An urgent need for ethics education for accountants

Social, political and technological changes have challenged traditional idea of professionalpractice by accountants. Accounting is both an essential practice and a vital profession in theeconomically developed world of today (Ronald F.Duska and Brenda Shay Duska,2003). Today,professional accountants cannot exist by technical knowledge alone; they have to possesand apply that within a framework of professional values, ethics and attitudes.(Peter Williams,2007). Ethics, values and principles serve as benchmarks of the accounting profession. Theydetermine what is right and wrong, appropriate and inappropriate, on a universal basis everytime. (Joe Lienandt, 2003). Enron’s bankruptcy case, in which their auditors and consultantsfrom the accounting firm Arthur Anderson, came under criticism for not apparently carryingout their responsibilities as accountants. The Enron/Arthur Anderson’s case has raised the ethicalquestion, ‘what is the appropriate behaviour for accountants?’ and ‘what are the accountantssupposed to do?’ This paper attempts to address the following issues: How to teach ethics tothose entering the profession; How to ensure that the ethical standards and behaviour of experiencedaccountants are as fresh and relevant as technical knowledge. Copyright © www.iiste.org