Accounting and Business Ethics An Introduction

In the post-Enron scandal era accounting has come under scrutiny as never before, both as a profession and as a key contributor to governance in business. Many aspects of the accounting profession are being reviewed, from its structure to corporate governance to the ethics of individual accountants.
This ground-breaking text takes a uniquely interactive approach, drawing on a wealth of international real-world case studies and examples to engage students in debate and discussion. An accompanying website provides not only lecturer support, but also a unique forum for discussion, bridging the gap between universities and professional education and placing the debates and dilemmas which the profession faces in a broader ethical and political context.
The first UK book to focus specifically on accounting ethics, this key text is a must read for accounting students of all levels as well as for professional accountants on continuing professional development courses.

Despite the enormous impact ofvarious accounting scandalson 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 conciseintroductory 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 factorsthat 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 acompact introductionaimed at both students and practitioners who want to understand more about the ethics of accounting.

Part I 1. Introduction 2. Descriptive Perspectives on Accounting Ethics 3. Normative Perspectives on Accounting Ethics 4. Political Moral Philosophyand Accounting Ethics 5. Postand New Modern Perspectives on Accounting Ethics Part II 6. The Function of Accountingand the Morality of the Market 7. The Ethics of Being a Professional Accountant 8. The Ethics of International Accounting9. Ethics, Intellectual Capitaland Accounting Reporting

Ken McPhail is Professor of Accounting at La Trobe University, Australia. Diane Walters is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Scotland and a part-time lecturer at Heriot-Watt University, UK.