New Perspectives In Accounting Ethics

New Perspectives in Accounting Ethics is a unique collection of articles that represent the very highest level of scholarship and identifies emerging themes in the field. These include the following: - Accounting and Sustainability - Corporate Social Responsibility - Whistleblowing

Despite the enormous impact of various accounting scandals on the accounting profession, the general malaise amongst the profession more broadly, and the significant legislative and institutional reforms that have taken place as a result, there are still surprisingly few textbooks on accounting ethics. This concise introductory text takes a broad view of ethics and accounting, taking into account contemporary social trends, such as globalization and terrorism. Rather than delineating codes of professional conduct, this text pushes the reader towards an understanding of the nature of ethical dilemmas and the factors that influence the ways in which accountants frame ethical questions. The book is divided into two parts. The first part focuses on developing thinking about the different kinds of ethical questions that could be posed in relation to accounting. The second part focuses more explicitly on accounting practice, exploring the ethical function of accounting in relation to the market economy, ethics in relation to the accounting profession, and the ethics of the international accounting harmonization project. Accounting and Business Ethics is a compact introduction aimed at both students and practitioners who want to understand more about the ethics of accounting.

Is the invention of accounting so useful that, as Charlie Munger once said, “you have to know accounting. It's the language of practical business life. It was a very useful thing to deliver to civilization. I've heard it came to civilization through Venice which of course was once the great commercial power in the Mediterranean”? (WOO 2013) This positive view on accounting can be contrasted with an opposing view by Paul Browne that “the recent [accounting] scandals have brought a new level of attention to the accounting profession as gatekeepers and custodians of social interest.” (DUM 2013) Contrary to these opposing views (and other ones as will be discussed in the book), accounting (in relation to addition and subtraction) are neither possible (or impossible) nor desirable (or undesirable) to the extent that the respective ideologues (on different sides) would like us to believe. Of course, this reexamination of different opposing views on accounting does not mean that the study of addition and subtraction is useless, or that those fields (related to accounting)—like bookkeeping, auditing, forensics, info management, finance, philosophy of accounting, accounting ethics, lean accounting, mental accounting, environmental audit, creative accounting, carbon accounting, social accounting, and so on—are unimportant. (WK 2013) In fact, neither of these extreme views is plausible. Rather, this book offers an alternative (better) way to understand the future of accounting in regard to the dialectic relationship between addition and subtraction—while learning from different approaches in the literature but without favoring any one of them (nor integrating them, since they are not necessarily compatible with each other). More specifically, this book offers a new theory (that is, the double-sided theory of accounting) to go beyond the existing approaches in a novel way and is organized in four chapters. This seminal project will fundamentally change the way that we think about accounting in relation to addition and subtraction from the combined perspectives of the mind, nature, society, and culture, with enormous implications for the human future and what I originally called its “post-human” fate.

This volume explores the opportunities and challenges facing the accounting profession in an increasingly globalized business and financial reporting environment. It looks back at past experiences of the profession in attempting to meet its public interest obligation. It examines the role and responsibilities of accounting to society including regulatory requirements, increased emphasis on corporate social responsibility, accounting fraud and whistle-blowing implications, internationalization of public interest obligations, and providing the education needed to be successful. The book incorporates an ethical dimension in making these assessments. Its focus is a conceptual, theoretical one drawing on classical philosophy, the sociology of professions, economic theory, and the public interest dimension of accountants as professionals. The authors of papers are long-time contributors to the annual symposium on Research in Accounting Ethics sponsored by the Public Interest Section of the AAA.

This new edition of Accounting Ethics has been comprehensively updated to deal with the significant changes within the accounting profession since 2002; the authors systematically explore the new range of ethical issues that have arisen as a result of recent developments, including the financial crisis of 2008. Highlights the debates over the use of fair-value accounting and principles- versus rules-based standards Offers a comprehensive overview of ethics in accounting, as well as an examination of and recommendations for solving the current crisis in this field Investigates the nature and purpose of accounting Uses concrete examples and case studies, including current situations Examines the ethical responsibilities of individual accountants as well as accounting firms

This comprehensive handbook provides a prestige reference volume for researchers interested in accounting and business ethics.

This Research Handbook focuses on the collective ethical issues facing the accounting profession, as well as the users of services provided by accountants today. Providing an overview of contemporary accounting and ethics issues around the world, the Research Handbook on Accounting and Ethics discusses the ethical considerations involved in each of the major areas of activity in accounting, including external and internal auditing, tax, forensic accounting, and governance. Chapters feature discussions on the ethical implications of artificial intelligence and data analytics in accounting, the effectiveness of anti-corruption agencies in Africa, and accounting ethics education in Hong Kong and Macau. It also proposes new areas of research relating to accounting and ethics, through cross-fertilization with other disciplines and presenting multiple innovative perspectives. Offering discussions on a wide range of topics and research methods, this Research Handbook will be essential reading for students and scholars in accounting ethics and business ethics. Accounting standards setters, policymakers, practitioners, and regulators will find this a useful resource for encouraging reflection on the ethical ramifications of their professional duties.