...Chapter Four Professional Accounting in the Public Interest, Post-Enron Purpose of the Chapter When the Enron, Arthur Andersen, and WorldCom debacles triggered the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX), a new era of stakeholder expectations was crystallized for the business world and particularly for the professional accountants that serve in it. The drift away from the professional accountant’s role as a fiduciary to that of a businessperson was called into question and reversed. The principles that the new expectations spawned and renewed resulted in changes in how the professional accountants are to behave, what services are to be offered, and what performance standards are to be met. These standards have been embedded in a new governance structure and in guidance mechanisms, which have domestic and international components. The influence of the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) and the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) will be as important as that of SOX in the long run. This chapter examines each of these developments and provides insights into important areas of current and future practice. Building upon the understanding of the new stakeholder accountability framework facing clients and employers developed in earlier chapters, this chapter explores public expectations for the role of the professional accountant and the principles that should be observed in discharging that role. This leads to consideration of the implications for services to be...
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...Open Journal of Accounting, 2013, 2, 8-15 http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/ojacct.2013.21003 Published Online January 2013 (http://www.scirp.org/journal/ojacct) Sarbanes-Oxley and the Accounting Profession: Public Interest Implications Sara Ann Reiter1, Paul F. Williams2 2 1 Binghamton University, Binghamton, USA North Carolina State University, Raleigh, USA Email: sreiter@binghamton.edu Received October 31, 2012; revised December 1, 2012; accepted December 12, 2012 ABSTRACT The US accounting profession was caught up in, and some say responsible for, the whirlwind of accounting and business scandals that rocked the US markets in 2002. To restore investor confidence in financial information, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act created a new Public Company Accounting Oversight Board with the authority to set standards for auditors of publicly traded companies, thus ending a century of professional regulation of auditing. In this analysis we employ sociological theories of professionalism [1-4] to help understand the implications of the Sarbanes-Oxley legislation for the accounting profession and for the public interest. We explain why professional self-regulation is important for retaining valuable economic franchises. We also explain why the public interest orientation of the profession is important and how government take-over of auditing standards potentially erodes the public accounting profession’s commitment to the public interest. Self-control over professional work, a key characteristic...
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...Business - Accounting & Finance Working Papers Faculty of Business 2005 Regulation as Accounting Theory M. Gaffikin University of Wollongong, gaffikin@uow.edu.au Publication Details This working paper was originally published as Gaffikin, M, Regulation as Accounting Theory, Accounting & Finance Working Paper 05/09, School of Accounting & Finance, University of Wollongong, 2005. Research Online is the open access institutional repository for the University of Wollongong. For further information contact the UOW Library: research-pubs@uow.edu.au 05/09 Regulation as Accounting Theory University of Wollongong Working Papers Series School of Accounting & Finance M J R Gaffikin School of Accounting & Finance University of Wollongong Wollongong NSW 2522 Australia Tel +61 (2) 4221 3718 Fax +61 (2) 4221 4297 eMail george@uow.edu.au www.uow.edu.au/commerce/accy/ Regulation as Accounting Theory Michael Gaffikin Theories of regulation are discussed and compared. Some important issues relating to regulation as a substitute for research in creating theory as discussed. Over the years there have been many arguments and debates over the necessity for regulation. Those who believe in the efficacy of markets argue that regulation is not necessary as market forces will operate to best serve society and optimise the allocation of resources. However, there are many who point out that markets do not always operate in the best interests of societies...
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...Chapter 3: The Regulation of financial accounting Why examine theories of regulation? Better placed to understand why some accounting prescriptions become part of legislation while others do not. Accounting standard – setting is a very political process While some proposed requirements may be technically sound and logical, they may not be mandated due to political ‘power’ or influence of some affected parties What is regulation? The Oxford Dictionary defines regulation in terms of a “prescribed rule” Macquarie Dictionary defined regulation as “a rule of order, as for conduct, prescribed by authority; a governing direction or law”. On the basis of these definitions can say that regulation is designed to control or govern conduct Hence, when we are discussing regulations relating to financial accounting, we are discussing rules that have been developed by an independent authoritative body that has been given the power to govern how we are to prepare financial statements, and the actions of the authoritative body will have the effect of restricting the accounting options that would otherwise be to an organisation. ‘Free Market’ perspective Accounting information should be treated like other goods, with demand and supply forces allowed to operate to generate an optimal supply. Arguments supporting ‘free – market’ perspective Private economic – based incentives ‘Market for managers’ ‘Market for corporate takeovers’ ‘Market for lemons’ Private economic – based...
