As competition in business continues to intensify, pressures exerted on accountants by colleagues, bosses, clients, markets or others to feed constant growth and profitability can be intense. The profession’s unique public interest role means we must be vigilant in our conduct and alert to how things appear to others, which is not so easy. Our Code of Conduct sets us apart from other service providers and demands it.

In this session, Cathy Allen, CPA (Audit Conduct, LLC) will explore recent studies that have examined the pressures on accountants, their response and perceptions about ethics in the workplace.  She will talk about recent enforcement activity where auditors were found to lack independence in fact or appearance and the ramifications for those lapses. Cathy will also provide a thorough update of professional ethics developments impacting government audits, illegal acts by clients or employers, and independence when performing information system services, among others.