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by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research
a recent harris poll survey conducted on behalf of the american institute of cpas finds that individuals in business have more concerns about ethics than ever – and the trend is rising.
in that ethics often involve money and compliance, the trend in business intersects with accountancy and the kind of consulting that accountants often offer.
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the survey segregated data for three cohorts:
opinion elite – people in the general public who are active in civic activities and follow business issues.
business leaders – full-time corporate officers or high-level managers 28 years old or older who have decision-making responsibility in companies with 500 or more employees.
future talent – ages 20-30 pursuing or having a college degree and working less than 10 years.
ethical dilemmas
the survey found that an average of 41 percent of employed respondents have faced an ethical dilemma at work, especially business leaders.
- 51 percent of business leaders have faced ethical dilemmas, perhaps because they’ve been employed longer.
- 37 percent of the opinion elite report ethical dilemmas, perhaps because of their civic and political concerns.
- only 33 percent of future talent have been in such situations, perhaps because they are new to the business world.
longer employment did not necessarily explain the prevalence of dilemmas for business leaders. they were also found to have more respect for ethics.
- 79 percent of them believe a company’s ethics are important for attracting talent.
- 77 percent think ethics are important for a company’s public perception.
- 78 percent consider ethics important in a decision to hire.
ethical corners
business leaders also reported a substantially higher frequency of being encouraged to cut ethical corners. overall, 28 percent of respondents had faced such situations.
- 36 percent of business leaders had been asked to cut ethical corners.
- 25 percent of the opinion elite had been asked to do so.
- only 21 percent of future talent had had been asked to do so.
ethics secondary to success
the respect for ethics, however, did not translate into the evaluation of business success. all three cohorts basically agreed that ethical business practices are a secondary factor in determining whether a company is a global leader.
- about 40 percent of future talent and business leaders ranked financial performance first among indicators of success.
- growth potential ranked second at 37 percent.
- products ranked third at 33 percent.
- ethical business practices ranked fourth, tying with relationships with employees.
- although the opinion elite generally had less concern about ethics, 49 percent saw ethical practices as an indicator of a successful business.
ethics rising
despite the secondary importance given to ethics as an important company quality, 80 percent of business leaders believe ethical business practices are more important now than five years ago.
future talent, new to the business world, were less sure, with only 70 percent seeing an increase in importance.
only 63 percent of opinion elite, who weren’t necessarily in business, think ethics have grown in importance.
the cohorts were in close agreement on whether companies will be more ethical or compliant five years from now, most hovering just under 90 percent.
business leaders were slightly but consistently more optimistic that in the next five years,
- expectations of employees will be higher,
- compliance rules will be more stringent,
- businesses will be held to higher standards regarding environment, social and governance issues, and
- companies will be more ethical/compliant.
somewhere in this increasing concern for ethical practices, policies and compliance there are opportunities for cpa firms to consult from a neutral and disinterested position. cpas are renowned for their honesty and ethical integrity. they have a lot to offer businesses.