Assignment Content1. Top of FormPurpose of Assessment Appl.docx

Assignment Content
1.
Top of Form
Purpose of Assessment
Apply theories about leadership, structure, and culture to real-
world scenarios that have occurred in various
organizations. You will be measured on how you narrate various
leadership styles to foster innovation and lead change in a
dynamic environment. Use the chart you created in Week 3 as a
quick reference as you work.
Review the following cases from Organizational Behavior:
· Ch. 12: Case Incident 1: Sharing is Performing
· Review questions: 12-13, 12-14, and 12-15.
· Ch. 15: Case Incident 2: Turbulence on United Airlines
· Ch. 16: Case Incident 2: Active Cultures
In 780- to 1050-words, do the following:
· For each of the above cases:
· Describe, through a story, the leader’s use of the leadership
style in response to the situation. Use various action verbs in
your story.
· Explain what makes the selected leadership style effective for
the particular situation.
· Compare and contrast the leadership styles leaders chose for
each case.
· Explain why the leadership styles should differ for each case.
· Use at least two references. The textbook is required as is the
plagiarism checker. Please include APA Section Headers, a
cover page and properly formatted reference page.
Bottom of Form

CH. 12 Case Incident 1: Sharing Is Performing
Replacing Nicholas Dirks as the chancellor of University of
California at Berkeley, Carol T. Christ is taking on a strategy
that her predecessors did not utilize: sharing leadership.
Notably, the prior chancellor and provost would not consult
other decision makers and stakeholders at the university when
they proposed to dissolve completely the College of Chemistry.
Christ, on the other hand, met with Frances McGinley, the
student vice president of academic affairs, reaching out to “get
a beat on what [student government] was doing and how [she]
could help.” This move was unusual because McGinley would
often have to track down the other administrators to even get a
meeting (or would be merely delegated work). Another such
arrangement between Jill Martin and David Barrs at a high
school in Essex, England, designates special interest areas
where each takes the lead, and they both share an educational
philosophy, meet daily, have the authority to make decisions on
the spot, and challenge one another.
As Declan Fitzsimons suggests in a Harvard Business Review
article, the twenty-first century moves too quickly and is too
dynamic to be handled by one person. By sharing leadership
among multiple individuals, the organization can respond more
adaptively to challenges, share disparate but complementary
perspectives, and ease the burden experienced by the traditional
charismatic leader figurehead. However, sharing leadership
leads to its own issues and obstacles, which are apparent in the
multiple relationships between team members, subordinates, and
other employees. Not only do individual identities become
involved, but so do collective identities shared as a group. It is
also important to recognize that shared leadership is not about
delegation but about putting in effort to coordinate and
collaborate, along with balancing individual and collective
goals.
Recent reviews of the research on shared leadership suggest
that, overall, shared leadership is effective at improving team
performance, attitudes, and behaviors, especially when the

leadership is transformational or charismatic and when the team
tasks are complex.
Questions
12-13. What kind of obstacles can you foresee in taking a
shared leadership approach? How might they (or can they) be
solved?
12-14. How would you implement a shared leadership initiative
in a company where you were the CEO? What elements of job
design and redesign might you draw on to increase the
effectiveness of the shared leadership initiative?
12-15. Can you think of any instances in which nonshared,
traditional approaches to leadership would be preferable to a
shared leadership approach? What are they, and how are they
preferable? What sort of situational or individual factors lead to
the traditional approach being more effective in these instances?
(Robbins, 20180110, p. 426)
Robbins, S. P., Judge, T. A. (20180110). Organizational
Behavior, 18th Edition [VitalSource Bookshelf version].
Retrieved from vbk://9780134729749
CH. 15 Case Incident 2: Turbulence on United Airlines
The beginning of 2017 was not good for United Airlines.
Several incidents involving United Airlines personnel enforcing
a variety of rules, regulations, and protocols in employees’
interactions with customers caused international outcry. The
first incident involved two teenagers who were wearing leggings
for their flight from Minneapolis to Denver. They were stopped
by the gate agent and not allowed to board for violating the
United Airlines travel perk program. These travel perk passes
hinge on a requirement for users of the passes to dress
themselves so that the airline is presented in a favorable light.
United defended its decision via Twitter: “Leggings are not
inappropriate attire except in the case of someone traveling as a
pass rider.” Comedian Seth Rogan tweeted, “We here at

