Improving Ethical Attitudes or Simply Teaching Ethical Codes? The Reality of Accounting Ethics Education

ABSTRACT

Ethical instruction is critical in accounting education. However, does accounting ethics teaching actually instil core ethical values or simply catalogue how students should act when confronted with typical accounting ethical dilemmas? This study extends current literature by distinguishing between moral/ethical and legal/ethical matters and then re-evaluating the effectiveness of ethics training. A cohort of final-year accounting students with significant ethical training evaluated ethical scenarios. Half were moral (non-legal) and half contained legal as well as moral components. After further ethical instruction they re-evaluated the scenarios. Ethical attitudes towards legal/moral issues improved, but attitudes towards moral-only issues did not. This questions previous studies which purport to demonstrate the effectiveness of ethical instruction and queries the benefits of accounting ethics education. Are fundamental ethical principles being ignored in an effort to prevent more obvious accounting wrongdoings? Accounting ethics training needs to be reassessed if true ethical improvement is to be achieved.     

A rejoinder to commentaries on “Why DCF capital budgeting is bad for business and why business schools should stop teaching it”

This paper examines the effects of exposing accounting graduate students to professional ethics. First, a method of instruction that encourages students to consider the ethical implications of business decisions was developed. This instruction included exposure to Kohlberg's theory of moral development, study of professional codes of ethics, and extensive use of written and video ethics cases. Next, instructional effectiveness was assessed through a pre-post-test with control group design. An accounting-specific test instrument was developed and validated. This instrument contains decision scenarios designed to elicit and identify students' stages of ethical reasoning, Test results revealed that students receiving ethics instruction demonstrated gains in ethical reasoning within the decision context. Appropriately designed ethics modules can thus foster consisitent consideration of ethical issues in decision making.     

Challenges faced by accountancy education during and beyond the years of transition—some Hong Kong evidence

The sovereignty of Hong Kong (HK) was returned to China on 1 July l997 and HK has become a Special Administrative Region of China under the principle of “one country, two systems”. In order to evaluate the impact of the “l997” issue on accountancy education in HK, the Department of Accountancy of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University was chosen as a case study. This paper discusses the accounting reforms taking place in China, the political factor of “1997”, and their corresponding impacts on accountancy education in HK. This discussion is followed by assessing the challenges faced and the responses made by the Department of Accountancy of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University in order adapt to the challenges.     

Developing Learning Objectives for Accounting Ethics Using Bloom's Taxonomy

The purpose of our article is to offer a set of core knowledge learning objectives for accounting ethics education. Using Bloom's taxonomy of educational objectives, we develop learning objectives in six content areas: codes of ethical conduct, corporate governance, the accounting profession, moral development, classical ethics theories, and decision models. We believe that defining core knowledge is important for two reasons. First, many accounting educators continue to debate whether ethics can be taught, apparently unaware that a common body of ethics knowledge exists. This knowledge needs to be imparted before higher-level classroom discussions can ensue. Second, we believe agreement on learning objectives is necessary for the development of meaningful assessment tools. Students should be able to demonstrate ethics knowledge, and accounting educators should be held accountable for whether or not students are learning.     

市场经济条件下会计职业道德建设探究

会计职业道德是会计从业人员在会计工作时应遵循的职业行为准则和规范,是社会诚信体系的重要组成部分.随着经济社会的不断发展,会计职业道德将面临严峻的考验,一些会计人员职业道德观念淡薄甚至职业道德沦丧,加强会计职业道德建设就显得尤为重要.本文从当前会计职业道德建设的必要性、存在的问题人手,阐述在市场经济条件下会计职业道德建设的意义及提高会计职业道德建设的对策.     

THE THREAT OF ETHICAL ACCOUNTANTS: AN APPLICATION OF FOUCAULT'S CONCEPT OF ETHICS TO ACCOUNTING EDUCATION AND SOME THOUGHTS ON ETHICALLY EDUCATING FOR THE OTHER

There are an increasing number of papers within the accounting literature which are concerned with the relationship between accounting education and the ethics of accountants (see, e.g. Gray, 1994). This paper attempts to contribute to this literature. It draws on the work of Michel Foucault to argue that ethical accountants may pose just as great a threat to society as unethical ones. The paper initially explains Foucault's work on power/knowledge and delineates his novel perspective on how power may operate through an individuals sense of moral identity. It is argued that the way accountancy is taught may predispose accountants to discipline themselves in such a way that they behave in a manner which serves the interests of capitalism and subjugates opposition to it. However, the paper also draws on Foucault's notion of resistance to explain how accounting education might be able to produce students who could represent a threat to this hegemony.     

