Interpreting the Public Interest: A Survey of Professional Accountants

Abstract

The accounting profession, like all professions, has a commitment to advance the interests of the general community as well as those they are contractually bound to serve. Providing services altruistically, at times without compensation, is a salient feature of the public interest ideal. A review of the literature indicates that the profession has abandoned its public interest role so that serving self-interest now appears to have primacy (Bédard 2001, Canning and O'Dwyer 2001, Parker 1994; Saravanamuthu 2004). The aim of this paper is to examine members' interpretation of the public interest ideal and to elicit their perceptions on issues arising from the literature. The results of a survey to members of CPA Australia indicate that members can iterate the formal definition of the public interest, but their application of the public interest in conflict of interest situations is inconsistent with this definition.

An exploratory study of the pressures and ethical dilemmas in the audit conflict

“…Both of these pressures are related to the conflict between the commercial and professional goals described above. This result seems to support the thesis defended by different authors (Davenport & Dellaportas, 2009;Lord & DeZoort, 2001) on the tendency of firms, in recent years, to prioritize business objectives to the detriment of professional goals.…”

“…The way to resolve this conflict between commercial and professional goals will mark the culture of the organization, will determine the ethical level of the firm and will we transmitted, either explicitly or implicitly, to all members in the organization (Davenport & Dellaportas, 2009;Sweeney & McGarry, 2011).…”

“…Some authors argue that audit firms' culture has changed in last years, so that, increasingly, they prioritize business goals (Wyatt, 2004), although firms, still, formally display the idea of the public interest in the exercise of their activity (Davenport & Dellaportas, 2009).…”

Shot by Both Sides Tax the Accounting Profession and the International Public Interest

“…Dor the tax practitioner, it seems there is no question of the interests of the community trumping the interests of the client except when crime is involved and not always then (Davenport and Dellaportas 2009). Congruent with that is a preference for contractualism as an ethical framework rather than a framework based on such a thing as society (Cruz et al 2000).…”

The Role of Accountant in Estonian Enterprise: Survey of Students Opinion

“…growth, industry, innovation, and infrastructure, responsible consumption and production, climate action, peace, justice, and strong institutions and partnership for the goals" (IFAC, The Accountancy…., 2016). Today the accountant has become a "border guard" in serving public interests by providing reliable information about the performance of organization and also the contractual part they are hired to serve Davenport & Dellaportas (2009). However, this not the "one and only" responsibility.…”