@United are just trying to police the attire of the daughters of
our employees! That’s all! Cool, right?”
A second, more severe incident occurred when David Dao, a
doctor who needed to see his patients the following morning,
was aboard a Louisville-bound flight from Chicago in April.
Four United employees needed to get to Louisville at the last
minute, and it was announced that four people needed to give up
their seats or else the flight would be cancelled. Attendants
called the police after no one complied. The police approached
Dao and forcibly removed him from the plane. Dao suffered a
broken nose and concussion after his head smashed into an
armrest. United policy allowed for the involuntary removal of
passengers from flights, although this time United was not as
defensive. Dao later filed a lawsuit against United for its
actions.
A third incident, in Houston, involved a soon-to-be-married
couple, Michael and Amber, headed to Costa Rica for their
wedding. When they entered the plane, they noticed a man
sleeping in the row where their seats were assigned. Instead of
disturbing him, they found some seats three rows up and sat
there instead. They were soon asked by an attendant to return to
their seats and they complied. A U.S. marshall approached them
soon after and ejected them from the plane. According to United
statements, the couple “repeatedly” tried to sit in upgraded seats
and would not follow the instructions of the attendants and crew
members, and, as such, they were within their power to eject the
passengers.
These incidents suggest that, starting with the structure as
created by the CEO, United employees do not have much
latitude or flexibility when dealing with day-to-day policy
breaches. Taking cost-minimization and efficiency-boosting
strategies to the extreme may also have had an effect given that
the focus drifted from the customer and toward rule following.
Many attribute this inflexibility to the strict, rule-following
bureaucracy created by United managers. In this bureaucracy,
their 85,000 employees may be reluctant to deviate from the

rules—intracompany historical precedent suggests that many
employees face termination if they break the rules.
Questions
15-13. How do you think United Airlines should have handled
the recent string of incidents? Do you think that United Airlines
was within its power to have removed these people from the
flights? Why or why not?
15-14. What are the pros and cons of having a bureaucratic
organizational structure for an airline? Do you think the pros
and cons are justified for United Airlines and that they should
keep the structure they have? Why or why not?
15-15. What do you think United Airlines should do in the
future? Do you have any suggestions for enhancements or
improvements to the United Airlines organizational structure?
Would you consider restructuring? Why or why not? (Robbins,
20180110, pp. 536-537)
Always check citation for accuracy before use.
Ch. 16 Case Incident 2: Active Cultures
Employees at many successful companies start the day by
checking the economic forecast. Patagonia’s Ventura,
California, employees start the day by checking the surf
forecast. The outdoor clothing company encourages its
workforce to take time from the workday to get outside and get
active. For Patagonia, linking employees with the natural
environment is a major part of the culture.
New hires are introduced to this mindset very quickly. Soon
after starting at Patagonia, marketing executive Joy Howard was
immediately encouraged to go fly fishing, surfing, and rock
climbing all around the world. She notes that all this

vacationing is not just playing around—it’s an important part of
her job. “I needed to be familiar with the products we market,”
she said. Other practices support this outdoors-oriented, healthy
culture. The company has an on-site organic café featuring
locally grown produce. Employees at all levels are encouraged
through an employee discount program to try out activewear in
the field. And highly flexible hours ensure that employees feel
free to take the occasional afternoon off to catch the waves or
get out of town for a weekend hiking trip.
Are there bottom-line benefits to this organizational culture?
Some corporate leaders think so. As Neil Blumenthal, one of the
founders of Warby Parker eyewear, observes, “[T]hey’ve shown
that you can build a profitable business while thinking about the
environment and thinking about your team and community.” As
Patagonia CEO Rose Marcario says, “People recognize
Patagonia as a company that’s … looking at business through a
more holistic lens other than profit.” However, she is quick to
add, “Profit is important; if it wasn’t you wouldn’t be talking to
me.”
Patagonia’s culture obviously makes for an ideal workplace for
some people—but not for others who don’t share its values.
People who are just not outdoor types would likely feel
excluded. While the unique mission and values of Patagonia
may not be for everyone, for its specific niche in the product
and employment market, the culture fits like a glove.
Questions
16-16. What do you think are the key dimensions of culture that
make Patagonia successful? How does the organization help to
foster this culture?
16-17. Does Patagonia use strategies to build its culture that
you think could work for other companies? Is the company a
useful model for others that aren’t so tied to a lifestyle? Why or
why not?
16-18. What are the drawbacks of Patagonia’s culture? Might it
sometimes be a liability and, if so, in what situations? (Robbins,
20180110, pp. 574-575)

