The importance of ethics in auditing : fraud and ethical breakdowns

Abstract

Ethics is an essential element of business. It provides guidelines and principles for decision making that promote the wellbeing of the general public, accomplished by students studying ethics in the United States. Despite the importance of ethics, fraudulent events can occur in business that are detrimental to the companies involved and the people attached to those enterprises. This paper discusses the importance of ethics in accounting. This paper analyzes the breakdown of ethical decision making in the Enron scandal, and reflects on personal encounters with ethics during internship experiences. The conclusion emphasizes the importance of increasing discussion of ethics in a college curriculum for faculty and students.