Business ethics in the accountancy profession: a South African perspective
| dc.contributor.advisor | Lubbe, D. S. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Lubbe, Nandi | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2016-10-27T12:22:51Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2016-10-27T12:22:51Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2013-01 | |
| dc.description.abstract | English: For thousands of years, man has been searching for the meaning of life, especially through philosophy and religion. One of the most important aspects in this search is probably the distinction between what constitutes right (good) and wrong (bad). This has not been confined to the personal/philosophical/religious aspects of life, but has also spread to the business sphere and eventually developed into the academic field today known as business ethics. Probably not a single day passes without the media reporting on unethical behaviour in its various forms in South Africa. The recent Lonmin/Marikana strike and its aftermath has dominated the South African media during 2012 and has already largely been described as the most tragic episode in the history of post-apartheid South Africa. The Lonmin incident is a “classic case study” of unethical conduct which included, amongst others, participation in unlawful and unprotected strikes, excessive police brutality, intimidation of and violent action against workers who reported for duty, malicious damage to property, clashes between labour unions fighting for membership and control of the industry, and poor leadership. Of all the corporate collapses that shocked the business world, Enron and its then auditors, Arthur Andersen, was problably the most infamous and significant due to its widespread international spillover effect. Enron and other unethical economic scandals provide an indication of the gravity and extensive reach of business ethics in the world today. The accounting profession plays such an important role in the global economy that the prevelance of unethical business practices often leads to appeals for an investigation into the competence and ethical behaviour of these professionals, accompanied by a notion that the main cause of the wrongdoings may be traced back to inadequate prominence given to ethics education within the profession. One of the main challenges in presenting business ethics courses is to keep the subject pragmatic and practically applicable – which may be difficult, possibly due to the discipline’s development from philosophy. If the pragmatic and practical focus is not maintained, business ethics may result in a mere philosophical and theoretical course that has little to do with ethical challenges encountered in the real business world. This study consists of a literature compopnent and an empirical component. The fourfold aim of the literature study was to provide 1) an overview of the development of business ethics as a discipline; 2) the viewpoints and requirements of professional accountancy bodies regarding business ethics and business ethics education; 3) an overview of business ethics modules presented by certain South African universities; and 4) the broad theoretical background to the discipline. The empirical research component was conducted by means of a questionnaire. The aim was primarily to determine the insight of four groups of students in business ethics at the beginning of the course as compared to that at the end of the course to establish the possible impact of the course on the ethical reasoning abilitites and perceptions of students. The questionnaire was also developed to also take into account the major requirements of SAICA regarding business ethics courses. The opinions and perceptions of the four groups of students enabled the researcher to reach conclusions and make recommendations regarding the suitability of the current content of business ethics courses. The study is set out in 5 chapters. Chapter 1 provides the introduction to the study, sketching a few of the ethical dilemmas that the world is currently faced with as a means to illustrate the importance of business ethics as a discipline. This is followed by an overview and discussion of the viewpoints and requirements of professional accountancy bodies regarding business ethics and business ethics education as well as an overview of business ethics modules presented by certain South African universities. Chapter 3 provides an overview of the development of business ethics as a discipline followed by an analysis of the findings gathered from the questionnaire (chapter 4). The final chapter consists of the conclusions and recommendations for improvement of business ethics courses and further research possibilities. | en_ZA |