Ethical Dilemmas
Case Studies
Professional Accountants in Business
December 2011

2
Contents
Introduction
...............................................................................................
................................ 3
Case Study 1
...............................................................................................
................................ 5
Pressure to overstate stock valuation
................................................................................... 5
Case Study 2
...............................................................................................
................................ 7
Pressure to participate in fraudulent activity
........................................................................ 7
Case Study 3
...............................................................................................
................................ 9
Suspicion of false accounting
...............................................................................................
.. 9
Case Study 4
...............................................................................................
.............................. 11

Company restructure – working with limited resources
..................................................... 11
Case Study 5
...............................................................................................
.............................. 13
Confidentiality when bidding for a contract
........................................................................ 13
Case Study 6
...............................................................................................
.............................. 15
Non-disclosure to auditors
...................................................................................... .........
... 15
3
CCAB Ethical Dilemmas Case Studies for Professional
Accountants in Business
Introduction
The following case studies were developed by the UK and
Ireland’s Consultative Committee
of Accountancy Bodies (CCAB). They illustrate how the ethical
codes of the CCAB bodies can

be applied by professional accountants working for commercial
organisations. These
scenarios are not intended to cover every possible circumstance,
but instead to outline key
principles and processes that could be considered when
attempting to identify, assess and
resolve ethical problems in line with the ethical codes. These
case studies were published in
December 2011. The CCAB welcomes comments on these cases.
Please email
[email protected]
The professional accountant in business
All members (and registered students) of CCAB bodies have a
responsibility to behave
professionally and ethically at all times. In addition, as a
professional accountant within a
commercial organisation, you will have a particularly important
role to play in creating,
promoting and maintaining an ethical culture. You may be
approached by employees
wishing to report unethical behaviour and, as a senior figure
within the organisation, you
will have an impact on its ethical tone.
A professional accountant in business has a responsibility to
further the legitimate aims of
his or her employing organisation. The ethical codes of the
CCAB bodies do not seek to
hinder a professional accountant in business from properly
fulfilling that responsibility, but
address circumstances in which compliance with the
fundamental principles may be
compromised.
Resolving ethical dilemmas

These case studies are compatible with the ethical codes of the
CCAB member bodies, which
are derived from the Code of Ethics for Professional
Accountants issued by the International
Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA).
The case studies illustrate the application of the ‘conceptual
framework’ approach to
resolving ethical dilemmas. This approach focuses on
safeguarding the fundamental
principles of:
• integrity,
• objectivity,
• professional competence and due care,
• confidentiality, and
• professional behaviour.
In order to do so, it is important to be alert to situations that
may threaten these
fundamental principles. Identified threats need to be evaluated
and managed, to ensure
that they are either eliminated or reduced to an acceptable level.
Threats may arise as a
result of any of the following:
mailto:[email protected]
4

• self-interest: the threat that a financial or other interest will
inappropriately
influence your judgement or behaviour
• self-review: the threat that you will not properly evaluate the
results of a previous
judgement made or service performed by you (or someone else
within the
organisation) when forming a judgement as part of providing a
current service
• advocacy: the threat that you will promote a position (usually
your employer’s) to
the point that your objectivity is compromised
• familiarity: the threat that, due to a long or close relationship
with someone, you will
be too sympathetic to that person’s interests, or too accepting of
their work
• intimidation: the threat that you will be deterred from acting
objectively because of
actual or perceived pressures, including attempts to exercise
undue influence over
you.
When resolving an ethical conflict, consider carefully whether
other parties could or should
be involved in discussions and, if appropriate, how those parties
should be approached. You
should keep in mind confidentiality obligations. If you are
facing, or think you might be
facing, an ethical dilemma, you may wish to seek advice from a

