Ethics Education in Professional Accounting: Preliminary Evidence on the Perceptions of Certified Public Accountants

Abstract

Accounting profession has been hit hardest by criticisms of ethical issues during and after the financial crises. As a response to criticisms, business schools and professional bodies have been working to promote professional ethics throughout the profession around the world. International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) also highlighted the importance of ethics education for accounting professionals. TURMOB (The Union of Chambers of Certified Public Accountants and Sworn-in Certified Public Accountants in Turkey), has taken a step forward to address the ethics issue. An ethics training program has been developed and promoted. Although the participation to the program kept voluntary, more than 3000 professional accountants have been registered in the first round of education. This study aims to present preliminary evidence on the profile of voluntary participants to the program and perceptions of accounting professionals on the ethics training program of TURMOB. For this purpose, first, the profiles of the voluntary participants of the ethics training program are analyzed. Then, a questionnaire is developed to measure the perceptions of certified public accountants on ethics training. The preliminary evidence suggests that the TURMOB Ethics Training Program is perceived as well developed, and effective in contributing the career and personal development of Turkish professional accountants.