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...Accounting professionals are obliged to comply with certain standards in an effort to protect shareholders and the general public. When one joins any of the accounting professional organizations, such as the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) or the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA), one is agreeing to adopt the ethical code. This professional code is a positive set of statements and guidelines for CPAs with explicit rules as to what accountants should or shouldn’t do. It applies to all members, whether it is public practice, industry, government or education. There are many reasons why one would want the accountant representing them to adhere to a specific rules and regulations. From an investor’s point of view, one would want an accountant that is going to have their best interests in mind, but to also be morally and ethically bound to perform within legal confines. Sometimes actions may be considered within acceptable limits of the law, but not ethically suitable; in such instances, the code of ethical conduct is even more important. Investors want insurance that the corporation with which they are financially backing is transparent. Transparency, which from an accounting/corporate standpoint, is the free flow of information within an organization and between the organization and its many stakeholders. This transparency and accountability improves the credibility and the relationship between...
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...Chapter 4 The economics of Financial Reporting Regulation The case for unregulated markets for accounting information * Support for unregulated marketing all relate to the incentives for a firm to report information about itself to owners and to the capital market. * Agency theory explains why incentives exist for voluntary reporting to owners. * Wider voluntary reporting to the capital market is explained by signaling theory * The arguments supporting unregulated markets for accounting information are largely deductive in nature. Agency Theory * Predicts and explains the behavior of parties involved with the firm. * It conceives of the firm itself as a nexus of agency relationship and seeks to understand organizational behavior by examining how parties to agency relationships within the firm maximize their own utility. * One major relationship is between the management group and the owners of the firm. * Managers are hired to administer the firms’ activities. * Owners and Managers may have different goals and may not be in perfect agreement. While owners are interested to maximize return of investment and security prices, managers have a wider range of economic interests and psychological needs. Because of this conflict, owners communicate with managers in such a way as to minimize conflict between the goals of two groups. * Costs relating to monitoring management reduce managers’ compensation. Therefore managers have an...
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...Ethical risks and threats in the accounting profession Accounting ethics is primarily the study of moral values and judgments as they apply to accountancy. Accounting ethics were first introduced by Luca Pacioli in 1494 in his book “Summa de arithmetica, geometria, proportioni, et proportinalita”, and later expanded by government bodies, professional organizations and independent companies (Humphrey 2005). Throughout 2001 and 2002, the financial scandals in in the USA and some other countries, such as Australia, dramatically demonstrated how the efficiency of financial markets is based on assumptions of trust and ethical behavior of corporate managers (McPhail 2001). The collapse of companies such as Enron, WorldCom and Global Crossing in the USA, HIH Insurance and OneTel in Australia, and Parmalat in Italy, has led to a loss of confidence by the investing public in the system of financial reporting and accountability. The globalization and diversification of accounting services, combined with market competition and high profile corporate collapses has drawn attention to the accounting profession and its perceived ethical standards. (Cooper 2007) Ethical values provide the foundation on which a civilized society exists. Without the foundation, civilization collapses. On a personal level, the answer to the question of the highest aspiration might be wealth, fame, knowledge, popularity, or integrity. But if integrity is secondary to any of the alternatives, it will be sacrificed...