trusted colleague within the
organisation, your professional body or an independent lawyer.
You should take care to ensure that any advice obtained is
sufficiently well documented,
either by way of minutes or your own records. Similarly,
discussions held, actions you decide
to take, and the reasoning behind your decisions should be
clearly documented. In many
situations, the perception of a reasonable and informed third
party will be relevant to the
resolution of the dilemma, and you might be required to
evidence the steps you took to
resolve the issue.
These case studies do not form part of the CCAB bodies’ ethical
codes. You may find it useful
to refer to the advisory services and websites of the individual
CCAB bodies for further
information. The IFAC website may also be of use.
December 2011
Copyright © CCAB 2011
We welcome comments on and enquiries concerning this work.
To contact us, please send
an e-mail to [email protected]
All rights reserved
Dissemination of the contents of this report is encouraged.
Please give full
acknowledgement of source when reproducing extracts in other
published works. The

case studies are not to be used in charged – for publications
without prior consent of CCAB.
No responsibility for any person acting or refraining to act as a
result of any material in this
document can be accepted by CCAB.
mailto:[email protected]
5
Case Study 1 Pressure to overstate stock valuation
Outline of the case
You have been the finance director of a clothing retailer for ten
years. The company’s year end
is 31 March, and you are finalising the year end accounts.
You have recently been advised by the warehouse manager of a
significant level of slow-
moving stock. The stock in question is now more than nine
months old and would normally
have been written down some months previously.
The shareholders are trying to sell the company, and the
managing director (the majority
shareholder) has told you that it is not necessary to write down
the stock in the year end
accounts. You are sure that the managing director wants the
financial statements to carry an
inflated stock valuation because he has found a prospective
buyer. The managing director has
indicated to you that, if the proposed deal is successful, all

employees will keep their jobs and
you will receive a pay increase.
Key fundamental principles
Integrity: In the light of the information you have, you must
ensure that you act honestly, and
that you are open and straightforward towards those with whom
you come into contact.
Objectivity: Can you act without bias, despite the significant
threats in the form of self-interest
and intimidation?
Professional competence and due care: You must act diligently.
Do you have sufficient
information to be able to determine the appropriate value of the
stock to be included in the
accounts?
Professional behaviour: You are required to account for the
stock in accordance with relevant
accounting standards. Would any of the actions you are
considering discredit the profession in
the opinion of an informed third party?
Considerations
Identify relevant facts:
You are receiving conflicting information from the warehouse
manager and the managing
director. The managing director is putting you under pressure to
account for stock at a higher
value than that with which you feel comfortable. He proposes
misrepresenting information

about the company in the financial statements, which would be
contrary to the fundamental
principle of integrity.
A self-interest threat to your objectivity arises from the
financial benefit that you are likely to
receive if the company is sold under the proposed deal. You are
also feeling intimidated by the
managing director. He appears to be suggesting that the future
employment of other
employees depends upon the proposed deal being successful
and, therefore, upon the results
shown by the financial statements.
Identify affected parties:
Key affected parties are you, the managing director (and the
other shareholders) and the
potential purchaser of the company. Other employees of the
company may also be affected, as
6
it has been implied that their jobs are at risk if the proposed
deal is unsuccessful.
Who should be involved in the resolution:
You should involve the warehouse manager, the managing
director and, if necessary, your
fellow board members.
Possible course of action

You cannot simply do what has been asked of you, because the
principle of integrity requires a
professional accountant not to be associated with information
that they believe to be false or
misleading. Relying on the potential buyer’s due diligence to
identify the overvaluation is not
appropriate. You are responsible for the honest presentation of
the accounts, and you should
not transfer that responsibility to either the buyer or the
auditors.
The first step is to ensure that you have sufficient information.
This would include establishing
the basis of valuation of the company’s stock, investigating the
system for counting and
evaluating stock, and discussing with the warehouse manager
the reason why the stock is slow-
moving. You may also need to discuss the realisable value with
someone else, such as the sales
director.
Once you are sure of the facts, you should discuss the matter
with the managing director. If, in
your opinion, the managing director continues to insist on an
inflated stock valuation being
incorporated into the financial statements, you should consider
how best to raise the issue
with the other board members. Initially, you could suggest that
both you and the managing
director raise the matter with the other board members. If you
feel it appropriate to discuss
the matter with anyone else within the company, you must bear
in mind the need for
appropriate confidentiality and be clear about your reasons for
raising the matter.