| dc.description.abstract | Afrikaans: Vir duisende jare reeds is die mensdom op soek na die sin van die lewe, veral deur middel van die filosofie en godsdiens. Een van die belangrikste aspekte in die soeke na die sin van die lewe is waarskynlik die onderskeid tussen dit wat reg (goed) en verkeerd (sleg) is. Dié soeke is nie slegs beperk tot die persoonlike/filosofiese/godsdienstige aspekte van die lewe nie, maar het ook na die besigheidsfeer uitgebrei en uiteindelik ontwikkel tot die akademiese dissipline wat vandag bekend staan as besigheidsetiek. Daar gaan waarskynlik nie ‘n dag verby waarin die media nie verslag doen oor onetiese optrede in sy verskeie vorme in Suid-Afrika nie. Die onlangse Lonmin/Marikana-staking en die nadraai daarvan het die media in Suid-Afrika gedurende 2012 oorheers en is alreeds grootliks beskryf as die tragieste episode in die geskiedenis van post-apartheid Suid-Afrika. Die Lonmin-insident is ‘n “klassieke gevallestudie” van onetiese gedrag, wat onder andere die deelname aan onwettige en onbeskermde stakings, oormatige polisiebrutaliteit, intimidasie van en geweldadige optrede teen werknemers wat vir diens aangemeld het, kwaadwillige beskadiging van eiendom, botsings tussen vakbonde wat vir ledetalle en beheer oor die industrie veg, asook swak leierskap insluit. Van al die korporatiewe ineenstortings wat die besigheidswêreld geskok het, is dié van Enron en hul destydes ouditeure, Arthur Andersen, waarskynlik die berugste en belangrikste as gevolg van die wye internasionale impak daarvan. Enron en ander onetiese ekonomiese skandale gee ʼn aanduiding van die erns en reikwydte van besigheidsetiek op die wêreld vandag. Die rekenmeestersprofessie speel so ‘n belangrike rol in die globale ekonomie dat die voorkoms van onetiese besigheidspraktyke dikwels uitloop op pleidooie vir ʼn ondersoek na die bevoegdheid en etiese optrede van die betrokke professionele persone, asook die opmerkings dat die hoofrede vir die wanpraktyke dalk teruggevoer kan word na die onderbeklemtoning van etiekonderrig in dié professie. Een van die hoofuitdagings in die aanbieding van besigheidsetiekkursusse is om die kursus pragmaties en praktiestoepaslik te hou – wat moeilik kan wees, moontlik weens die dissipline se ontwikkeling vanuit die filosofie. Indien die pragmatiese en praktiese fokus nie gehandhaaf kan word nie, kan besigheidsetiek verval in ‘n bloot filosofiese en teoretiese kursus wat weinig te make het met etiese uitdagings wat in die werklike besigheidswêreld aangetref word. Hierdie studie bestaan uit ‘n literatuur- en ʼn empiriese komponent. Die vierledige doel van die literatuurstudie is om ‘n oorsig te bied oor 1) die ontwikkeling van besigheidsetiek as ʼn dissipline; 2) die sienings en vereistes van professionele rekeningkundige beheerliggame aangaande besigheidsetiek en besigheidsetiekonderrig; 3) besigheidsetiekmodules wat aan sekere Suid-Afrikaanse universiteite aangebied word; en 4) die breë teoretiese agtergrond van die dissipline. Die empiriese navorsing is behartig deur middel van ‘n vraelys. Die doel was primêr om die insig van vier groepe besigheidsetiekstudente te toets - aan die begin van die kursus en ‘n vergelyking met die resultaat aan die einde van die kursus - ten einde die moontlike impak van die kursus op die studente se etiese beredeneringsvaardighede en persepsies te bepaal. Die vraelys is ontwikkel om ook die hoofvereistes van SAICA rakende besigheidsetiekkursusse in ag te neem. Die opinies en persepsies van die vier groepe studente het die navorser in staat gestel om gevolgtrekkings en aanbevelings te maak oor die toepaslikheid van die bestaande inhoud van besigheidsetiekkursusse. Die studie bestaan uit 5 hoofstukke. Hoofstuk 1 verskaf die inleiding tot die studie deur te wys op ‘n paar etiese dilemmas wat die wêreld tans beleef ter stawing van die belangrike rol van besigheidsetiek as dissipline. Dit word gevolg deur ‘n oorsig oor en bespreking van die standpunte en vereistes van professionele rekeningkundige beheerliggame aangaande besigheidsetiek en besigheidsetiekonderrig, sowel as ‘n oorsig oor besigheidsetiekmodules wat deur sekere Suid-Afrikaanse universiteite aangebied word. Hoofstuk 3 bied ‘n oorsig oor die ontwikkeling van besigheidsetiek as dissipline, gevolg deur ‘n ontleding van die bevindinge versamel vanuit die vraelys (hoofstuk 4). Die slothoofstuk bevat die gevolgtekkings en aanbevelings vir verbetering van besigheidsetiekkursusse en verdere navorsingsmoontlikhede. | af |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/11660/4230 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | en_ZA |
| dc.publisher | University of the Free State | en_ZA |
| dc.rights.holder | University of the Free State | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Auditing | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Accounting | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Business ethics | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Philosophy | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Ethical theories | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Social responsibility | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Corporate governance | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Auditing and accounting profession | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Business ethics -- South Africa | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Accountants -- South Africa | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Dissertation (MCom (Auditing))--University of the Free State, 2013 | en_ZA |
| dc.title | Business ethics in the accountancy profession: a South African perspective | en_ZA |
| dc.type | Dissertation | en_ZA |