The evaluation of “outcomes” of accounting ethics education

This article explores five important issues relating to the evaluation of ethics education in accounting. The issues that are considered include: (a) reasons for evaluating accounting ethics education (see Caplan, 1980, pp. 133–35); (b) goal setting as a prerequisite to evaluating the outcomes of accounting ethics education (see Caplan, 1980, pp. 135–37); (c) possible broad levels of outcomes of accounting ethics education that can be evaluated; (d) matters relating to accounting ethics education that are in need of evaluation (see Caplan, 1980, p. 136); and (e) possible techniques for measuring outcomes of accounting ethics education (see Caplan, 1980, pp. 144–49). The paper concludes with a discussion of the issues under consideration. Dr. Stephen E. Loeb is Professor and Chairman of Accounting and the Ernst & Young Alumni Research Fellow at the University of Maryland at College Park. He has authored or co-authored a number of articles that have appeared in journals such as The Accounting Review, Journal of Accounting Research, Accounting Horizons, Journal of Business Ethics, The Journal of the American Medical Association, and Issues In Accounting Education. Dr. Loeb is co-editor of the Journal of Accounting and Public Policy.