Ethics in Accounting and Evaluation of the Opinions of Independent Accountant Financial Advisors on the Subject: The Case of Istanbul Province

Abstract

Purpose – The primary purpose of this article is twofold. First, it is to examine the general perceptions and opinions of independent Certified Public Accountants (CPAs) on professional ethics, professional chambers, other colleagues, and ethics regarding the clients they serve. Second, it investigates whether potential differences in participants' perceptions of ethics are due to gender and professional experience. Design/ methodology/ approach -In line with the article's purpose, the research fieldwork includes a face-to-face survey method for active Certified Public Accountants independently practising their profession in Istanbul. A simple random sampling method was used in sample selection, and the Chi-Square test and Correspondence analysis were used for statistics. Ethical approval for this research was granted by the Ethics Committee of Istanbul Gelisim University with the decision dated 18.01.2023 and numbered 2023-02-55. Findings – As a result of the survey conducted with attending 385 independent CPAs in Istanbul, the issue of professional chambers providing more training on ethics and increasing the penalties to be imposed on ethics came to the fore. In addition to the tightening of financial audits by the authorized institutions, they expressed their opinion that if the fee schedule is higher than the determined one, the commitment of the profession's members to ethical principles and the respect for the accounting profession will increase even more. Discussion – Due to the current economic difficulties, the wage schedules of the profession's members should be restructured. CPAs should not depart from their commitment to ethical principles in the face of offers that their customers will make on behalf of their own interests due to their long-term relationships or the fear of losing customers. To better understand the ethical principles of the CPAs and their customers, it is important for both the public interest and the profession's future with the training to be given through a joint study of the relevant authorized institutions.