Aicpa Code of Professional Conduct

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AICPA Professional Code of Conduct Phil McNear ETH376 September 10, 2012 Brandy Havens AICPA Professional Code of Conduct The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) is a voluntary worldwide organization with about 360,000 members worldwide. It has been committed to serving the interest of the public for 125 years. Its members encompass a wide range of the accounting profession from public practice accountants to governmental accountants (AICPA, 2006-2012). The AICPA Professional Code of Conduct is the base of how professional accountants should act as accountants. The six core principles of the Code are designed to not only protect the public, but to also protect the accountant. The six principles include responsibilities, the public interest, integrity, objectivity and independence, due care, and scope and nature of services (Mintz & Morris, 2008). The main purposes of the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct are to uphold the public’s confidence at all costs and to enforce the ethical responsibilities of the CPAs. In addition, it provides guidelines in the performance of the professional duties (Mintz & Morris, 2008). The primary responsibility of any accountant is to maintain the trust of the public. The number one priority of any accountant, whether a CPA or not, is to uphold the public’s interests at any cost. The debacles of WorldCom and Enron left many investors with a negative view of the accounting profession. Although it was just a few bad accountants in those fiascoes, it tarnished the image of every accountant in the United States. Therefore, an accountant must act according to the Code if he or she wants to gain and keep the trust of the public. The Code provides a blueprint of how accountants should act in a responsible and professional manner. Through the aforementioned principles, it details how an accountant

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