...7 What Regulation Typically Covers 7 Regulatory Agencies 8 Accounting Reform 10 Conclusion 13 References 15 Abstract Within the accounting profession there are many complex ethical issues that must be dealt with quite often. It is important that the people working within the industry provide high quality financial statements and always pay close attention to ethical concerns that may arise. Since ethics is such a major concern in the accounting industry, a rules based system is in place for enforcing ethical concerns. There are many regulating bodies that exist that enforce many highly detailed regulations that people within the industry must follow at all times. Throughout history there have been several major accounting scandals that have been followed by new regulation to ensure that these problems do not come up again. CLERP 9 and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act are just a couple of acts that have caused significant changes to the accounting world in recent times. This paper will look at some of the different issues that accountants face as well as some of the regulations that seek to end unethical behavior. Ethical Standards in Accounting Introduction The accounting industry is an always changing and constantly growing industry. Accounting plays a vital role in society and business and up until recently accounting was considered to have some of the highest standards for ethical and moral conduct in business. In recent years there have been...
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...Accounting Principles & General Financial Ethical Standards Mark Bullock Acc/291 11-18-2013 John H Olarte Accounting Principles & General Financial Ethical Standards [pic] “Accounting and financial professionals must abide by ethical standards that regulate what kind of business they conduct, who they serve and how they use their skills. Ethical standards are determined largely by professional accounting and finance organizations and the Financial Accounting Standards Board. Small-business owners who plan to perform their own accounting services or hire accountants should be aware of accounting principles and general financial ethical standards so they can maintain a positive reputation for their businesses.” Ethics should always play a role in the businesses everyday life. Without ethics you really should think about closing your doors because it will eventually catch up with your company. Most companies live by the standards that G.A.A.P. provides for them and their companies are doing well. The U.S. provides all companies with generally accepted principles that should be followed by their accounting department. Here is a basic generalization of those principles. “Determined by the FASB, U.S. generally accepted accounting principles are standards that determine how accountants in the U.S. conduct and format their reports. Accounting records must be seen by a number of people outside of the organization for transparency purposes....
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...The Role of Accounting in the Medical Office By Joy Hicks Medical Office Expert An accounting department plays an enormous role within the medical office. As the backbone of the organization, the accounting department allows the organization to operate at its fullest potential. Without an accounting department, it would be impossible for any type of organization to operate in a cost effective manner. General Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) are the common set of accounting principles, standards and procedures that companies use to compile their financial statements. GAAP, are simply put, the customarily accepted ways of recording and reporting accounting information. Each organization may operate differently but all have to follow by set guidelines within the organizations community, state and at the federal level. If these standards and procedures are not followed the U.S. Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) will fine the organization and possibly pursue criminal action to enforce compliance. Within accounting and financial management, there are four key elements recognized. The four elements are: Planning, Controlling, Organizing and Directing and Decision Making. The planning element allows an organization to set forth goals and guidelines to ensure the future success and accomplishments of the medical office. Controlling provides the organization the opportunity to ensure that all areas within the organization are following the previous planned...
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...Fair Value Accounting and Ethics Presented by: Unit 6: AC504 04.12.2011 Executive Summary Over the past 15 years fair value accounting has been building in popularity. It is now widely used by International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and US GAAP. It is thought that adapting to fair value accounting will make financial statements more relevant and reliable. Currently the majority of assets are recorded under historical cost. Under historical cost the asset is recorded under the price it was purchased at and then depreciated over its useful life. However, this concept has proven to be not as reliable since it does not take into account changing appreciation and depreciation of the asset. Under IFRS and fair value the asset must be annually checked for impairment making it more reliable and relevant. Over 120 countries currently use IFRS (AICPA, 2011). It is anticipated that more countries will begin encouraging it as global competition becomes more prevalent. The SEC is also allowing companies that trade stock within the US to report under IFRS. This is largely due to IFRS sharing many common principles with US GAAP. The main difference is that GAAP provides specific guidelines in how to report, while IFRS is principle based. This allows creators to adapt the standards in a way that would better fit their industry and needs. In order for fair value accounting to be successful, an ethical culture must be established. First a code of...
