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An examination of the ethical discourse of the US public accounting profession from a Foucaultian perspective

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Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the evolution of the ethical discourse of the US
public accounting profession over the last century in relation to Foucault’s concept of “codified
discourse”. The ethical discourse of the US public accounting profession has evolved from its first code
of ethics promulgated in 1917, which focused primarily on protecting the economic interests of the
profession, to a position in the most recent promulgation of the code of professional conduct, which
contains aspirational elements regarding ethical behavior, but which incorporates few enforceable
provisions. It is therefore necessary to look elsewhere for the ethical discourse of the profession, which
appears to be located more in the behaviors of accountants practicing in large international public
accounting firms, in which the professional accountant becomes molded into an “ethical being” in the
Foucaultian sense, as one who is self-regulated and self-formed into an ideal member of the profession.
Design/methodology/approach – Using Foucault’s concept of “codified discourse”, the author
examines changes to the code of ethics of the USpublic accounting profession of over a period of 100 years.
The code of ethics of the US public accounting profession has been one of the primary means through
which the ethical discourse of the profession has been communicated to itsmembers.The author addresses
the questionwhether the code of ethics has been principally directed towards protecting the public interest
or serving the private interests of the profession. Extending Preston et al. and Beets, the author argues that
the changes to the code of ethics have been prompted primarily by market forces and the accounting
profession’s desire to expand its scope of its services, thus protecting its private economic interests.
Findings – The author demonstrates that the ethical discourse of the profession can be found more in
the self-forming practices of the profession rather than its code of ethics. These self-forming practices
commence early in the career of a prospective accountant and shape the accountant into an idealized
“ethical being” in the Foucaultian sense; not an ethical being who complies with a code of ethics, but
rather an ethical being who is self-regulated and self-formed into an ideal member of the profession,
one who seeks to serve clients while at the same time giving the appearance of acting with integrity
and conforming to professional ideals.
Research limitations/implications – The limitations of this paper are similar to those of all
qualitative studies in that there is a lack of generalizability.
Practical implications – Most academics are unaware of the informal ethical discourse that is
effectively communicated to entry level and junior accountants. Making accounting students
cognizant of the actual ethical discourse that they will face in their careers may help them to better deal
with the ethical challenges that they will face.
Originality/value – No previous research has dealt with codes of ethics in the public accounting
profession as a self-forming practice, using Foucaultian terminology.

Keywords Foucault, Public interest, Code of ethics, Public accounting profession, Codified discourse

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Informasi Detail

Judul Seri

Journal of Accounting & Organizational Change

No. Panggil

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Penerbit

: Emerald Group., 2014

Deskripsi Fisik

Journal of Accounting & Organizational Change Vol. 10 No. 2, 2014 pp. 216-228

Bahasa

English

ISBN/ISSN

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Klasifikasi

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Tipe Isi

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Tipe Media

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Tipe Pembawa

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Edisi

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Subjek

AKUNTANSI

Info Detail Spesifik

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Pernyataan Tanggungjawab

Asmawati/Syahrial

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