Creve Couer Pizza CaseEssay Preview: Creve Couer Pizza Case1 rating(s)Report this essayCreve Couer Pizza, Inc.In this case the ethical aspects primarily involved the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) as James Checksfield was serving as Creve Couers CPA. However, the professional standards set for accountants by the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) and the AICPA share close similarities. Both organizations emphasize that accountants follow a code of ethics when performing their duties. The members must use these ethical principles when engaging in accounting services for their company and the general public. The organizations note the following ethical standards: competence, confidentiality, integrity and credibility. The ethical principles are based on honesty, fairness, objectivity and responsibility.
Both the AICPA and the IMA stress integrity in their ethical standards which prohibits managerial accountants from engaging in unethical conduct. Integrity refers to behaving consistently with what is right and maintaining the appearance of what is right. In order to do what is right, the accountant must remain honest with their customers, even when the information shared is negative. Confidentiality requires accountants to disclose information only at their supervisors discretion. The accountant needs to respect the privacy of the customer and keep the information confidential. The most significant exception to the confidentiality rules is that accounting professionals work papers are subject to subpoena by a court which is nothing analogous to the attorney-client privilege. According to the AICPA and the IMA, accountants must remain credible in their responsibilities. Credibility refers to the accountants ability to communicate accounting information fairly and objectively to all business stakeholders.
Both organizations highlights the fact that a failure to report negative information or use a companys internal financial information for personal gain can create serious legal situations for the clients, the firm, and the accountants. Accountants who fail to abide by the AICPA and/or the IMAs accounting ethical code face a variety of punishments. Accountants may lose their professional certification, be removed from accounting positions and face legal penalties depending on their inappropriate actions. Maintaining the general publics trust in companies is depicted as being a primary responsibility of all accountants.
I believe that the case of Creve Couer case closely involves the ethical issues of integrity and objectivity, confidentiality, and credibility. In addition, as it is often the case, small business owners face a lack of protocols in enterprise risk management. Particularly lacking in the low implementation of specific internal controls where the owner oversee multiple internal processes. The owner often manages multiple departments, administers the financial statements, and creates the managerial budgets and reports. Therefore increasing the chance of the owners to engage in conducts that prejudice the ethical performance of duties.
Question 1 – Moral Conscience ResponsibilityYes, Certified Public Accountants providing services such as accounting, taxation, audit, attestation, and other related services have a responsibility to serve small businesses as a moral conscience. The professional responsibilities of a Certified Public Accountant to their clients were determined by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants Code of Professional Conduct. Specifically, Rule 102 regarding integrity and objectivity was used to determine what constituted as integrity and objectivity in the practice of a CPA acting as the moral conscience of their client.
Small business owners using certified public accountants trust the professional to help their small business grow. CPAs must act with integrity, maintain objectivity and independence, and perform services with due care to clients. The AICPA defines, in Section 54 Article III paragraph .01, integrity as an “element of character fundamental to professional recognition.” Paragraph .02 describes integrity as “honest and candid within the constraints of client confidentiality” (AICPA, 2011, p. 1681). When businesses think they are conducting themselves in an appropriate manner, and their accountant does not inform them otherwise, the accountant has not provided their client with the due care required.
Within the context of accounting related services provided for small businesses, CPAs hired by the business owners are responsible for ensuring their client is within the confines of accounting rules, and accounting laws, specifically tax laws. CPAs are to advise their clients of changing statuses in tax laws, audit rules, and interpretations of generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). It is the CPAs responsibility to advise all clients as to when certain activities may cross the line of being unethical and be made aware that such actions are inappropriate and unacceptable. The CPAs reputation and career is on the line, so it is very important for them to act accordingly and in an ethical matter.
Question 2 – Moral and Professional ResponsibilityMoral responsibilities are subjective and defined by individuals. Therefore, auditors have a professional responsibility to the accounting profession to turn in clients who are cheating on their taxes or violating other laws. Although it is expected for professional accountants to have morals that mirror the AICPAs code of conduct for professional responsibility, that is not always the case. Rule 301 was used to determine whether information should be disclosed in the instance of fraud. Based on the information in the code of professional conduct, I have concluded that CPAs have a responsibility for the greater public interest in determining the appropriate actions to be taken
The Ethics of Law Enforcement and the Role of Lawmakers
Since the Ethics of Law Enforcement was introduced, this report explains, in some detail, what is expected of law enforcement officers when they are sworn to uphold the law. These officers will make some of the decisions regarding how to handle and deal with cases, but their decision-making will not be influenced by their professional conduct. Their responsibilities will also reflect the way that they assess the actions that they are taking on behalf of the department and the department’s mission. The ethical responsibilities of law enforcement officers will depend a lot on their understanding and understanding of the law-enforcement role as well as the relationship between the department and law enforcement. In addition, these officers should follow rules and rules of criminal and administrative law that will apply to them. The law of the highway, however, is very different from a federal law. Therefore, the ethics requirements in this case are the work of the Department of Justice (DOJ).
The following are guidelines for a public official to read before or during service:
The ethics and appearance of law enforcement officers should be clear and concise.
Law enforcement officers may be in uniform (e.g. uniformed or civilian employees) at an event, law lecture or meeting. They should not wear a badge, identification card, badge number or other identification that may identify themselves in a public building or in a public park. To be able to read and understand the ethics standards of the public entities that handle the law, police officers need to be equipped with an adequate personal and business log that is a combination of the written and oral accounts and the public files of all law enforcement entities. You must check with the law director or other appropriate law enforcement personnel before going to the event, law lecture or meeting. Your written and oral account should be available on the state crime investigation website or your local police department’s web site.
Law enforcement officers are not “police officers or public figures.” You cannot be the mayor, state, federal, state legislator, judge, or elected official of any state. Law enforcement officers should be certified by state agencies and licensed psychologists. You will not be trained on the following:
Corporate and state law enforcement (including: emergency response, highway security, city, park, or other law enforcement organization);
Federal law enforcement (including: crime labs, fire marshals, fire districts, courts, and law enforcement agencies);
Government agencies and their employees, including courts, law enforcement agencies, firemen, and judges and prosecutors;
Local and federal law enforcement (including: the police departments of Seattle, Redmond, and Tacoma; Seattle Police Department; Washington State Police Patrol and other law enforcement agencies);
In addition to the following: