The Impact Of The Worldcom Scandal On The Accounting Economy

An ethical dilemma is defined as a moral issue, where a situation has two equivalent undesirable alternatives and neither choice will resolve the ethical predicament.

Ethics has been around for a long time. Merriam-Webster defines ethics as rules of behavior based on ideas about what is morally good and bad. It is an area of study that deals with ideas about what is good and bad behavior. Ethics has much to do with feelings and beliefs. If you feel deep down in your heart that something is not right, then it you should not do it. The Bible says, “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin” (James 4:17 English Standard Version). Ethical business procedures include guaranteeing that the main legality is in place. Also, the company observes moral standards in its relationships with the people in its business community, which includes the most important people in their business, who are the customers. This report will discuss ethics in business, ethically transformed organizations; organizations preparation to make ethical decisions, ethical danger signs, and organizations that does business globally.

Business Ethics are defined as “moral principles that guide the way a business behaves” (Businesscasestudies, 2017). In order for any business or individual to act in an ethical

According to Omidyar & Branson (2016), business ethics are called as corporate ethics which is a set of rules that define the right and wrong behaviour. From the research, ethics are a form of applied ethic that can be used to evaluate whether the conduct of the people are considered acceptable and appropriate. Besides, business ethics are the collective values of a business organization that can be used to evaluate whether the behaviour of the collective members of the organization are considered acceptable and appropriate. In the most basic term, a definition for business ethics boils down to knowing the difference between right and wrong and choosing to do what is right.

Ethics are principles of behaviour that distinguish between right and wrong. Resnik (2011) defines ethics as” a method, procedure, or perspective for deciding how to act and for analysing complex problems and issues” (p.1). People face ethical decisions; however, People working in business frequently face ethical decisions. Business ethics is the evaluation of business activities and behaviour as right or wrong (Society for Business Ethics, 1991).

Ethical dilemma is often defined as a situation involving two choices that will both have a negative result or both have a positive result. Knowing this, ethical dilemma is found in your every day lives and is illustrated in ways that might not be recognizable at all times. Remember the Titans is a film produced in 2000 about two high schools, one white and one black school, which are combined and integrated. The movie is shown through the eyes and ways of the high school football team where the teams is forced to integrate and they learn to depend on each other. Ethical dilemma is found in this movie several times, but there is one that is found in the basis of the movie, racism.

WorldCom and The Mississippi Scheme are both large financial scandals that have occurred. WorldCom was a telecommunication company that overstated their cash flow by reporting $7.6 billion in operating expenses as capital expenses. WorldCom is the largest accounting scandal in US history as of March 2002. The Mississippi Scheme was a business scheme that destroyed the economy of France during the 1700’s. The scheme involved the loss of paper money’s purchasing power as a result of asset inflation. Both WorldCom and The Mississippi Scheme were frauds involving manipulation to create higher stock prices and dubious practices within the organizations to keep the public unaware.

An ethical dilemma is a situation that will often involve an apparent conflict between moral imperatives, in which to obey one would result in transgressing another. This is also called an ethical paradox since in moral philosophy, paradox plays a central role in ethics debates. For instance, an ethical admonition to "love thy neighbour as thy self" is not always just in contrast with, but sometimes in contradiction to an armed neighbour actively trying to kill you: if he or she succeeds, you will not be able to love him or her. But to pre-emptively attack them or restrain them is not usually understood as loving. This is one of the classic examples of an ethical decision clashing or conflicting with an organismic decision, one that would

Business ethics is the principles and standards that define acceptable behavior in business organizations which is determined by customers, competitors, government regulators, interest groups, and the public, as well as each individual’s personal moral principles and values (Ferrell, Hirt, & Ferrell, 2013). Every business should present with ethical performance and socially responsible for the public.

One the other hand, ethical dilemmas are circumstances where an individual has to decide what to do. The right choice may be difficult because of the scarifies involved or it may be unclear. Dilemmas usually happens when a person struggles with making a personal decision, where ethical issues may be a topic the person has an opinion about but doesn’t have a chance to make a stand that impacts the decision (Slade, & Prinsloo,

Business Ethics is a set of moral principles applied in the commercial world. Business ethics provide guidelines for acceptable behavior by organizations in both their strategy formulation and day-to-day operations. An ethical approach is becoming necessary both for corporate success and a positive corporate image. Following pressure from

Business ethics refers to the consideration of moral decisions and responsibilities in the process of operating a business. Business ethics, practiced throughout the deepest layers of a company, become the heart and soul of the company 's culture and can mean the difference between success and failure. Values drive behavior and therefore need to be consciously stated, but they also need to be affirmed by actions. Ethical business environments are created with foundations of integrity, accountability and commitment.

Ethics are the principles and values an individual uses to govern his activities and decisions. In an organization, a code of Ethics is a set of principles that guides the organization in its programs, policies and decisions for the business. The ethical philosophy that is used by an organization to conduct business can affect the reputation, productivity and bottom line of the business (1).

On March 15, 2005 former CEO of WorldCom, Bernard Ebbers sat in a federal courtroom waiting for the verdict. As the former CEO of WorldCom, Ebbers was accused of being personally responsible for the financial destruction of the communications giant. An internal investigation had uncovered $11 billion dollars in fraudulent accounting practices. Later a second report in 2003 found that during Ebber’s 2001 tenure as CEO, the company had over-reported earnings and understated expenses by an astonishing $74.5 billion dollars (Martin, 2005, para 3). This report included the mismanagement of funds, unethical lending practices among its top executives, and false bookkeeping which led to loss of tens of thousands of its employees.

Ethics are moral principles or values that govern the conduct of an individual or a group.It is not a burden to bear, but a prudent and effective guide which furthers life and success. Ethics are important not only in business but in academics and society as well because it is an essential part of the foundation on which a civilized society is built.