Desired attributes of public accounting firms in the job selection process: an empirical examination of accounting graduates' perceptions

The purpose of this study is to identify attributes of public accounting firms that accounting graduates find most desirable in their job selection decisions, and the impacts of individual differences on these perceptions. Factor analysis performed on the responses of 167 final-year accounting students in Hong Kong to a 30-item questionnaire identified seven factors. The results indicate that accounting graduates considered help in finishing their professional accounting examinations and good staff relationships as the most important criteria in their choice of employers. In addition, female accounting graduates were more concerned about the possibility of being required to travel or be transferred, but were less concerned about the reputation and profile (such as the client base and the size) of the firms than their male counterparts. Accounting graduates with a higher grade point average (GPA) were less concerned about the working environment, but more concerned about a firms' reputation and profile than those with a lower GPA. The implications of these results are discussed.     

内地与香港实现职业道德守则等效

2011年11月7日,中国注册会计师协会与香港会计师公会在北京签署职业道德守则等效联合声明,确认内地职业道德守则与香港职业道德守则实现等效。财政部副部长、中国注册会计师协     

Student career aspirations and perceptions: The case of Israeli accounting students

The study investigates changes in Israeli accounting students' career aspirations during their course of studies, and the relationship between these and their perceptions of professional accountancy firms. We employed a cross-sectional analysis of students across consecutive educational levels from the first year to the end of their formal education. We assumed that revealed differences between the accounting student cohorts, in terms of their perceptions of professional accountancy firms and their career aspirations, could be interpreted as reflecting changes over time in students' attitudes. Results from the sample show that accounting student' aspirations to pursue a career with a professional accountancy firm decline significantly between the first and postgraduate years, while their desire to work in the business sector increases. The results show the same trend with regard to the student's positive perceptions of the above firms as future workplaces. Non-parametric tests demonstrate significant relationships between students' career aspirations and their perceptions of professional accountancy firms. We suggest that the change in students' perceptions and aspirations is a symptom of something similar to a ‘reality shock’, and that it results from the students' exposure to the accounting profession. Professional accountancy firms need to implement innovative policies to meet the challenge.     

Women accountants: Is the grass greener outside the profession?

Studies of professional accountancy firms have indicated a complex process of internal socialisation which shapes the professional and organisational identities of the chartered accountants working within them. These processes have acted as a mechanism for excluding women, hindering their progress and facilitating their exit. Previous evidence suggests that women leave professional accountancy firms in order to accommodate more flexibility, experience less pressure, achieve consistency of hours and hence attain a better work/life balance.In this paper we seek to examine whether the gendered work practices of professional accountancy firms influence female choice to seek alternative employment outside the professional accountancy firm environment. Specifically the paper seeks to answer two research questions (1) why and when do women leave professional accountancy firms? (2) is the working environment outside professional accountancy firms less gendered?Data was collected by means of a postal questionnaire distributed in 2005 to women who had qualified in the years 1990–1995 (n = 1022). Responses were received from 370 women, of whom 100 were employed with professional accountancy firms and 270 employed within industry. In depth interviews were also conducted with 7 partners in professional accountancy firms and 6 women who had left the professional accountancy environment to pursue employment elsewhere.Whilst there was evidence that professional accountancy firms continue to reflect gendered working norms practices, rather than compound the dominant view, this study suggests that the primary reason women leave professional accountancy firms is to seek more interesting work as opposed to obtaining more flexibility in their working lives. In addition, the experiences of the women, the working patterns, and rates of progression were similar irrespective of employment type.     

FACTORS INFLUENCING CHOICE OF DISCIPLINE OF STUDY — ACCOUNTANCY,ENGINEERING, LAW AND MEDICINE

This paper examines the factors which influence high calibre students in their choice of a professional discipline of study. Using a questionnaire approach students were requested to determine the relative importance of eleven factors in their choice of discipline of study. Results showed that accountancy students appeared most concerned with job satisfaction, earnings potential, availability of employment, aptitude for subject and years of formal education, and to have a different, and more distinctive, profile than that of other students. These results may have important implications for recruitment into the profession.     

An Empirical Analysis of the Positive Impact of Ethics Teaching on Accounting Students

Recent releases from the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) highlight the importance of ethics education. Academic institutions employ varying methods and place varying levels of emphasis on ethics teaching during a business/accounting degree. This paper attempts to evaluate whether teaching ethics to final year accounting students is beneficial. At the commencement of a semester, one class of 155 students was given five ethical scenarios on which to make an ethical decision. All students were then subject to three different methods of ethical instruction. Several weeks later, the class was again given the original five ethical scenarios and asked to re-complete. In all five instances, the mean responses were more ethical after the instruction methodologies. The subjects also verified that the combined effect of the methodologies had impacted positively on hypothetical ethical decision-making. Hence, it appears that ethics education is beneficial, and the challenge is to find the optimal method(s).     

