Why Are Ethics Important In The Accounting Profession? Sheree Fletcher CE CAPSTONE COURSE FOR THE ASSOCIATES DEGREE IDS399 September 10, 2006 What does ethics have to do with accounting? Everything, since there have been some recent financial accounting scandals; a few examples being Xerox, WorldCom, Enron, which have generated much unwanted and unfavorable publicity for CPA's, including those working as controllers or chief financial officers for organizations. When you hear the word "ethics," what is the first thing that comes to mind? Having to make the decision of doing what is right versus doing what is wrong. Some idealists say that decisions of ethics should not be conditional. However, that is not as simple as it …show more content…
In order to pass the self-study course the student must obtain a 90%. Ethical questions are also on the Uniform CPA Examination. The examination was revised in Spring of 2004; the exam now contains professional responsibility as part of the new section entitled "Regulation," and constitutes a maximum of 20% in this new section. Unfortunately, since 75% continues to serve as the passing grade for the examination, examinees will be able to pass the "Regulations" portion of the revised exam regardless of the examinees knowledge in ethics. No matter what form of testing that is mandated for the CPA licensure, some states may require applicants for certification to meet a character and fitness requirement. The state of New York has included questions about crimes and unprofessional conduct for their Application for License and First Registration candidates. CPA's are required to complete Continuing Professional Education (CPE) credits in every state except Wisconsin in order to maintain their licenses. The usual requirement is 40 credits per year. There are currently only ten states that require continuing training on ethics and professional responsibility, which typically is two hours annually or four hours every two years. However, 30 out of the 41 specified number of hours that must be taken exclusively in ethics or in other limited topics, including ethics. Even though the revised "Joint
A new AOI is required if the candidate does not take the exam within two years of submitting the application. The Application of Intent encompasses some of the requirements for becoming a CPA. It is used to evaluate the applicant’s moral character and education requirements.
After passing all four sections of the CPA exam, most jurisdictions require the passing of the AICPA’s ethics exam and possibly their own state-specific ethics exam or course. GAO considers these courses or exams to be external training. Therefore, these fees are reimbursable by either filling out GAO Form 314 beforehand and getting approval, or after paying, submitting (1) a copy of the completed and signed/approved GAO Form 314, (2) a completed GAO Form 425, and (3) a copy of the vendor invoice indicating the amount paid.
The purpose of the Uniform CPA Examination is to provide reasonable assurance to Boards of Accountancy that those who pass the CPA Examination possess a competence level of skills and knowledge necessary for licensure in protection of public interest. The Exam is governed by American Institute of CPAs (AICPA). The Exam has four sections:
One of the advantages to being a CPA within a large firm is that you have the opportunity to work in many areas of accounting for many varied company clients. This will give me a multifaceted experience level not easily obtained while working independently or for a smaller firm. I hope to have the opportunity to do some forensic accounting work where I would prove suspected embezzlement within a client’s company (S. Westfield, personal interview, August 1, 2008).
The CPA in Orlando based their curriculum and structure from the British model. It offers
There is an initial nonrefundable $120 application fee to take the CPA exam. The candidate is reviewed and will receive information regarding the testing upon approval. Remember, you must have the degree, credit hours, and required courses to get approved. The testing is in four parts and each is separate in cost and is taken separately. All four parts to not have to be schedule at the same time. You can schedule based on your scheduling capabilities. Each of the four parts cost is $193.45 for a total of $743 to sit for the entire test. The testing breakdown is auditing, financial accounting and reporting, regulation and
In light of the strict principles and rules of the AICPA, accounting ethics has been deemed difficult to control as accountants and auditors must consider the interest of the public which relies on the information gathered in audits while ensuring that they remained employed by the company they are auditing. They must consider how to best apply accounting standards even when faced with issues that could cause a company to face a significant loss or even be discontinued. Due to several accounting scandals within the profession, critics of accountants have stated that when asked by a client "what does two plus two equal?" the accountant would be likely to respond "what would you like it to be?". This thought process along with other criticisms of the profession 's issues with conflict of interest, have led to various increased standards of professionalism while stressing ethics in the work environment.
One of the primary goals of the AICPA is to set and maintain professional accounting standards. These include setting the industry standards for ethics, auditing, tax practices, quality control and financial planning. However, the AICPA has stepped away from setting certain financial industry standards. For example, the AICPA originally set the generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), but they relinquished control to the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB). In addition to this, the recently formed Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) now oversees financial audits of public companies, while the AICPA oversees private companies.
Therefore, I agree with the author of the article, that code of ethics should do more than establish acceptable standards. With using code of ethics, accountants have an increased knowledge of how important it is to do what is right, which will in turn help to remain in compliance with rules and regulations. Having ethics should benefit the company not only to increase profits, but as a whole.
The Uniform Certified Public Accountant Examination (Uniform CPA Exam) is the examination taken by people who wish to become Certified Public Accountants in the United States. The Uniform CPA Exam is developed and maintained by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), and is administered by the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA). In order to sit for the Uniform CPA Exam, a person must be declared eligible to do so by one of the 55 state boards of accountancy in the United States. However, the requirements of state boards vary. Thus, we should do some research about the state’s requirements we plan to take.
Thank you for emailing me regarding my interest in the MS in Accountancy program at Bentley University. In fact, I looked at the program as you recommended, and I think that is very interesting. The participants will get the necessary financial and technology tools for being competitive on the market. However, I would like to know if a student will be ready for the CPA exam after taking part in this program? then, could you let me know how long is the process of selection? What kind of paper should an eventual participant expect to prove? What will be the schedule of the program?
We as a society are faced with ethical dilemmas virtually every day. How we handle these situations shapes our culture. But what are ethics? According to the Miniature Guide to Ethical Reasoning, ethical reasoning entails doing what is right even in the face of powerful selfish desires. To live an ethical life is to develop control of our own egocentric tendencies. It is not enough to be able to do the right thing when we ourselves have nothing to lose. We must be willing to fulfill our ethical obligations at the expense of our self-centered desires and vested interests. (Dr. Richard Paul & Dr. Linda Elder, 2003) In short, ethics is doing what is right even when no one is looking. A society with a strong
Audit experience is no longer required to become a CPA in California. Mr. Reisinger believes this a good change. He believes it makes sense to have two different levels, a CPA without audit experience and a CPA with audit experience. It makes sense because the world has become a lot more complex since Mr. Reisinger got his CPA license. At the time he got his license there were only four Financial Accounting Standards Board rules. Now there are hundreds. A more complex world calls for a more complex system of licensing. Mr. Kauffman, on the other hand, believes audit experience is invaluable to being a CPA. He could not have attained his level of understanding of how businesses and
In order to start my small accounting firm, the first thing I need is to do is to complete my master’s degree and pass the CPA exam in order to have my license to practice. As noted in Appendix 1, I intend to complete the master’s program in accounting at Nichols College by December 2016. I will be taking one course during summer session II, two classes during Fall 1 and the last class during Fall session II. I plan to sit for the Auditing and attestation (AUD) portion of the CPA exam in February 2017, following the Business Environment Concept (BEC) in June 2017, the Regulation (REG) in September 2017 and the last portion of the exam Financial Accounting and Reporting (FAR) in December 2017.
The AICPA is the organization that sets professional requirements for CPAs. The AICPA also conducts research and publishes materials on many different subjects related to accounting, auditing, management advisory services, and taxes (Arens, Elder, & Beasley, 2010). The organization also prepares and grades the CPA examinations, provides continuing education to its members, and develops specialty designations to help market and assure the quality of services in specialized practice areas (Arens, Elder, & Beasley, 2010).