David Leiserowitz

Writing Assignment – Fall 2009

ACC 202 - Section 006

Jim Green acted in an ethical manner at first because of the fact that he objected to the decision when the president first asked him to record the invoices at the wrong time period. He also acted ethically by bringing his objections to other members of senior management. However, his final decision to comply with the president’s instructions and record the invoices in the next fiscal year was definitely unethical. He did not follow the proper accounting procedures either because he was supposed to record the invoices as accounts payable before year-end but he did what the president asked and recorded them after year-end. If the product fails to yield profits, Jim Green’s actions are still not justified. In this case the head of the corporation gave him orders to do so but he could have gone to another authority that could have reviewed the situation. He could have gone to an audit committee, board of trustees, or even the owner. Jim Green should consider the fact that if they did fail to yield profits, then everyone would suffer because of the choice he has made. The business as well as the consumers would be affected and there could be a lower standard of living with lower-quality goods and services. The IMA Statement of Ethical Professional Practice was covered in Accounting 202 and it applies to this situation in that it shows how you can resolve ethical conflict and the steps you