在服务国家“十二五”规划中实现会计师行业跨越式发展——在2011年海峡两岸及港澳地区会计师行业交流研讨会上的主题演讲

陈晓圭秘书长提出.国家十二五,规划纲要绘就了我国在新世纪第三个五年发展的宏伟蓝图,深入领会规划拢略思路,是推进行业又好又快发展的基本前提和里要基础。注册会计师行业要里点把握国家推动服务业大发展的机遇,加快经济结构战略性调整的机遇,加快建设资源节约型、环境友好型社会的机遇。加强和创新社会管理的机遇,完譬社会主义市场经济体制的机遇.加快实施走出去,战略的机遇,在服务国家林十二五,规划纲要的实施中实现会计师行业跨越式发展。     

Professional Skills and Capabilities of Accounting Graduates: The New Zealand Expectation Gap?

Much has been written about teaching and learning deficiencies in accounting education. Universities have grappled with the challenge and developed a number of strategies to address the concerns raised. Many of the recommended strategies for addressing these deficiencies have included a focus on the development of professional capabilities and skills. This paper reports on a study which has identified the capabilities which are considered to be the most important for successful practice in accountancy during the first years after graduation and identified the extent to which New Zealand universities have focused on these in the delivery of their study programmes. Most attempts to measure the nature and extent of change to accountancy degree programmes have collected data from current or graduating students or from the university itself. This study instead collected feedback from accountancy graduates employed in public practice with three to five years post graduation professional experience and from their workplace supervisors. This paper reports on the results of the graduate feedback, provides a useful insight into where progress has been made and identifies where further improvement is necessary.     

The use of short role-plays for an ethics intervention in university auditing courses

This paper reports how short 10-minute role-plays can be used as an effective tool for ethics education within university auditing classes. A mixed method approach elicited student perceptions of role-plays in developing ethical awareness. While many students self-reported difficulty in recognising and dealing with the ethical dilemmas appropriately, most agreed role-plays helped them to prepare for dealing with these issues in the workplace. This was especially the case for students with English as an additional language. Students reported the role-play ethical dilemmas raised their awareness of the need to protect their professional independence. Students commented that they had a better understanding of the importance of the professional code of conduct and the code of ethics. Role-plays are a simple experiential learning approach that helps students to recognise ethical dilemmas, explore strategies to deal with such dilemmas in a safe environment, and practice listening and questioning skills to obtain information. Short role-plays can offer critical thinking opportunities that are more relevant to the student’s personal experience than case studies of historical ethical breaches.     

论上市公司审计舞弊原因及治理

在证券市场中上市公司审计舞弊屡有发生,早期的“中天勤-银广夏”案件和近期刚被查处的“中磊-万福生科”案件都严重影响了审计公信力.也损害了投资者支资本市场的信心,导致近年来中国股市一直处于熊市状态.本文阐述了上市公司审计舞弊及其危害性,基于注册会计师法律道德及会计师事务所产权维度分析了法律风险偏低、职业道德失范、会计师事务所产权不合理是导上市审计舞弊的主要原因.并提出强化注册会计师的法律责任,加强注册会计师职业道德建设以及完善会计师事务所产权等治理审计舞弊的相关建议.     

Bridging the Gap: Engaging in Scholarship with Accountancy Employers to Enhance Understanding of Skills Development and Employability

Abstract

This paper reports on the author's experiences of working with accountancy employers to develop a deeper understanding of skills development and employability in the accountancy profession. It notes that while there is a well-developed literature that examines skills development amongst university accounting students, there is also evidence of a gap between skills development in the university setting and the reported experiences of new entrants into the accountancy profession. The paper examines the nature of this gap and attempts to bridge it, using the experiences of working together with employers. The evidence from this study is that accountancy employers seek new recruits with the capacity to establish professional credibility amongst colleagues and clients through their attitudes and behaviours, something subtly different from much of the literature, which focuses on the importance of discrete generic skills.     

在岸人民币市场与香港离岸人民币市场联动关系的实证研究

作为国际金融中心,香港为内地的发展提供了举足轻重的金融服务。近年来,我国政府力推人民币国际化,具有完备金融市场的香港成为构建离岸人民币中心、促进人民币国际化进程的排头兵。香港已经建成了规模庞大的离岸人民币市场,这一市场的波动和走势对在岸人民币市场的干扰和影响不可轻视,关乎在岸人民币市场的稳定和国家金融安全。文章分析了在岸人民币市场即期汇率、远期汇率与香港离岸人民币市场即期汇率、远期汇率之间的关系,发现两两之间并不总是存在引导关系。