these bodies, CIMA (in its current manifestation) to demarcate territory and establish its position alongside other professional bodies. The main argument of the paper, however, uses a semiotic analysis to consider the actions of CIMA in the present time. In doing so it argues that the employees of the institute are ignoring the needs of the members in their following of a cult of celebrity. The result, it is argued, is that the institute is in danger of losing its professional reputation – so long fought for – through a process of internally led deprofessionalisation.