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...Reporting Practices and Ethics Megan HCS/405 30 June, 2014 Reporting Practices and Ethics The accounting staff is a very large part of the healthcare industry. Accounting staff code and bill products and different services that are offered at that location and maintaining an ethical culture is imperative. There are accounting principles and standards and procedures that are part of the General Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). The GAAP principles have four key elements: Planning, Controlling, Organizing and Directing and Decision Making. Ethical Components and GAAP Accounting is the backbone of any medical organization because of it enormous impact on running as a cost effective organization. Every organization runs on its own set of principles and goals, but most are certainly guided by different federal, state, and government laws. There are accounting principles and standards and procedures that are part of the General Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). The GAAP principles have four key elements: Planning, Controlling, Organizing and Directing and Decision Making. The GAAP principle of Planning includes ways of setting goals and guidelines for the future of the organization. The principle of Controlling involves ensuring that planned goals are on track with previous goals and also that there is room to fix any issues that may arise. Organization and directing is to make sure that the organizations full potential is being provided...
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...and Ethics Two major necessities needed to manage a health care organization financially are outstanding ethical standards and reporting practices. Reporting financial data reports is important and information must be accurate and factual. Organizations obtain and maintain financial data to aid in the audits of the amounts, control, and potential uncertainties of cash flows. Keeping the financial data current is important because majority of the time the data contains information about the organization’s equity and economic resources. Developing and analyzing ethical standards carefully allows organizations to stay in compliance with those standards formed for the health care community. Poor ethics and financial planning sometimes effects consumers. According to Nelson (2011), “Basic ethics principles that make up our common morality, including respect for patients, acting in patients’ best interest, avoid bringing harm to patients and treating patients in a fair and equitable manner, serve as the foundation for healthcare values.” This paper will contain a summary of the four elements associated with financial management, generally accepted accounting principles, and general financial ethical standards. The reader will explore Examples from two articles “Ethical Decision making for healthcare Executives” and “Ethics: A foundation for quality” that reflect ethical standards of conduct, financial reporting practices, and the significance of each example. Four elements of financial...
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...executive can accelerate accounting of expected expenses, delay accounting of expected revenue, engage in off balance sheet transactions to make the company's profitability appear temporarily poorer, or simply promote and report severely conservative estimates of future earnings. And this phenomenon of accounting scandal exist in contemporary society. The integrity of the accounting profession and the credibility of financial information provided by businesses have been undermined by scandals. Accounting and business education should pay more attention to the ethical to prevent accounting scandals. And they should not be focused on the teaching of accounting techniques. Neoliberal ideology is a political movement beginning in the 1960s that blends traditional liberal concerns for social justice with an emphasis on economic growth. And it is similar to globalization. Globalization includes three elements that are difficult decreasing, quick response to alterations, and multilateral trade liberalization. And accounting professional contains individual professional judgment and professional self-regulation. Globalisation brings many benefits but also a number of problems, for instance, low price labour used by multinationals that Increasing wages for highly-skilled workers and reducing wages for less-skilled workers obviously leads to greater inequality. Neoliberalism has also been unable to address growing levels of global inequality. In order to better focus on ethical education, accountants...
