“the difficulty isn’t identifying the ethical decision; it’s making the right choice with difficult implications.”
accounting arc
with liz mason, byron patrick, and donny shimamoto.
center for accounting transformation
accounting ethics training needs a major reboot, according to the latest episode of accounting arc. while traditional ethics training often feels like a check-the-box exercise, hosts liz mason, byron patrick, and donny shimamoto argue the profession must move toward a more engaging and comprehensive approach.
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“ethics education in accounting has become stale,” says patrick, ceo and founder of verifyiq and vice president of client success at the b3 method institute, reflecting on his 80-plus hours of ethics training over his 22-year career. “the right decisions are usually obvious, but it’s the process of making them that’s difficult. unfortunately, none of my training has equipped me to handle that challenge.”
one of the key issues raised in the episode is the formulaic nature of traditional ethics education. mason, founder and ceo of high rock accounting, highlights that many presentations simply focus on independence and professional standards, without delving into the philosophical underpinnings of ethics. “we’re not addressing the ‘why’ behind ethical decisions,” mason emphasizes. “we need to be talking about ethical frameworks, values, and the cultural contexts that shape them.”
the hosts also discuss how ethics training often overlooks the complexities of real-world situations. “most ethical dilemmas aren’t about identifying what’s right or wrong—they’re about the difficulty of making the right choice,” says byron. “the implications of those choices are what make them hard.”
mason pushes for a deeper, more philosophical approach to ethics training. “ethics is about more than just following the rules. it’s about understanding ethical theories and how they apply to different situations,” she explains. according to mason, incorporating diverse cultural perspectives and exploring broader ethical considerations, like those seen in pop culture or science fiction, could provide accountants with more meaningful guidance.
“we need to make ethics education fun and relatable,” mason continues, referencing how innovative approaches—like combining ethics training with entertainment—are helping to reshape the conversation. for example, she mentioned the concept of “drunk ethics,” a playful yet informative approach to ethics training.
shimamoto, the founder and managing director of intraprisetechknowlogies llc and founder and inspiration architect for the center for accounting transformation, adds that expanding ethics training is critical for addressing modern issues in the profession. “with the rise of ai and other emerging technologies, we need to think critically about how these tools affect our ethical decision-making,” he says. shimamoto also points to broader challenges, such as environmental, social, and governance (esg) concerns, that are becoming increasingly relevant to accountants.
“there are ethical implications to everything we do as a profession,” shimamoto concludes. “we need to broaden the conversation to include how we treat people, how we make decisions within our organizations, and how we uphold our values in the face of new challenges.”
the hosts all agree that the future of ethics education needs to evolve. “ethics isn’t black and white,” patrick says. “it’s time we rethink how we approach this important topic, so accountants are better prepared to handle the ethical dilemmas they face every day.”
10 key takeaways
- traditional ethics training often feels formulaic and lacks depth.
- ethical dilemmas are not about identifying right vs. wrong but about making the difficult choice.
- ethics training should focus on the “why” behind decisions, not just the rules.
- incorporating philosophical frameworks can make ethics training more meaningful.
- a values-based approach can enhance the ethical decision-making process.
- the rise of ai and emerging technologies poses new ethical challenges for accountants.
- esg (environmental, social, governance) concerns are becoming more important in ethics discussions.
- ethics training needs to include human and operational issues, not just professional standards.
- cultural context significantly influences how ethical decisions are made.
- we must make ethics education engaging and relatable to keep accountants informed and empowered.
one response to “beyond the basics in ethics education | accounting arc”
frank stitely
if people are proposing adding time to ethics training, there has to be a subtraction in time for something else. people in the profession have no slack time to meet additional requirements. additional time requirement is a major issue in causing people to either leave the profession or not enter in the first place. the special interest groups surrounding the profession seem to believe the people in the profession have lots of slack time to devote to the aims of the various interest groups.