Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Ethical values in accounting
Importance of confidentiality to a client
Ethics issues in accountancy profession
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Ethical values in accounting
New York State Accounting Code of Ethics
Introduction
The accounting system is constantly changing. During these changes, it is important for accountants to adhere to the high ethical standards that they have always lived by. Adhering to the high ethical standards is an accountant?s obligation to the public, the profession, and themselves. An accountant?s ethical conduct usually lies within four different areas. This includes competence, confidentiality, integrity, and objectivity. NYSSCPA.ORG states, ?Members also have a continuing responsibility to cooperate with each other to improve the art of accounting, maintain the public?s confidence, and carry out the professions special responsibilities for self-governance,? (Article 1).
New York State expects its accountants to act in a way that will serve the public interest. The public includes clients, credit grantors, governments, employers, investors, the business and financial community, and any other person that relies on the information provided by the accountant. It is the accountant?s responsibility to maintain an appropriate level of professional competence through continuing education of their knowledge and skills. New York State also expects its accountants to perform their duties in accordance with relevant laws and regulations, as well as providing clear and complete reports.
It is important for accountants to maintain their integrity. Often times, accountants are faced with situations that are questionable. It is important for the accountant to avoid situations of apparent conflicts of interest and to advise other public interests of these conflicts. Accountants should refuse gifts and favors
that would appear to influence their actions and should refrain from any activities that would prejudice their ability to perform their duties ethically. NYSSCPA.ORG states, ?Integrity requires a member to be, among other things, honest and candid within the constraints of client confidentiality,? (Article 3). Accountants must be willing to recognize and communicate professional limitations that would preclude successful performance of their activities. They are expected to communicate unfavorable as well as favorable information.
Client Confidentiality
Client confidentiality is very important in the accounting profession. New York State requires that accountants do not share any client information without the specific consent of the client. However, under certain circumstances, the State finds it necessary that an accountant might have to share client information. Examples of these circumstances include an accountant?s receipt of a subpoena or summons or an accountants participation in actual or threatened legal proceedings or alternative dispute resolution proceedings (NYSSCPA.
In addition, by deciding not to inform the limited partners of Ed’s deceit, Andrea would be disregarding the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants Code of Professional Conduct in her being unreliable, dishonest and deceitful. Andrea has the responsibility of protecting her client, which involves encouraging the correction of financial statements in order to prevent suspicion during audits that could lead to fines and imprisonment.
Ethics plays a vital role in developing accurate and high quality financial statements for management, financial institutions, and investors. As management utilizes financial statements to make decisions regarding the operations of the business, it is necessary to review accurate financial statements to make strategic decisions about the future of the organization. Investors and financial institutions require accurate financial statements to make informed decisions upon whether to invest funds into the organization or the wisdom of lending funds to said organization.
Besides, a CFO is responsible for providing investors with an accurate reporting. On the other hand, ethical responsibilities of the professional accountant is essentially important. As a CPA, they must take all the facts into consideration that which action are
The AICPA defines the public interest as “clients, credit grantors, governments, employers, investigators, the business and financial community, and others who rely on the objectivity and integrity of CPAs to maintain the orderly function of commerce.” (Mintz, p. 19) Taxpayer dollars fund the Lone Star School District. Therefore, the auditors have a duty to protect the public interest in this
First, the Code of Professional Conduct encourages accountants to behave ethically. Encouraging accountants to behavior ethically is a strength because it helps create customer loyalty, positive work environments, and dedicated employees, which helps avoids legal issues. Accounting professionals have to behave ethically just because of the profession they are in. Accountants need to behave ethically because the investors, creditors, and rest of the public rely on an accountant’s professional judgment to make
What does ethics have to do with accounting? Everything, since there have been some recent financial accounting scandals; a few examples being Xerox, WorldCom, Enron, which have generated much unwanted and unfavorable publicity for CPA's, including those working as controllers or chief financial officers for organizations.
