Yeimi Chavez

Accounting 2010

Jeniel Benge

February 11, 2018

Personal Ethics and Financial Reporting

We live in a society where we constantly must make decisions. Decisions that at times

must be made instantly and sometimes we are left asking ourselves if we made the right

decision. When decisions must be made our personal ethics tend to arise and lead us to

deciding, but there are times where we choose to ignore them and justify our decisions with

rationalization. Everyone’s ethics are different and for that reason we constantly encounter

ethical problems in the workplace.

My personal ethics are being developed every day. I would not consider religion being

one of the factors that influences my personal ethics. Major contributors that have influenced

my ethics are my friends, family, and any people which I encounter from day to day. I have

been thrown obstacles in my life which have tested my morals and ethics, I have witnessed

many people in my life make wrong choices in life and I believe that has guided me to form my

own personal ethics. Many times, when I am placed in a difficult situation I tend to want to see

others viewpoint towards the situation. But I never neglect my own personal ethics no matter

other viewpoints, because you cannot change your ethics and moral standings to please others.
I have created my own path where I know what is right and what is wrong, so that when I am

placed in hard situations I do not overthink what the right thing to do is.

The connection between personal ethics and financial reporting is knowing what you

have the right to do and what is right to do. These are the situations where people are

presented with the chance to steal or possibly commit fraud. People working with money often

can think that the company’s money is their money, but that is far from the truth. They think

that one small change will be overlooked and that no consequences will come from it. But the

truth is that everything eventually is investigated, and that one small white-collar crime that

was just going to be a one-time thing can turn your live upside down. While you might think

that you are helping others and possibly helping yourself as well, everyone in the end is

affected. In personal ethics and financial reporting, you need to focus on what you need to get

done for the success of your company, rather than focusing how you can fulfill your personal

wants and needs in the workplace. With this mindset, you can look forward to many years of

work ahead of you.

Overall, there are many people in the workplace that will do anything to benefit

themselves. Personal ethics are needed because you cannot rely on others to guide you from

wrong to right. Your actions always have consequences, and when you decide to take control of

money that is not yours, not only are you causing consequences for yourself but also for the

business you are working for. Those working with money, will always be placed in situations

that makes them question their personal ethics. It is essential that we place trust in those who

are responsible for financial reporting, if we want to be able to create successful and

trustworthy businesses.