Accounting Ethics and Christian Beliefs in the Workplace

In the accounting field, there always seems to be more than enough conflict between what an individual’s moral compass tells them and the responsibility of an employee to work for the company in the highest of ethical respects.    The material contained within this paper will discuss some of these conflicts.  It will also establish the proven fact that strong organizational leaders that have a robust set of values and morals that they adhere to will also affect their subordinates and the ability of those subordinates in such a manner that they will be able to apply good decision making when it comes to making ethical and moral choices as they apply to the company.  One of the prevalent issues in business conflict is the question of what is right and what is best for the organization.  This is a specific ethical dilemma that arises within the accounting role.  In business, it seems that it is always the greater good of the company that is being accomplished.  However, the individual sense of personal responsibility and scruples lose significance.  Employees are trained to do what our bosses tell us to.   If not, the individual’s employment status could be in jeopardy.        

Ethics is the system or set of moral principles that influence an individual to make decisions based on his or her various motivations and the ensuing results or consequences of those decisions. (Pasztor, 2015) Ethical standards in accounting are established by the profession in order to define expected norms of professional conduct.  (Mastracchio Jr, Jiménez-Angueira, & Toth, 2015) Ethics are not necessarily the same as morals.  Morals are more personal in nature and, as such, very often differ between individuals. Ethical standards, however, must apply equally to every member of a profession. (Mastracchio, Jr, et al, 2015) Ethical issues are very ingrained throughout the business world.  More precisely within the field of accounting, the development of an ethics program in a business is imperative to the long-term success of that business.    Subordinate employees have a tendency to look to those in control to set an example for maintaining a high ethical standard for the company.  As well, the upper management must abide by the same standards of ethical behavior in order to guide the attitude for the rest of the company successfully. When leaders are seen as trustworthy and honest with a commitment to uphold these virtues and standards, the employees will follow suit in their decisions and behaviors.  

At the front of the corporate world is utilitarianism1.  As defined, this is the system of business ethics believed by many individuals to provide the greatest benefits to an organization, its values, and its shareholders.  (Audi, 2007)  The downside of this moral system is that it fails to take into consideration the principles upon which accounting and ethics are founded.   Due to the fact that principles are subjective to the individual and nowhere near enough to form the base of a person’s moral and ethical values, it should not be unexpected that utilitarianism policy does not serve as a solid system for the business world.  (Amico, 2015) Additionally, it is the notion of utility causes the conflict not only the principles found in accounting but also the fundamentals of the Christian belief system. While the need for accountants with an exceptional moral and ethical values continues to increase, the importance for individuals to identify and apply their personal ethics in the business place also continues to grow. It is extremely important for accountants (and accountants to be) to understand the lack of uniformity within utilitarianism in comparison to the rigid and absolute nature of ethical systems that are attuned with the perspective of those of the Christian faith.