Trainees have identified a limited focus on ethics guidance and mentoring, as well as a lack of ethical leadership and training, particularly in the smaller and medium-sized audit firms. The accounting profession in South Africa is receiving a lot of negative attention due to the unethical conduct of a handful of its members. This has…
The emphasis on ethical culture in organisations has become much more pronounced in recent years. There seems to be a realisation that regulations and compliance to regulations − important as they may be – simply are not sufficient to ensure sustained ethical conduct in organisations. In fact, a too strong emphasis on regulation and compliance…
Ethical decision-making rooted in the fundamental principles, supported by the decision-making framework known as the conceptual framework, and informed by efforts to address the five sources of bias produces a better result, insulates the decision-maker from questionable conduct, and is superior to an ‘I know best’ approach. There is a school of thought commonly held…
When asking a school child what values his/her school embraces, he/she will quickly tell you: respect, honesty, fairness, responsibility, acceptance, excellence … We all develop personal values from a very young age, and these values are personally embedded in who we are, where we come from, what we have experienced, and how we see the…
Accounting ethics: Why character matters By Schalk Engelbrecht, Chief Ethics Officer at KPMG South Africa as well as Research Associate with the Centre for Applied Ethics (Stellenbosch University) and an Extraordinary Associate Professor with the School of Accounting Sciences (Northwest University) Johannesburg, 8 September 2020 – We generally assume that a person can be good…
SAICA implores those holding SAICA designations to seriously reflect upon their role within the broader context and their responsibilities to uphold the standards of behaviour expected and to consider the consequences not acting ethically or without the required competence and skills Over the past few years, the number of widely publicised corporate scandals alleged to…
In 2018, it was reported that 265 of the then 46 000 members of SAICA had been put through disciplinary proceedings. At the time, the public was particularly aware of the role that chartered accountants (CAs(SA)) had played in various scandals such as the spectacular collapses of Steinhoff and VBS, as well as the role…
The technological disruption brought about by the onset of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) has, in combination with the COVID-19 pandemic, created a profoundly changed reality and operating environment for companies and 2021 will continue to be dominated by technology and adaptability. Businesses are still trying to play catch-up from the staggering level of business…
South Africa’s new Auditor-General, Tsakani Maluleke (45), has her work cut out for her. But this dynamic young woman is motivated to make a success of her role and to continue the fight her predecessor, Kimi Makwetu, started for good governance in public finance and against rampant mismanagement and fraud. As a young girl, Tsakani…
As a recognition that registered auditors may at times be exposed to imperfect situations, the code of conduct equips IRBA’s members to think through ethical complexity, by referring to its conceptual framework. The code requires RAs to be able to identify, evaluate and address possible threats to the achievement of the code’s fundamental principles. Professional…