The AICPA Code of Professional Conduct defines independence as consisting of independence of mind and independence in appearance. According to the AICPA Code of Conduct, Section 55 Article IV, An accountant member should maintain objectivity and be free of conflicts of interest in discharging professional responsibilities. Moreover, a member who practices their accounting work in a public firm should be independent in fact and appearance when providing auditing and other attestation services (aicpa.org). According to the case study What Lies Beneath, I think that Betty did not show her professional skepticism since she built trust on her client, which she could not have as an auditor. As an auditor,
American Express Tax & Business Services, a subsidiary of the American Express Corporation acquired CPA practices all over the United States. This practice by a non-CPA firm can encourage its employees not to serve the public interest as the firm is not subjected to as many regulations as a CPA firm would be. A financial firm providing accounting services poses a conflict of interest for its CPA employees. For example, the CPA provides accounting services along with financial services like insurance sales. The CPA would be endorsing the insurance products of the company which can affect the CPA’s objectivity with respect to the product being offered to third-parties (Ponemon, 1996). The scope and nature of the services performed influence the accountant to great lengths.
,dishonesty ,substance abuse and absenteeism. Would all play a part in the ethical violation of
This Code also contains guidelines to assist employees and directors in acting and making decisions on behalf of Knox consistent with these standards and avoiding conflicts of interests. No guidelines can be all-inclusive, however, responsibility for proper conduct rests with each Employee and Director. If you are faced with making a difficult decision or have questions about the applicability of the Code, you are encouraged to discuss the matter with your supervisor.
I strive to embody integrity in everything that I strive to do. This means that each and every one of my actions must encompass and demonstrate the values I possess, no matter what the context of the situation. Additionally adhere to high moral principles and professional standards put forth by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Secondly, I believe that it is important to be honest and respectful. I desire to express truth in every written and spoken word. Presenting information in a fair and impartial way when it comes to performing accounting duties is necessary in a profession that serves the public interest. I believe that being respectful means showing consideration and thoughtfulness in my relationships with my fellow those that I come into contact with. This goes hand in hand in treating everyone from fami...
The Code of Ethics for professional accountants includes set of the rules and guidelines Mostly code of ethics can contain set of ideal professional conduct and acceptable behaviour as well as define unacceptable behaviour []. Main advantage of he code is that accountants can emphasis on the positive attitude and activities that may encourage an effective...
In 1887, the American Association of Public Accountants was formed with the first standardized tests coming out about a decade later (Zeff, 2003, pg. 2). In 1896, New York State passed the first law for Certified Public Accountants (CPA), which Zeff (2003) “marked the beginning of an accredited profession of accounting in the United States” (pg 2). In Canada, the first association began in 1902 with the Dominion Association of Chartered Accountants (Buckstein, part 1 pg 2). Buckstein quoted John L. Carey, the author of a paper outlining the history of the accounting profession worldwide stated “the reason for creating a full-fledged professional organization was to distinguish skilled accountants of integrity from self-styled accountants whose competence had not been demonstrated” (pg. 2) As Zeff (2003) stated with the passage of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 all publicly traded companies were now required to have their financials audited by independent CPA’s (pg. 4). This showcased the importance of having skilled and knowledgeable individuals produce verifiable and accurate information that the public (in all its forms) could rely upon. The combination of having professional accounting bodies and government legislations have attempted to establish
As a law enforcement officer, my fundamental duty is to serve mankind; to safeguard lives and property; to protect the innocent against deception, the weak against oppression or intimidation, and the peaceful against violence or disorder; and to respect the constitutional rights of all men to liberty, equality and justice.
An accountant makes sure that the Nation’s firms are run efficiently, the public records are kept accurately, and that taxes are paid properly and on time (“Accountants and Auditors”). Accounting is the study of how a business tracks their income, assets, expenses, and many other things for a period of time. They also do many other things like quality management, tax strategy, and health care benefits management (“Welcome to Careers in Accounting”). An accountant is crucial to the success of a business, without one the business tends to fail.