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...Ethics – can we merge AICPA and IFAC ethics standards? AC504 March 10, 2013 INTRODUCTION There are many challenges and obstacles facing the accounting profession with the convergence towards a globally accepted accounting reporting structure and a global ethics structure. Today’s economy is becoming globally smaller and more importantly the economy from all fronts is becoming more co-dependent on one another from a domestic and international perspective regarding finance, raw materials, IT, and labor talent. Some of the challenges facing the accounting profession as move towards a global standard is how do we ensure the information are reliable? Many companies in various parts of the world have different reasons/motives for how financial information is compiled and distributed due to things such as government or other political/social reasons and influences. Another large issue facing accountants would be what is acceptable in Country A may be unacceptable from an ethical standpoint to Country B. An example of this, IGAAP is less stringent than U.S. GAAP regarding certain disclosures, therefore, how will the information be disclosed in order for investors and creditors to make informed decisions. From an ethical standpoint will companies chose to use IGAAP because it is less stringent and the disclosure will be less disclosed than it is today. Finally the idea of enforceability, in certain countries, will the Commission actually have authority to hold...
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...Financial management is very essential for health care organization’s to succeed and accomplish goals. As a financial management has a major aspect on how it incorporates the ethical standards and proper reporting practices. To report practices and ethical standards in health care finance assist financial managers in conducting. They conduct effect analysis of the organization’s revenues, expenses, assets, and much more. In the next few paragraphs in the paper will be discussed is the four elements of financial management, the accepted accounting principles, and a few general financial, ethical standards will conduct. Plus, there would be examples of conduct and financial reporting practices in the health care organizations from other articles that will be discussed. The four elements of financial management are planning, controlling, organizing and directing, and decision making. The first element, planning is to set up the health care organization goals and objectives. Then to see what steps have to take and which steps would be more effective to achieve the goal. The second element is controlling; as a financial management will need to consist of verifying whether the department is following the plans, instructions issued, and the principles established. The third element is organizing and directing; which this can be a process that follows planning and controlling element in the health care organizations. While organizing established how resources can be effective...
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...Reporting Practices and Ethical Standards in Health Care Finance Ashley Riggs HCS 405 February 6, 2012 Jay Christensen Reporting Practices and Ethical Standards in Health Care Finance Healthcare managers engage in many important roles to create and sustain successful organizations. Managers must understand the crucial elements of financial management and the generally accepted accounting principles. They must also understand, adhere to, and enforce the general financial ethical standards. Four Elements of Financial Management Planning The first step in financial management is planning. It is the responsibility of the financial manager to first identify the goals of the company. Then it is the financial manager’s responsibility to decide on the appropriate steps that must be taken to accomplish the goals of the company. Controlling The second step in financial management is controlling. During this phase of financial management, it is the responsibility of the financial manager to ensure that each division of the organization is following the plans was decided. Managers should study current reports and compare them with earlier reports. This will help to decide what division of the organization needs the most attention. Organizing and directing The third step in financial management is organizing and directing. During organization, it is the responsibility of the financial manager to decide how to use the resources of the organization most effectively. The resources...
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...principles of accounting and finance, and have the knowledge and the understanding of a financial report and what it means. Without these skills and ethical standards it could result in poor management. Financial management is a vital part of organizational effectiveness and success. Financial management requires four elements in order to operate properly. The four elements of financial management: Planning- the financial manager identifies the steps that must be taken to accomplish the organizations objectives. The purpose is to identify objectives and the steps to accomplish these objectives. Controlling- The financial manager make sure that each area of the organization is following the plans that have been established. Organizing_ The financial manager decides how to use the resources of the organization to most effectively carrying out the plans that have been established. Decision making- The financial manager makes choices among available alternatives. All types of decisions making rely on information and evaluation. The purpose is to make informed choices. Generally accepted accounting principles are accounting standards and guidelines used in financial accounting and reporting. Generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP)., are accounting rules used to prepare and standardize the reporting of financial statements, such as balance sheets, income statements and cash flow statements, for publicly traded companies in the United States. It set out standards for managing...
