Chapter 12 Flashcards
Ethics
principles of conduct that
- individuals use in making choices
- guide individuals behavior in situations involving the concepts of right and wrong
(change over time)
Can college students learn ethics?
can teach the rules but not change long-term behavior
Is it ethical to implement a production process that is legal, but produces more pollution than a more expensive production process?
No?
Is an industry accountant more likely to get promoted by consistently applying stringent accountant standards or by bending accounting standards on occasion to meet earnings targets?
more likely to get promoted if bend the rules
Are ethical considerations different for industry accountants than for other employees?
Yes. Accountants have responsibilities to external regulations
Does an individual accountant change his perception of ethics over time?
Yes. Age and experience have an effect. A more experienced accountant will be more likely to to fudge numbers
- numb, buy into it
- understand that the consequences are not as harsh
- in beginning, ACs are worried about breaking rules
Does an individual’s profession influence his ethical reasoning?
Yes. An accountant is more likely to think that a questionable accounting situation is ethical than a doctor or a lawyer.
Ethical Issues in Business
- equity (executive compensation, product prices)
- rights (due process, harassment, equal opportunity)
- honesty (accurate financial reporting, misleading advertising)
- exercise of corporate power (workplace safety, environmental issues, downsizing)
SOX and Ethics
- firms must disclose whether it has a code of ethics
Components of a Code of Ethics
- how conflicts of interest are handled
- require full and fair disclosure
- require legal compliance
- mechanism for reporting code violations
- disciplinary actions for code violations
Fraud and Accountants: Definition
Must meet the following conditions
- false representation or non-disclosure
- the deception must be material in inducing someone to act
- there must be an intent to deceive
- injury or loss must have occurred
- injured party must have relied on the deception
Fraud and Accountants: 2 Types of Fraud
- employee fraud (steal assets, misappropriation of assets)
- management fraud (more dangerous - high level managers can avoid controls; can involve fraudulent financial reporting; misappropriation of assets can be larger in magnitude, involve complex transactions, and work with related third parties)
The Fraud Triangle
- situational pressure (incentive) - stress that induces a dishonest act (financial problems)
- opportunity - access to assets possibly combined with poor controls
- ethics (rationalization) - a person’s moral character
Fraud and Accountants: Red Flags
- employee with high debt, gambling problems, drug or alcohol problems
- employee living beyond means
- employee with questionable ethics
- employee closely tied to suppliers
- company in a poor performing industry
- company using several banks
- high employee turnover
- one or two people control the company
Relationship to Fraud: Employee Position, Number of Perpetrators, Education Level
- higher level employees commit the least % of fraud but at the highest average loss
- more than one perpetrator leads to greater loss
- higher education level leads to higher average loss (because higher level employee)