Discussions with the managing director may be made easier by
reference to the company’s
own code of ethics, if it has one. If it does not, you should make
the managing director aware
of the ethical requirements of your professional body. You
could suggest that the company
engages an independent expert to value the stock.
At each stage, you should consider the need to follow meetings
with email or other written
correspondence to record your points of view. This would be
particularly appropriate if you are
of the opinion that the managing director or the board has not
been sympathetic to your
concerns.
You might have to consider raising the issue externally, for
example alerting the auditors to the
existence of the slow-moving stock, or seeking advice from
your professional body. If the
situation remains unresolved, you may have to remove yourself
from the conflict. The clearest
way to disassociate yourself from misleading financial accounts
would be to resign. However,
this would only be an option to be exercised, as a last resort, in
the most extreme
circumstances. Resignation alone would not help to resolve the
situation. It would be advisable
to take legal advice before considering resignation.
You should document, in detail, the steps that you take in
resolving your dilemma, in case your
ethical judgement is challenged in the future.

7
Case Study 2 Pressure to participate in fraudulent activity
Outline of the case
You and your wife have recently moved to a remote coastal
town in order to further your
wife’s career. You have found employment as financial
accountant to a local private company.
The company’s operations are all related to tourism, and it has,
as its principal asset, a large
Victorian hotel.
The company is owned by the two directors – a husband and
wife – who are actively engaged
in the day-to-day running of the business. You get on well with
the directors and staff, and the
directors of the company are clearly popular and well respected
in the local community. You
are still within your probationary period of employment.
The company had faced some serious cash flow difficulties
shortly before you took up your
post. However, a remortgaging arrangement has, apparently,
eased the financial pressure.
The managing director comes to you with a company cheque for
£4,000, which he has already
signed. He asks for your counter-signature, explaining that it is
the deposit for the design work

and furnishings for some of the hotel bedrooms. There is a
formal invoice from a design studio,
but you are surprised as you were not aware that any such
outlays had been planned.
Nevertheless, given the explanation and the supporting invoice,
you counter-sign the cheque.
Out of curiosity, you decide to conduct some research into the
design studio. This indicates
that it is a company that had, in the past, a high level of
indebtedness. You note that the
company secretary appears to be the daughter of the directors
for whom you work.
Two days later, the managing director comes to you with
another cheque, this time for
£25,000, again needing only your counter-signature. There is a
supporting invoice from the
same design studio. You are hesitant, and the managing director
explains that he is only asking
you to counter-sign the cheque because his wife is not in the
office. He says that it is important
to submit the cheque promptly so that it may be banked before
30 April.
You ask why there is such urgency, particularly as there is no
evidence of any design work
having started. The managing director laughs and replies that
the money should be back in the
hotel bank account by the middle of summer. He explains that
the cheques are needed
urgently to settle outstanding directors’ loan accounts at the
design studio, as its year end is
approaching. Once the year end has passed, the money should
be returned to the hotel
company and a supporting credit note received.

Integrity: How can you act honestly with regard to the
operations and accounting function of
your employer? You must encourage fair dealing and
truthfulness.
Objectivity: You must strive to find a persuasive solution to this
ethical dilemma, although
there are significant pressures upon you to accept an
arrangement that involves blatant
dishonesty.
Professional competence and due care: It may be complicated to
resolve this dilemma, and so
you should consider whether or not you have the necessary
expertise. You may need to take
advice.
8
Considerations
You are being asked to take part in a transaction that you know
is dishonest. You believe that, if
you refuse to comply but do nothing more, the transaction will
take place nevertheless.
Consider relevant accounting standards, applicable laws and
regulations (including taxation

requirements), as well as the ethical requirements of your
professional body.
Key affected parties are you, the directors of the tourism
company, the directors of the design
company, and users of the design company’s accounts,
including the tax authority. Your wife
may also be affected by the course of action that you take.
As well as involving the directors, you may be required to
involve others outside the tourism
company. If so, you should consider the objective and timing of
their involvement. If you wish
to discuss possible solutions with the accountant or directors of
the design company, you must
safeguard the principle of confidentiality.
It may require a degree of moral courage, but you must refuse to
counter-sign the second
cheque. You should encourage the directors to explore legal
ways to assist the design company
that are both ethical and do not risk the reputation of their
company. Making a loan to the
design company may be possible, but you should ensure that
you have sufficient knowledge
concerning the tax, and other, consequences of any movements
on the directors’ loan accounts
in the design company.
Before discussing any possible solutions with the directors of

the design company or their
accountant, you should ensure that you have the written
authority of all parties to discuss their
financial affairs. You should ensure that you are in possession
of all relevant facts before you
provide advice, but also recommend to the directors of the
design company that they take
independent advice.
If you feel unable to influence the situation, then you may
conclude that the fraudulent
transaction will take place. You must disassociate yourself from
the final accounts if you know
them to be misleading. Whether or not this results in your
resignation, you should seek advice
from your professional body, and take independent legal advice,
regarding any responsibility
you might have to disclose the fraudulent activity to the
appropriate authorities.
9
Case Study 3 Suspicion of false accounting
Outline of the case