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...(2003): © 2003 by The International Islamic University Malaysia ETHICS IN ACCOUNTING EDUCATION: CONTRIBUTION OF THE ISLAMIC PRINCIPLE OF MAêLAîAH Abdul Rahim Abdul Rahman Assistant Professor, Department of Accounting, Kulliyyah of Economics and Management Sciences, International Islamic University Malaysia, Jalan Gombak, 53100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (e-mail: abdulrahim@iiu.edu.my) ABSTRACT There is a growing concern over the apparently low moral standards of some accountants and an increasing number of academics who suggest that the education system should bear some of the blame. Ethical components in accounting education have been found to be insufficient and there is a lack of emphasis on humanizing accountants. The objective of this paper is firstly to address the importance of ethics in accounting education and evaluate the development of literature in this area. Secondly, the paper argues for the direction of accounting education to focus on religious ethical development and values in developing accounting ethics. The paper argues that the Islamic worldview and ethics perspective can provide some insights into the process of developing a more humanized and ethical accountant. This paper proposes the Islamic legal principle of ma§laúah as an ethical filtering mechanism to be taught as part of the ethical accounting education process. This is aimed at providing awareness to accounting students and accountants on the process to resolve ethical conflicts....
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...markets and a silicate capital. Financial Accounting Foundation Its mission is to “Establish financial accounting and reporting standards, through an independent and open process, resulting in financial reports that provide decision-useful information. Financial Accounting Standards Board The mission of FASB is “to establish and improve standards of financial accounting and reporting for the guidance and education of the public, including issuers, auditors, and users of financial information. Governmental Accounting Standards Board The mission of the Governmental Accounting Standards Board is to establish and improve standards of state and local governmental accounting and financial reporting that will result in useful information for users of financial reports and guide and educate the public, including issuers, auditors, and users of those financial reports. Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board The mission of the FASAB is to promulgate federal accounting standards after considering the financial and budgetary information needs of citizens, congressional oversight groups, executive agencies, and the needs of other users of federal financial information. International Accounting Standards Board The mission of the IASB “is to develop, in the public interest, a single set of high quality, understandable and international financial reporting standards (IFRSs) for general purpose financial statements. Public Company Accounting Oversight Board The PCAOB is a private-sector...
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...Surrounding the Professionalism of Accounting | | 3.0 Literature Review | | 4.0 Presentation of the main Idea about the Professionalism of Accounting | | 5.0 Analysis and discussion | | 6.0 Conclusion | | 7.0 Reference | | 1.0 INTRODUCTION 2.0 ISSUES SURROUNDING THE PROFESSIONALISM OF ACCOUNTING Twenty years ago, Briloff (1986) alerted the profession to the crisis of credibility being faced because society perceived accountants to have lost their commitment to public service. The credibility of the profession is threatened when the ideals of integrity, independence, public service and ethical standards come under suspicion. Well-known scandals of one of the major leading accounting firms in the United States Arthur Andersen coupled with alleged unethical acts committed by Enron have arouse the conscious of the public and stakeholders as to the moral decline and unethical posture of public accountants unveiled a decline in moral reasoning and ethical standards of public accountants (Dellaportas, 2006; Esmond-Kiger, 2004). Over the last few years, the accounting profession has been beaten up badly in the media, somewhat justifiably. The forces at work were numerous and complex and a variety of phenomena created the entire profession had its reputation tarnished. Some forces were not new: delivering services that acted to impair independence; becoming too cozy with clients, active participation in finding ways to circumvent accounting standards, and even simple...
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...financial statements is required primarily for the protection of public investors, should not all PCAOB members be taken from the investment community that uses audited financial statements? •What regulatory compliance requirements apply to various business situations? The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) is a private-sector, nonprofit corporation created by the Sarbanes–Oxley Act of 2002 to oversee the audits of public companies and other issuers in order to protect the interests of investors and further the public interest in the preparation of informative, accurate and independent audit reports. Since 2010, the PCAOB also oversees the audits of broker-dealers, including compliance reports filed pursuant to federal securities laws, to promote investor protection. All PCAOB rules and standards must be approved by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Commentators occasionally suggest that the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board is mis-named. Some urge that the word “accounting” should be dropped from the Board’s name -- since the Board has jurisdiction over auditing, not over accounting principles. Others argue that the words “public company” don’t really belong, since the Board doesn’t oversee public companies. I have even heard it suggested that our largest impact will be on auditing standards, and that the word “standards” should be added in place of “public company accounting”. “SOB” would certainly be a catchier acronym than PCAOB...
