Ethics and the CPA Building Trust and Value-Added Services [Hardcover]

A society without truth--and the related quality of trust--willnot long endure. --from the Preface

Ethics in corporate America has become a bottom-line issue.Scandals such as the junk bond debacle in the late '80s and therecent bankruptcy of Orange County, California, graphicallyillustrate just how devastating losses from corrupt businesspractices can be. Closing the rift between a company's public andprivate face, its avowed as opposed to actual behavior, is now morethan ever the concern of the accountant.

Examining a firm's business records and practices has traditionallyplaced the accountant in the role of watchdog. And in a corporateworld where ethical ambivalence can complicate even the mostroutine business decision, a trusted accountant can guide a companytoward a revived sense of purpose, showing it how to live up to itsown expressed ethical standards--leading the way to new business,increased profits, and cost savings. Ethics and the CPA detailsjust how an accountant can assess a company's ethical health aspart of a rigorous accounting regimen--and institute correctivemeasures.

The book begins by clearly defining the accountant's role in thearea of ethical services, with specifics on establishing andperforming an audit on an ethics-based program for business,governmental, and not-for-profit entities. Issues such as thespecific knowledge, competencies, and attitudes essential to theprofessional providing ethical services are also discussed.

The second part of the book takes the ethical pulse of thecontemporary business environment, analyzing some notable ethicalfailures in well-known companies as well as the range of regulatorydemands on CPAs, including the requirement for findingunethical/illegal behavior (SAS 82) and SEC oversightresponsibilities. Also included are the results of an ethics surveyreport on CPAs given to state CPA societies, regulatory bodies, andindustry.&lÃ'