You are a recently qualified accountant and have accepted a job
as financial controller for a
well-established family business which supplies equipment to
photographers, both by mail
order and from its warehouse outlet. Its customers range from
enthusiastic amateurs through
to part-time professionals and owners of busy studios.
The customers’ payment methods reflect their diversity. There
are credit card transactions and
customers with 30-day credit business accounts. There is also a
surprisingly large number of
customers who collect their goods from the warehouse and pay
in cash. You are told that cash
payment probably reflects the nature of the customers’ own
receipts, as some photographers
will often be paid in cash for weekend wedding assignments.
In your first week at the company, the sales director (the
principal shareholder’s son) brings to
you a cheque in settlement of the account of a major customer.
He explains that the cheque
(which appears to clear the amount due) is in fact an
overpayment, as the balance showing on
the sales ledger is before allowing bulk discount (which is
calculated retrospectively). The sales
director shows you his calculations and the agreement as
authorised by the board.
The sales director states that the customer’s managing director
has come to collect the
discount in cash. He says that this is not an unusual occurrence
for some of the company’s
better customers. It helps to maintain a good relationship with
those customers, which leads to
purchasing loyalty. Another benefit of this arrangement is that

it gives the sales director regular
face-to-face meetings with the senior staff of those customers.
It also reduces the high charges
that the bank makes for handling cash.
You ask the sales director why the customers prefer to receive a
refund in cash, rather than
simply pay the net amount needed to settle the account. He
replies, with a smile, that it is not
for him to question their motives.
Integrity: You and the sales director have suspicions about the
motives of some customers who
regularly overpay the company and receive refunds in cash. Are
you acting with integrity if you
do not question those motives?
Objectivity: Being new to the company, you are likely to feel
intimidated by the directors, who
are all members of the same family. Can you ensure that the
intimidation threat does not
adversely affect your ability to make ethical decisions?
Confidentiality: You should consider whether you have a
responsibility to discuss the practices
of the company and its major customers with third parties, once
all other reasonable steps
have been taken.
Professional behaviour: You must comply with relevant laws
and regulations and not assist
others to act illegally or unethically. You must not do anything
that may discredit you or the
accountancy profession.

10
Considerations
You are aware that some of the company’s customers are
overpaying their accounts with the
company and receiving repayments in cash. If credit notes are
issued to the customers in
respect of the retrospective discounts, these could be concealed
by the customers, who can
then understate their profits. Although there are quite legitimate
benefits to your employer,
you and the sales director have reasonable suspicions that the
customers concerned are false
accounting.
These include you, the sales director, some of the company’s
customers, the tax authority and,
to a lesser extent, other stakeholders in the company.
You, the sales director and maybe other board members should
be involved in the discussions.
Are there other trusted colleagues with whom you can discuss
your position?

As you are currently unfamiliar with the procedures of your new
employer, you should try to
establish the extent of the issue. You might achieve this by
reviewing the sales ledger accounts
that have shown credit balances in recent months that have
subsequently been cleared by cash
refunds. If your understanding is correct, these accounts will
relate to some of the company’s
major customers.
Having established the facts, you should discuss the issue with
the sales director and then, if
necessary, the other board members. In each case, you should
prepare for the meeting and try
to propose an acceptable solution to overcome any resistance
that you may encounter. Your
professional body may be able to help. You should advise the
directors of the opportunity for
fraud that you have noticed regarding the cash refunds, and that
the company could suffer
adverse consequences if it is allowed to continue.
You could also explain to the directors the ethical code of your
professional body, and that you
cannot simply ignore the situation.
If you feel the need to resign in order to disassociate yourself
from the unethical practices of
the company and its major customers, then you should seek
legal advice on your employment
and whistleblowing rights and responsibilities (subject to the
rules and guidance of your
professional body) and any protection you might seek from

legislation.
11
Case Study 4 Company restructure – working with limited
resources
Outline of the case
You are a qualified accountant. You have been asked, by your
line manager, to complete a
costing exercise with a very short deadline and limited
resources. You think that the president
of the company is planning to use this information to restructure
the company, including
making some of your close colleagues redundant. You are
worried that your work cannot be
robust enough to be used for such a big business decision, but
your line manager is putting you
under a lot of pressure to complete the work quickly.