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...community of accounting professionals numbering at more than 350,000 from all over the world. The AICPA is a code of conduct that is formed on the bases of six principles. These principles are “responsibilities, the public interest, integrity, objectivity and independence, due care, and scope and nature services” (Mintz & Morris, 2011). Each of these principles are used as a guide for the accountants performance of professional responsibilities and the commitment to uphold the publics trust even at the expense of personal benefits. This code of conduct is considered to be the foundation of ethical reasoning in the accounting field because it touches on all aspects of the accounting profession. It also protects all the parties that are involved, the accountant, investors, the public, and creditors. I believe that the three most important purposes of the AICPA is to protect the client, the public, and the accountant. I would say that the most important purposes of the AICPA because the client, the public, and the accountant are the individual parties that make a company succeed or fail. Protecting these individuals is accomplished by following the AICPA principles in all situations. The three main principles that do this are responsibilities, the public interest, and integrity. Accountants have responsibilities to anyone who employs their accounting services. They also have the “responsibility to cooperate with other accountants to improve the art of accounting and to maintain...
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...today’s business world, corporate or small business ethical accounting practices are of the essence. It is good moral and ethical accounting practices that protect an organization from unethical federal and governmental practices to include lawsuits and liabilities from misreporting of an organizations portfolio. The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) enables an organization to follow appropriate guidelines and regulations that govern ethical accounting practices. Organizations conforming to the practices of the AICPA can ensure healthy accounting practices conducted in their organization. American Institute of Certified Public Accountants The AICPA is considered the foundation of ethical reasoning in accounting because According to Mintz and Morris (2011), the principles guide members in the performance of their professional responsibilities and call for an unyielding commitment to honor the public trust, even at the sacrifice of personal benefits. (Chapter Chapter 1, Ethical Reasoning: Implications for Accounting). The AICPA is founded on three underlining principles or fundamentals. They consist of public interest, integrity, and responsibilities. These principles as stated previously allow and guide professionals in delivering ethical practices for clients. It allows them to perform ethically sound actions even when no one is looking or observing. Public Interest Working in light of the public carries a sound profile. A trusted profile which defines...
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...an association to an organization can impact an Individual’s career. This essay will go as far as to explain my interest in a professional organization; it will also demonstrate how that organization can enhance one’s professional knowledge and abilities, and how the association to an organization can impact a career in the accounting field of business. In order to do this I must define accounting, its purpose and its four major types of accountants first. The American Institute of Public Accountants defines accounting as “The art of recording, classifying, and summarizing in a significant manner and in te rms of money, transactions and events which are, in part at least, of financial character, and interpreting the results thereof (Wikipedia.org 2010)”. In other words, accounting is basically about keeping track of the money, and is what businesses use to monitor their income, expenses, and assets over a period of time. Accounting is crucial to the functioning of all organizations it plays the important role in maintaining and processing all relevant financial information that a company requires for its managing and reporting purposes. There are many sectors in accounting one can focus their career on. The four major Accountants are Public, Management, Government, and Internal Accountant. Public Accountants perform a large variety of accounting, auditing, tax, and consulting activities for their clients, which can be corporations, governm ent, non-profit...
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...sufficient to assure that the Financial Accounting Standards Board will undertake its solution … There must be a suitably high likelihood that the Board can resolve the issues in a manner that will be acceptable to the constituency—without some prior sense of the likelihood that the Board members will be able to reach a consensus, it is generally not advisable to undertake a formal project”. Introduction: The above quotation has been taken from the book of Professor Miller which was published in 1986. Professor says that identifying a problem in the audit process is no guarantee that a solution will be found to the problem. The problem that is referred to in the above quotation is the problems that emerge during an audit that is performed in a business entity. What professor Miller tries to explain is that even if the issue is placed in front of the Financial Accounting Standards Board there is no surety that the Board will take action or responsibility in finding a solution to the problem. When a problem is presented to the Financial Accounting Standards Board there must be reason to believe that the Board members will be able to understand the problem collectively and create a solution to the problem by harmony, if however the chances are not there then an individual or an audit firm should not take up a project formally to try and find resolution though the Financial Accounting Standards Board. Financial Accounting Standards Board The main responsibilities...
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