Steven M. Mintz and Roselyn E. Morris, Ethical Obligations and Decision Making in Accounting: Text and Cases McGraw-Hill/Irwin, 3rd edition, October 4, 2013, 512 pages, ISBN-10: 007786221X, ISBN-13: 978-0077862213 Review by W. Steve Albrecht in the Journal of Business Ethics, March 2014 This book written by Mintz and Morris is... Read more →

Concerns about Dumbing Down Reading and Writing Skills The College Board recently announced that it will overhaul the SAT in 2016. Saying its college admission exams do not focus on the important academic skills, there will be fundamental changes in the exam including ending the longstanding penalty for guessing wrong,... Read more →

Instilling a Sense of Right and Wrong in the Workplace When I teach business ethics I like to begin with a discussion of the “Ethical Dissonance Model” by Maryjo Burchard that addresses the interaction between the individual and the organization, based on the person-organization ethical fit. This is an important... Read more →

Cooperation between the Chinese and U.S. Regulators being put to the Test On January 22, 2014, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) Administrative Law Judge Cameron Elliot levied sanctions pursuant to SEC Rule of Practice 102(e) against the Chinese affiliates of the “Big Four” accounting firms for violating Section... Read more →

Should the Federal Minimum Wage be Increased? As you have probably heard, President Obama wants to increase the federal minimum wage to $10.10 per hour over three years and then index it for inflation. He already has signed an executive order increasing the minimum wage for federal contractors to $10.10.... Read more →

Audit Independence: A Myth or Reality? The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) that oversees public company audits in the U.S. is concerned that auditors are not independent of their clients. Since independence is the bedrock of the profession, any crack in that foundation threatens the value of the audit... Read more →

Was it Ethically Justified to Remove Justina from her Parent’s Care and ignore the Desired Medical Treatment for their Daughter? How would you feel if your 14-year-old child was taken from you by the state because it believed you were guilty of “medical child abuse,” a term used when parents... Read more →