Verified Document

Ethics In Accounting Issues In Financial Accounting Essay

Ethics in Accounting Issues in Financial Accounting for Businesses

The most important purpose of financial accounting for businesses is to represent the company and its assets as accurately as possible. This is important for the businesses to be able to have better control of their finances, for forecasting, and for many other purposes. Financial accounting is important for stakeholders so that they can understand the risks and possible future returns of their investment. Customers also demand to have accurate information about the company so that they can decide if there are a company with whom they wish to do business. Many different entities depend on the accuracy of financial accounting to make decisions about the business. This research will discuss key ethical, legal, and technological concerns that have arisen regarding financial accounting for businesses.

Business Ethics Today

Providing an accurate and honest representation of the company is the only concern of the accountant. Many entities depend on the accuracy and dependability of their data. Faulty data needs to faulty decisions and if the error was intentional in order to produce a certain image, the data can be a source of mistrust. It is important for accountants to maintain the trust of the entities for whom they work, stakeholders, and also to maintain public trust. Inaccuracy in accounting statements harms the overall image of the company. The company must be able to trust the integrity of the data that is presented by its accountants.

The highly publicized Enron case, which led to the conviction of its executives, changed the decision-making behavior of management, and created a major shift in what is considered ethical behavior within corporations (Bolt-Lee, 2010). According to the author of the study, the Enron case created a sense of heightened awareness of ethical issues regarding accounting.

In response to the Enron case, many companies developed their own ethics training programs. However, the results of...

In a recent study, the least effective programs were found to be those that utilize coercive control mechanisms and focus on punitive measures for enforcement. These programs dictate ethical behavior, but they do not develop employees skills in addressing issues that arise in ambiguous situations (Bolt-Lee, 2010). The problem lies in differences in individual judgment.
Everyone agrees that it is wrong to lie about the numbers in the financial report. However, not every situation fits neatly into what is considered legal in the accounting profession. For instance, valuation of assets is one of the areas where accountants must often use their own judgment in regards to how they are reported. This is one of the most difficult areas in the development of standard ethical practices among financial accounts. Another similar area is how to report intangible assets. Many times the core issues are more of a matter of differences in judgment. This makes resolving ethical issues in financial accounting for businesses difficult.

Rebuiling Trust After Enron

After Enron, businesses needed to rebuild the trust of the public, their stake holders, and others along their supply chain. National and international governments, along with the assistance of major corporations, instituted programs and adopted new laws to ensure higher standards within the field of accounting. The need for tighter control and standardization in the accounting profession led to the development of many new technologies to help achieve these goals. One of the greatest changes in the accounting profession is transparency. Auditing standards were tightened and accountants are held to higher levels of accountability than they were in the past.

Technological and legal changes were designed to rebuild trust in the accounting profession. Organizations as well as institutes of higher learning emphasize moral decision making as much as they emphasize accounting principles. Standards for accounting are tighter and…

Sources used in this document:
References

Bolt-Lee, C. (2010, October). Highlights of Finance and Accounting Ethics Research. Journal of Accountancy. Retrieved from http://www.journalofaccountancy.com/Issues/2010/Oct/20102896.htm

Pava, M. (2010). Teaching Accounting Ethics: A Thought Experiment. Yeshiva University,

NYC, NY. Spring 2010. Retrieved from http://raw.rutgers.edu/docs/seminars/MosesPavaPaper.pdf
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Accounting Ethics of Accounting There Have Been
Words: 1532 Length: 4 Document Type: Essay

Accounting Ethics Ethics of Accounting There have been breaches in the ethics of accounting in recent times. With that in mind, evaluate whether or not the current trend in the regulation of business establishments is favorable to ethical behavior. Supply supportive evidence to your answers (Jeter, 2003). The generally accepted principles of accounting and the standards of auditing in contemporary practice stipulate that the financial statements of any establishment should contain the following

Financial Scandals and Management Financial Management Financial
Words: 3120 Length: 11 Document Type: Essay

Financial Scandals and Management Financial Management Management Financial Actions, Controls, and Decisions Financial Scandals and Management Following the rise of financial scandals in the recent past, external and internal audits are carried out to review the management's financial controls and actions, and keep tab of the outside and internal auditors. However, despite the best efforts, accounting scandals like the Cendant Corporation's $300 million bogus revenue indicate that external auditors and managers are not doing

Ethics the Employee Is Faced With Ethical
Words: 2667 Length: 8 Document Type: Essay

Ethics The employee is faced with ethical requirements throughout their workday that must be met with knowledge and a trained attitude. Workplace ethics is one of the most crucial elements whether the person involved in an ethical dilemma is a high-level manager or an entry-level employee. An ethical stance is important because it is what guides the interactions that the employees will have with each other, their management, and the customers

Ethics in Business
Words: 1251 Length: 4 Document Type: Term Paper

Business Ethics The issue of business ethics has been front and center for over a decade, following on the heels of the accounting scandals that led to the passage of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. That those scandals came in such rapid succession and occurred in such large companies shocked the financial world out of its complacency with respect to ethics. But the issue of business ethics has been around longer than that --

Accounting Ethics: The Enron Scandal
Words: 1286 Length: 4 Document Type: Research Paper

Loyalty to the client was clearly placed above loyalty to the overall public good and the standards of the profession. "Enron paid Andersen $25 million for its audit…and $27 million for 'consulting' and other services" which meant that Anderson had a substantial financial stake in retaining Enron as a client (Kadlec 2002). The Enron case illustrates the difficulty of self-policing within the industry. Today, providing additional services besides the

Ethics and Regulatory Issues Related Party Transactions
Words: 1867 Length: 7 Document Type: Essay

Ethics and Regulatory Issues Related party transactions reported on by Arthur Andersen & Co. Flaw in the accounting firm's logic Checklist for special projects performed by external auditors Checklist Proposed rules or laws to prevent similar occurrences Enron was one of the Wall Street's favorite blue chip stocks before an accounting scandal of the firm surfaced in 2000. The revelation that company has been misreporting its profits and losses during 1990s crashed the company's stock. The

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now