This essay will discuss the following main statement; the adoption of a proposed new look Code of Ethics, based on the international Federation Accountants’ code, will ensure that New Zealand Charted Accountants meet their ethical responsibilities. Within this essay an adverse position will be taken towards the previous statement. The international Federation of Accountants (IFAC) states that, professional standards and the code of ethics form important benchmarks that should be met by practicing accountants. Accountants should understand and apply them when conducting any type of work (Pickett 2005). The New Zealand Institute of Charted Accountants (NZICA) is a member of IFAC, as part of its member obligations NZICA has to apply the same standards as IFAC (nzica) . This is how the previous statement arises, due to IFAC recently going through a major revision of the code in the area of independence. (nzica) .This essay will appoint different issues and concerns about adopting a new code of ethics and how this change will actually affect the society. Such points are; personal moral judgment, ethical education being a factor of ethical responsibilities and unclear types of enforcement and points of the Code of Ethics.
“Good ethics, whether at work or home, demands self-knowledge, Whereas some groups want to see ethics as a skill or a particular part of organizational transformation, practising good ethics ultimately comes down to you and how you make decisions.”(6). Moral judgment is unique to any individual, adjustments to the NZICA Code of Ethics will not provide a higher rate of success in ethical decisions by professional accountants this is stated in certain studies .Such studies show that moral judgment is not affected ju...
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...de of Ethics show the problem is far more extensive than just a few overlook of the previous code. To ensure that New Zealand Charted Accountants act ethically there is need of bigger changes.
Ultimately , this essay discussed why the statement; the adoption of a proposed new look Code of Ethics, based on the international Federation Accountants’ code, will ensure that New Zealand Charted Accountants meet their ethical responsibilities, is not essentially right. Throughout the essay with the aid of journal articles, books and other resources a point of agreement that the previous statement is not correct has been achieved. Three different points were arise, personal moral judgment, ethical education being a factor of ethical responsibilities and unclear types of enforcement and points of the Code of Ethics to prove that the previous statement was not correct.
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.
With every business activity come opportunities for fraudulent behavior which leads to a greater demand for auditors with unscathed ethics. Nowadays, auditors are faced with a multitude of ethical issues, and it is even more problematic when the auditors fail to adhere to the standards of professional conducts as prescribed by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). The objective of this paper is to analyze the auditors’ compliance with the code of professional conduct in the way it relates to the effectiveness of their audits.
This organization has been setting ethical standards and publishing the Code of Professional Conduct for the profession since the early 1900s. A Code of Professional Conduct is necessary for any profession to help maintain strict ethical standards. This organization is the basis of ethical reasoning in the accounting profession because of what the Code of Professional Conduct covers. The code is comprised of a preamble and six articles. The preamble and the six articles serve as a foundation to provide guidance and guidelines for accountants to overcome any emerging ethical issues with ease on a daily basis. The six articles’ purpose is to protect the public, investors, and creditors. The AICPA Code of Professional Conduct consists of: Responsibility, Public Interest, Integrity, Objectivity and Independence, Due Care, and Scope and Nature of
Benevolence instructs the accountant to serve in the best interest of the public. It is described as the extent to which a trusty will want to do good to the trustor aside from an egocentric profit motive (Power Point Presentation 7, n.d.). From a utilitarian perspective, some actions may not be deemed worth the effort when there is a lack of profit to be obtained from the action. The AICPA Code of Professional Conduct is set up to establish professional norms and standards that discourages this type of behavior.
Incorporating ethics into everyday decisions in the business world can greatly reduce the scandalous behavior that has as of late has run ramped. Obviously, we have seen the results and consequences of business conducted absent any moral or ethical boundaries. When decisions are made without the consultation of ethics there is no direction from the moral compass and surely consequences will follow. Choices contemplated by managers may often seem difficult, but assessing the options against ethics can assist the manager in making the best decision.
While this is an ambiguous subject, wracked with speculation and ambivalence, it is an appealing topic of study. A curious facet of the ethical dilemma is that it transcends various fields of interest. The ethics issue is scrutinized by philosophers and psychologists, but this theme is frequently introduced in other curricula. Accounting, for example, has its own set of ethical mandates. Moreover, nearly every profession is impacted by a generally accepted code of ethics – doctors, lawyers, contractors, and the list goes on! In fact, almost every day an individual is confronted with a moral decision.
Brooks, Leonard J. Business & Professional Ethics for Directors, Executives, & Accountants. Mason: Thompson South-Western, 2004. p227.
Seawell, Buie 2010, ‘The Content and Practice of Business Ethics’, Good Business, pp. 2-18, viewed 22 October 2013, .
SAICA has a long and comprehensive code of ethics which is regularly updated by their own ethics committee (SAICA Ethics Commitee, 2014). Every Chartered Accountant that belongs to SAICA is bound by this code of ethics, it is effective in maintaining the professional status in South Africa because only one body is responsible for the code that all members are bound by. Therefore it creates unity of command within the profession and ensures all members follow this code (SAICA Ethics Commitee, 2014). Chartered Accountants who perform auditing work are also legally bound by the Auditing Profession Act 26 of 2005, if they do not comply with this legislation they may face legal action. This is important as members of this profession have a legal obligation to be professional. The way in which the public may see who is bound by these codes will be explored in the next
Romal, Jane B., and Hibschweiler, Arlene M. "Improving Professionals Ethics: Steps for Implementing Change." The CPA Journal (2004). Retrieved on 16 September 2006 .
Ethics is commonly taught in all accounting courses in higher education and continues to be taught by companies when training accountants and auditors. With so many different accounting services now provided by accounting firms they have a duty to have ethical standards. In recent years fraud resulting from accounting
In 2005 Dellaportas et al. (p.xvii) identified that accountants and other business professionals are often criticised for lacking the ethical sensitivity to recognise ethical dilemmas when they arise. They said that these professionals focused too much on the technical issues and overlooked the moral dimension. Dellaportas et al. concluded that it is critical for students to be sensitive to the moral components of seemingly technical questions. There are many ethical theories that students can be taught to help them recognise and resolve ethical issues. This essay will focus on virtue ethics, deontological ethics and how these can help students in their professional career.
Described by Sullivan, S (n.d.), code of ethics “generally refers to a set of behavioral rules employees should follow to ensure the company’s values are reflected in all the business dealings.” Bearing this in mind, the National Bank of Dominica (NBD) Ltd is guided by a “code of conduct policy” which contains details on the general standards of ethics, conduct and behavior that staff must comply with and maintain as part of their employment condition or appointment. This guideline applies to all employees or staff across all levels. The bank’s code of ethics promotes honesty, integrity and ethical conduct, compliance with regulators/ government rules and regulations and required disclosure.
The remainder of this paper will address the findings of a study outlined in the noted case. It includes a discussion of the restrictions placed on the accounting profession and whether these restrictions eliminate any ethical concerns. This is followed by an examination of h...
As per ISA (NZ) 200-A17, this ethical requirement includes the auditors integrity, objectivity, professional competence and due care, confidentiality, & professional behaviour. Integrity is an ethical attitude which includes the auditor’s honesty, accuracy, and fair practice. Objectivity is a mental attitude while carrying out the audit wherein the auditor is fair and just with all his/her work. Professional competence is the knowledge and skill of the auditor, gained through education, training and experience, while due care is a degree of care of an auditor on certain situations wherein an he/she must act diligently. Confidentiality is the commitment of the auditor not to disclose any information regarding his/her client, unless required by law. Professional behaviour means the auditor must act in accordance to the law and set of standard as a manifestation of respect to the