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54 TECHNICAL

FOCUS ON PER
PO 1: DEMONSTRATE THE APPLICATION OF PROFESSIONAL ETHICS, VALUES
AND JUDGMENT

ACCOUNTANT – BUT REMEMBER THAT ETHICS IS COVERED IN 11 OF THE 16


As a professional accountant, ¤ Document situations where ¤ Ensure you keep up-to-date
you must consistently you’ve had to consider the with ACCA’s codes of conduct
demonstrate an ethically sound ethical angle of tasks you’ve and professional standards.

EXAM PAPERS – INCLUDING ALL PAPERS AT THE PROFESSIONAL LEVEL.


approach to all aspects of your been instructed to perform – ¤ How regular or in-depth is

PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVE 1 IS LINKED TO PAPER P1, PROFESSIONAL


work, upholding ACCA’s Code of for instance, if your supervisor your own personal monitoring
Conduct and Ethics and taking asks you to make a false of your compliance with
personal responsibility for the accounting entry, or if you have legislation, standards and
decisions you make. to process an expense claim regulations as you go about
Performance Objective 1 is that you know to be fraudulent, your daily routine?
linked to Paper P1, Professional how did you handle the ¤ Identify who within your
Accountant – but remember that situation? What did you learn organisation is responsible
ethics is covered in 11 of the 16 from the experience? for providing ethical advice
exam papers – including all ¤ Think of instances where or managing compliance with
papers at the Professional level. you’ve been unsure of the relevant legislation, rules or
To perform effectively, you ethical nature of the situation regulations – and document
need to: you found yourself in – such occasions when you’ve sought
¤ uphold (and be seen to uphold) as being treated exceptionally their advice: why, when, and
professional ethics, values favourably by a supplier keen what was the outcome?
and standards to increase business with your
¤ behave with integrity organisation, or discovering These examples are not
and objectivity, eg act records on a client audit that obligatory – think of ways in
independently and avoid any you suspect to be deliberately which you might demonstrate
conflict of interest falsified. At what stage did you achievement of this objective
¤ maintain professional raise the matter with a superior, according to the demands and
competence, confidentiality or did you resolve it yourself? nature of your own job.
and due care. How was your ethical awareness The next step is to answer the
enhanced in the process? three unique challenge questions
Demonstrating a sound ethical ¤ Write about when you may have for this objective in the trainee
awareness, living out your values observed unethical behaviour development matrix (TDM),
and applying your judgment in your colleagues. What accessed via myACCA:
in practice are not one-off made you suspicious? What ¤ Describe an occasion on
requirements; you’ll need to went through your mind? How which you had to demonstrate
place ethics at the heart of would you tackle the situation ethical behaviour.
all your work, throughout your differently in future? ¤ What did you learn from this
professional career. ¤ What have you learned, or experience and how will it
To achieve this performance drawn conclusions from, about influence your future behaviour
objective, therefore, you’ll need high-profile financial, business, in the workplace?
to keep ethics very much at the or even political activities ¤ What would have been the
forefront of your mind, whatever you’ve read about or watched impact had you not behaved
activity you engage in. on the news? What do you ethically in this situation?
think is the difference between
behaviour that’s unethical
and behaviour that actually
breaks rules?

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