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...Ethical Financial Management Dana Doody HCS 405 2 Sep 2014 Working as a financial manager comes with a lot of responsibility; and a lot of standards of practice. Just like physicians and nurses, financial managers of health care organization have a set of rules and ethical guidelines they must follow in their practices. In this paper, I will what the four elements of financial management are. There will also be a summary of generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and financial ethical standards. Business’s mist follow these standards in order to comply with federal agencies such as the Financial Accounting Standard Board. I will also provide examples from articles that explain how corporations comply with these standards and deal with fraud or abuse. The four elements of financial management. The key to good financial management is to be well organized and have good finical discipline. Health care is a business and having a good concept of financial management will help those businesses run smoothly. “The healthcare industry is a service industry, its essential business is the delivery of healthcare services.”(Refaat, 2014) Having a good understanding of the elements of financial management can help to explain the financial management of that service industry. The first element is planning, planning helps identify the steps that must be taken in order to accomplish the organizations objectives. The second is controlling, this is in place to help ensure...
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...management and accounting are separate functions, although the accounting function typically is carried out under the direction of the organization’s chief financial officer (CFO) and hence falls under the overall category of “finance.” Abstract (Moorely, 2013). The key elements of financial management include: Financial planning, Financial Control and Financial Decision-making. All this are basically concerned with the procurement, allocation, and control of the financial resources of a business concern. As health care workers enter the twenty-first century, they must understand the relationships among market-driven forces, the health care workforce, and financial compensation. This understanding can be facilitated by a grasp of utilitarian ethical theory and by ethical tenets of justice such as distributive justice, material principles of justice, and justice as fairness. Health care workers also need to understand how unfair financial compensation can demoralize them and compromise their values. However, professional associations and health care managers can take a proactive stance to ensure that organizations are ethical in their approach to financial compensation. Accounting and financial professionals must abide by ethical standards that regulate what kind of business they conduct, who they serve and how they use their skills. Ethical standards are determined largely by professional accounting and finance organizations and the Financial Accounting Standards...
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...Accounting ethics is primarily a field of applied ethics and is part ofbusiness ethics and human ethics, the study of moral values and judgments as they apply to accountancy. It is an example of professional ethics. Accounting introduced by Luca Pacioli, and later expanded by government groups, professional organizations, and independent companies. Ethics are taught in accounting courses at higher education institutions as well as by companies training accountants and auditors. Due to the diverse range of accounting services and recent corporate collapses, attention has been drawn to ethical standards accepted within the accounting profession.[2] These collapses have resulted in a widespread disregard for the reputation of the accounting profession.[3] To combat the criticism and prevent fraudulent accounting, various accounting organizations and governments have developed regulations and remedies for improved ethics among the accounting profession. ------------------------------------------------- Importance of ethics The nature of the work carried out by accountants and auditors requires a high level of ethics. Shareholders, potential shareholders, and other users of the financial statements rely heavily on the yearly financial statements of a company as they can use this information to make an informed decision about investment.[4] They rely on the opinion of the accountants who prepared the statements, as well as the auditors that verified it, to present a true and fair...
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...Reporting Practices and Ethics Mia Moseley HCS/405 David Catoe August 25, 2014 According to Hicks (n.d.), “An accounting department plays an enormous role within the medical office. As the backbone of the organization, the accounting department allows the organization to operate at its fullest potential. Without an accounting department, it would be impossible for any type of organization to operate in a cost effective manner” (The Role of Accounting in the Medical Office). Reporting Practices and Ethics Financial reporting and ethical standards in health care allow organizations to operate at their fullest potential. The standards are determined and set by the Financial Accounting Standards Board. In this paper we will define the elements of financial management, the generally accepted accounting principles and ethical standards. We will review a couple of articles and discuss their reporting practices and ethical standards. The Four Elements of Financial Management “Health care service delivery is a business. The concept of financial management assists in balancing the inflows and outflows that are a part of the business” (Mohamed, n.d.). There are four elements of financial management. They are planning, controlling, organizing, and decision making. These four elements all rely on the other and are necessary for successful business practice. Planning Planning is where the organization’s objectives, needs, and goals are identified and steps...
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