Objectivity: Could you maintain an unbiased stance throughout,
in view of your close
relationship with your colleagues?
Professional competence and due care: Can you realistically
produce a costing, with the time
and resources available, without compromising the standard of
your work?
Confidentiality: Given the sensitivity of the situation, you
should maintain discretion and not
share your concerns with other staff, who may not be aware of
the president’s intentions.
Considerations
The company may be restructuring, and the president needs to
have the most up to date and
complete financial information to inform any decisions. As a
professional accountant, you must
ensure that any financial information you provide is robust.
Key affected parties are you, your line manager, the president
and anyone else who may use
the results of the costing exercise. Other stakeholders in the
company may also be affected,
including those employees who might suffer redundancy.
Is there anyone else in the company with whom you can raise
your concerns? Is there a senior

finance officer who could advise you, or another member of the
board with whom you can
discuss your dilemma? Should you approach the president
directly?
You think that the president of the company is planning to use
the information you produce to
restructure the company. As a professional accountant, you have
a duty to make your line
manager and other users of the information aware of the
limitations in the scope of your work.
With this in mind, you should attempt to obtain certainty
regarding the use of the information.
You should arrange a meeting with your line manager and
explain that you are unwilling to do
the work to the deadline requested, with the resources available,
because the work could not
be relied upon. You could ask for more time to complete the
work to the required standard, or
ask for the work to be outsourced. This would have the added
benefit of enhanced objectivity.
The process of clarifying the intended use of the information
and expressing your concerns
regarding its reliability is likely to enhance your credibility.
You could suggest that your line
12
manager discuss the issue with the president or other members
of the board, as appropriate.

If your line manager is unsympathetic to your concerns, you
should not allow yourself to be
associated with information that may be misleading. You should
consider the most appropriate
way in which to make your concerns known to the board. This
may be through the president or
the company secretary.
If, after exploring all these routes of communication, you still
find yourself under unreasonable
time pressure, you may have to make clear your refusal to
conduct the work, and possibly
resign from the company.

13
Case Study 5 Confidentiality when bidding for a contract
Outline of the case
You have recently become Head of Finance at Company B, a
company which provides catering
services to the public sector. Your previous employer was large
public sector Organisation A
where, as finance manager, you had the opportunity to work on
areas relating to financial
accounting, procurement, contracts and bids.
One of Company B’s major contracts is with Organisation A.
The contract is now up for
renewal, and Company B is preparing a competitive bid for this
contract. You have been asked
to lead the team responsible for bidding for this contract, but
you are concerned that you
might breach confidentiality if you accept this assignment. You
also suspect that your
knowledge and experience of Organisation A were seen as good

reasons for appointing you to
the position at Company B.
You do not want to let your new employer down. The loss of
such a major contract would have
a significant effect on the financial performance of Company B
and its performance-related
bonus scheme for management.
Objectivity: Can you safeguard against the significant self-
interest threat which arises from
Company B’s performance-related bonus scheme?
Confidentiality: If you accept this assignment, can you ensure
that you do not use confidential
information relating to your previous employer to your
advantage or to the advantage of your
current employer?
Professional behaviour: What can you do to safeguard your
reputation and the reputation of
your employer and your profession?
Considerations
Your previous employment with Organisation A has provided
you with information which may
be of value to Company B. You must consider your professional
body’s code of ethics,
applicable laws and regulations, your current and previous
contracts of employment, and your
employer’s policies and procedures. A self-interest threat arises

because of the impact that
losing Organisation A’s contract would have on Company B’s
financial performance and reward
policy. You may also be feeling that you would like to impress
your new employer and help to
make a successful bid for the renewal of the contract.
Key affected parties are you, your line manager and the board.
Other employees in the
company may be affected due to the financial implications of
the contract not being renewed.
Your line manager, other relevant staff and, if necessary, the
board should be involved.
14
The principle of confidentiality prohibits the use of confidential
information acquired as a result
of your previous employment for your advantage or that of your
current employer. While you
have a responsibility to advance the legitimate aims of your
employing organisation, this
should not extend to a breach of confidentiality.

