دانلود رایگان مقاله تعارض ماواد معدنی و شرافت حرفه ای

Abstract

Against the backdrop of integrity as put forth in the American Institute of CPAs’(AICPA)Code of Conduct,this article takes a close look at a section ofthe 2010 Wall Street Consumer Protection Act, commonly known as Dodd-Frank.Interestingly, Section 1502 of the Act contains a provision that puts forth new reporting and disclosure requirements for publicly traded companies that manufacture products consisting of ‘conflict minerals’ derived from the violence-riddenCongo region. Though the provision is unlikely to stop the violence, the cost of disclosure for publicly traded companies is frighteningly high.This article examinesthe Big 4 accountingfirms’lobbying effortsthat preceded passage ofthe Act and asks whetheritis coincidentalthat Big 4 firmsstand to gain from the Act’s passage, as Section 1502 provides a new revenue stream that could potentially reach into the billions. This article also includes an examination of the origins of auditing, a very brief history of auditing in the U.S., and a look at the accounting industry’s lobbying efforts in recent years. The article concludes with suggestions for the profession, firms, and individual auditors.

6. Where do we go from here? Consistent with the traditional function of the auditor as monitor and a perception that the buck stops with the auditor,the profession has historically faced pressure to protect the public interest. Taking a cue from the AICPA’s code, integrity is the element of an auditor’s character that supports his/her commitment to the public trust. While the profession’s accounting principle of integrity remains codified by the AICPA, this commitment seems sometimes divorced from reality, especially when considering that accounting firms have spent recent decades engaging in activities such as political lobbying with a primary aim of creating new business opportunities. Interestingly, Lee (1995) argues that the profession’s economic self-interest and public interest have historically not been mutually exclusive. Lee examines the origins ofthe auditing professionsin both theU.S. and UK and argues that adherence to a strict set of virtues and beliefs in the early years was actually good for business, as it served to protect business opportunities for those who vowed to work by a codified set of rules and standards. However, as Lee (1995, p. 65) aptly notes: The explicit covenant to protect the public interest has to be taken seriously, perhaps for the first time in the history of the accountancy profession. It can no longer be taken as a legitimizing ticket to provide a range of services without public accountability but with significant economic and social rewards. Instead, accountancy has to be regarded as a vocation, in which service for a designated client also involves duties to a wider public.