Definition
Personal ethics is defined as the moral system that provides the standard to measure the conduct right or wrong held by the individual (Duska, Duska, & Ragatz, 2011, p. 34). The ability of solving the ethical dilemmas helps us to test personal ethics. Duska et al. (2011, p. 77) state the responsibility of accountants presents the literally accurate financial information of the organization. As the personal ethics becoming significant in business, especially in accounting organization, the accounting code that includes the technical and ethical rules is adopted by more companies (Onyebuchi, V. N., 2011).
Importance
The ethical behaviors of employees will keep them in a calming mood. Their performance will be improved in an ethical environment with a calming mood. The ethical behaviours are not only good for the individual, but also good for the company. Firstly, the ethical behaviours bring more benefits to company. Obviously, the accounting company cannot be ethical without ethical accountants (Doucet, 2004). The accounting company will attract more investors with ethical accountants because the investors give them more trust. Customers also tend to be loyal to an ethical company especially in accounting industry. Secondly, the ethical behaviours will avoid the company break the law. The accountant needs to comply with the law. If not, both of the accountant and company will face the legal liability. The ethical behaviours can isolate both of the individual and company from the illegal acts.
Development
The personal ethics can be influenced by external factors like family, religious belief and culture background. It also can be influenced by internal factors, such as the internal feelings and individual experiences. The external factors are difficult to control over. However, it does not mean that the personal ethics cannot be developed. The personal ethics can be developed by improving the individuals’ internal factors. The company will hold several kinds of meetings to help employees develop their personal ethics:
1. The meetings of reading the existing code of personal ethics and self-reflection. This kind of meeting is held weekly. The code of personal ethics is as a standard to show the right and wrong. To compare with that, you may find what need to be developed. Then, thinking about how to improve. Especially, employees need to be familiar with the code of professional accountant in accounting company.
2. The company will hold meetings to discuss the ethics issue that employees read from the books about morality. This kind of meeting is held monthly. The employees may have the capacity to act ethical after they have the capacity to think ethical and morally. The capacity to think ethical can be improved by reading the books which include some ethical dilemmas.
3. The meetings to discuss employees' diary about personal ethics. This kind of meeting is held monthly. The personal ethics can be developed by writing the daily diary, because it is helpful to reflect someone’s ethical behaviours. In the diary, you may record both of the behaviours that following the code of personal ethics and the behaviours that not following the code. The people can only rectify the mistakes after they realize mistakes.
In order to help the employees develop the personal ethics, our company also provides the training program for new employees. The training program can be divided into two parts. The first part of the training is about the code of accountant ethics. In this part, the code of profession accountant will be introduced. Moreover, some cases that related to the accountant ethics will be covered. The second part is making the own code of personal ethics. In this part, the employees need to find out what they need to improve and make their specific code of personal ethics. The employees’ personal ethics will be developed by completing this training program.
Evaluation
1.In our accounting industry, whether employees take part in an ethics course or not should be considered as a basis to measure their personal ethics. Abdolmohammadi (2008) states that the ethic course causes a great improvement in ethical conducts by students’ ethic reasoning. In some situations the behavioural intension is different with the actual behaviour in the ethical test. The inconsistent behaviour is greater risk-taking in the people who haven’t had ethic education (Holmes, Marriott, & Randal, 2012).
2. The code of professional accountant ethics is developed as a standard to measure the accountant behaviors (Duska et al., 2011, p. 77). According to Dijkman (2005), the code of professional accountant can be summarized as six main aspects. These six aspects not only focus on the professional knowledge but also personal ethics such as integrity and confidentiality (Dijkman, 2005). As a result, the code of professional accountant can be treated as a standard to evaluate the employees’ ethics in our accounting firm.
2. The code of professional accountant ethics is developed as a standard to measure the accountant behaviors (Duska et al., 2011, p. 77). According to Dijkman (2005), the code of professional accountant can be summarized as six main aspects. These six aspects not only focus on the professional knowledge but also personal ethics such as integrity and confidentiality (Dijkman, 2005). As a result, the code of professional accountant can be treated as a standard to evaluate the employees’ ethics in our accounting firm.
Self-assessment
The employees should ask questions as follow before they make any decisions to make sure their behaviours ethically.
1. Is the action legal and follow the code of professional accountant?
2. Is it against your own personal ethical value?
3. Who will be affected?
4. How will I feel afterwards?
5. Will it negatively impact on company?
1. Is the action legal and follow the code of professional accountant?
2. Is it against your own personal ethical value?
3. Who will be affected?
4. How will I feel afterwards?
5. Will it negatively impact on company?
References
Duska, R., Duska, B. S., & Ragatz, J. A. (2011). Accounting ethics. Chicester: Wiley-Blackwell.
Onyebuchi, V. N. (2011). Ethics in accounting.International Journal of Business and Social Science, (10), 275.
Doucet, Thomas A. (2004). Ethics of Virtue and Ethics of Duty: Defining the Norms of the Profession. 9, 147-168. doi: 10.1016/s1574-0765(04)09007-7
Abdolmohammadi, Mohammad. (2008). Who Should Teach Ethics Courses in Business and Accounting Programs? Research on Professional Responsibility and Ethics in Accounting, 13(113-134). doi: 10.1016/s1574-0765(08)13006-0
Jan Dijkman. (2005). The ethical accountant's "TEN" commandments. Accountancy SA., 27.
Onyebuchi, V. N. (2011). Ethics in accounting.International Journal of Business and Social Science, (10), 275.
Doucet, Thomas A. (2004). Ethics of Virtue and Ethics of Duty: Defining the Norms of the Profession. 9, 147-168. doi: 10.1016/s1574-0765(04)09007-7
Abdolmohammadi, Mohammad. (2008). Who Should Teach Ethics Courses in Business and Accounting Programs? Research on Professional Responsibility and Ethics in Accounting, 13(113-134). doi: 10.1016/s1574-0765(08)13006-0
Jan Dijkman. (2005). The ethical accountant's "TEN" commandments. Accountancy SA., 27.