In this case, you (because of Company B’s performance-related
bonus) and Company B stand to
benefit from the confidential information about how bids are
assessed at Organisation A. The
principle would not be breached if you were in possession of
information that was in the public
domain, or if you were simply to use experience gained in your
previous employment, so long
as you do not use confidential knowledge that you acquired as a
result of that employment.
You should discuss the situation and your obligations with your
line manager in the first
instance, and ask for your involvement in the preparation of the
contract bid to be limited. For
example, you may be able to contribute to aspects of the bid
that do not require you to refer to
confidential knowledge about your previous employment. If
your line manager fails to
understand the conflict that you are facing, you should request
that you both discuss the
matter with a director or other member of staff. During these
discussions, you should refer to
the company’s ethical code, if it has one, as well as that of your
professional body.
If there are no other formal channels available, you should make
the board aware of your
dilemma. If necessary, you must refuse to take part in the bid
without necessary safeguards
being implemented. Ultimately, disassociating yourself from
Company B may be the only
solution. However, before taking such a step, you should seek
legal advice on your employment
rights and responsibilities (subject to the rules and guidance of

your professional body).
ethical judgement is challenged in the future. Looking at this
issue from Company B’s
perspective, it may be appropriate to suggest to your line
manager that a policy on conflicts of
interest be developed and that the remuneration and bonus
policy be reviewed in light of this.
15
Case Study 6 Non-disclosure to auditors
Outline of the case
You are employed as an accounting systems manager in a
company that manufactures heavy

plant. You and the financial controller both report to the finance
director.
During your work, you overhear the financial controller saying
that he has not been disclosing
certain things to the external auditors. These include the fact
that a recent acquisition has
resulted in a large piece of machinery becoming redundant and
of very little value. You are
unsure whether to believe this, but you are concerned that the
culture within the finance
department appears to be one of antagonism towards the
external auditors, who are
(unreasonably in your opinion) seen as adversaries of the
company.
In addition, you have heard that a bribe was paid to an overseas
company to secure a sales
contract. You feel uneasy about the situation, and you are
concerned that the close
relationship between the financial controller and the finance
director may prevent you from
exploring the accuracy of the information that you have
received.
Integrity: Can you overlook the financial controller’s
comments, the culture within the
department, and the alleged bribe, and still demonstrate your
own integrity?
Confidentiality: Is there any basis on which you may or must
make disclosures to the external
auditors or anyone else?

Professional behaviour: How should you proceed in order to
comply with relevant laws and
regulations, and so as not to discredit yourself or the
profession?
Considerations
Consider the company’s policies, procedures and guidelines,
accounting standards, and
applicable laws and regulations. Can you corroborate the facts
further through documentation
and discussion with relevant parties? Does the company have an
internal process for
whistleblowing? What channels of communication exist within
the organisation, for example
with the external auditors, the company’s audit committee or an
ethics officer?
Key affected parties are you, the financial controller, the
employee making the allegation of the
bribe, the finance director and the external auditors. Other
possible affected parties are the
internal audit department, the audit committee, the board of
directors, and users of the
financial statements.
You should consider involving the finance director, the board of
directors (via the company
secretary), the internal audit department, and the audit
committee.

16
You must check the relevant facts and perform the necessary
research into accounting
standards, applicable laws and regulations, and any policies and
procedures within the
company that may support you in alleviating your concerns. In
particular, you should consider
whether any anti-bribery policies and procedures of the
company can help you. If no internal
procedure exists, you should discuss the matter with the finance
director, regardless of the
close relationship he has with the financial controller.
If, for any reason, you feel it is inappropriate to discuss the
issues with the finance director, or
if his response is unsatisfactory, the next step may be for you to
take the matter to the board.
You should always exercise discretion and tact, and so it is
preferable to involve the finance
director in your representations to the board.
If you have suspicions or evidence of criminal activity (which,
in this case, could include the
alleged bribe), you might be obliged to report it to one or more
authorities. In this respect, you
should seek advice from your professional body, and also
consider taking independent legal
advice.

17
IntroductionCase Study 1Pressure to overstate stock
valuationCase Study 2Pressure to participate in fraudulent
activityCase Study 3Suspicion of false accountingCase Study
4Company restructure – working with limited resourcesCase
Study 5Confidentiality when bidding for a contractCase Study
6Non-disclosure to auditors

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