ETH376 Complete Course (WK 1 – WK 5)

ETH 376 Complete Course (All Individual and Team Assignments Week 1 – 5)ETH 376 WEEK 1ETH 376 Week 1 Individual Assignment AICPA Code of Professional Conduct Write a 350- to 750-word paper describing the purpose of the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct and why it is considered the foundation of ethical reasoning in accounting. Answer the following questions:• What do you think are the three most important purposes of the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct?• Why are those three the most important? Defend your answer.Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines.ETH 376 WEEK 2ETH 376 Week 2 Learning Team Assignment Ethicality of Accounting ActivitiesResource: Case 2-1, Cynthia Cooper and WorldCom in Ch. 2 of Ethical Obligations and Decision Making in Accounting Write a 1,200- to 1,500-word paper evaluating the ethicality of the Cynthia Cooper and WorldCom case. As a team, identify and discuss the accounting activities involved in the case.• Select the key accounting activity involved in the case.• Evaluate the accounting activity in terms of the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct.• Determine how the accounting activity was or was not equitable to internal and external stakeholders.• Determine which aspects of this accounting activity were ethical or unethical.• Identify the key individuals in this case. Each team member must select a different individual from the case to explain his or her ethical or unethical actions and how those actions influenced the events that occurred. Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines. ETH 376 Week 2 Learning Team Weekly Reflection Discuss the previous week’s objectives with your team. Your discussion should include the topics you feel comfortable with, any topics you struggled with, and how the weekly topics relate to application in your field.Prepare a 350- to 1,050- word paper detailing the findings of your discussion.ETH 376 WEEK 3ETH 376 Week 3 Legality and Ethicality of Financial ReportingResource:Ethics Case 7-4: Excello Telecommunications in Ch. 7 of Ethical Obligations and Decision Making in AccountingWrite a 1,200- to 1,500-word paper explaining the legal aspects, financial standards involved, and ethicality of the Excello Telecommunications case. Your paper should include the following:• Identify the legal issues involved—consider state and federal laws—and explain how they apply to the case.• Determine the criteria by which Sarbanes-Oxley would apply to this case.• Identify the specific financial reporting standards involved and explain how those standards were violated.• Evaluate the financial reporting activity in terms of the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct.• Determine the ethicality of the events within the case.o Select the best alternative offered by the team. Defend your decision in terms of its legality, ethicality, and alignment with accounting standards.Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines.ETH 376 Week 3 Learning Team Weekly Reflection Discuss the previous week’s objectives with your team. Your discussion should include the topics you feel comfortable with, any topics you struggled with, and how the weekly topics relate to application in your field.Prepare a 350- to 1,050- word paper detailing the findings of your discussion.ETH 376 WEEK 4ETH 376 Week 4 Individual Assignment Legality and Ethicality of Corporate Governance Resource: Case 3-3, United Thermostatic Controls in Ch. 3 of Ethical Obligations and Decision Making in AccountingDetermine the legality of the activities based on federal, state, and local laws. Determine the criteria by which Sarbanes-Oxley would apply to this case. Determine the ethicality of the activities. Consider whether or not the activities were equitable to internal and external stakeholders.Decide on the next steps based on the events that took place. What makes this next step the best decision? Write a 750- to 1,050-word paper evaluating the legality and ethicality of the corporate governance activities that occurred in the scenario. Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines.ETH 376 Week 4 Learning Team Weekly Reflection Discuss the previous week’s objectives with your team. Your discussion should include the topics you feel comfortable with, any topics you struggled with, and how the weekly topics relate to application in your field.Prepare a 350- to 1,050- word paper detailing the findings of your discussion.ETH 376 WEEK 5ETH 376 Week 5 Learning Team Assignment Standards-Based Decision Making Resource: The ABC Corporation Case located on your student website Write a 750- to 1,050-word paper accomplishing the following: Describe four types of audit opinions Green and Associates may provide at the conclusion of a corporate financial audit. Specifically, describe and illustrate an unqualified, unqualified with explanatory paragraph, qualified, and adverse opinion. Differentiate between the opinions and provide specific criteria that warrant each type of opinion. Determine whether the inventory valuation method used by ABC Corporation was legal and compliant with GAAP. Is the client’s refusal to procure an audit of Internal Controls over Financial Reporting in violation of Sarbanes-Oxley? Why or why not? In compliance with GAAS, which type of audit opinion should Green and Associates issue? Discuss the ethical issues involved for ABC Corporation and for Green and Associates. Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines. ETH 376 Week 5 Learning Team Weekly ReflectionDiscuss the previous week’s objectives with your team. Your discussion should include the topics you feel comfortable with, any topics you struggled with, and how the weekly topics relate to application in your field.Prepare a 350- to 1,050- word paper detailing the findings of your discussion.Week 1 DQs1. Many professional accountants believe that the main purpose of accounting standards is to protect the public. With that in mind, what do you think are the main objectives of the AICPA code of professional conduct and how does the code relate to protecting the public? Be specific2. A bookkeeper makes a significant posting error, which she later discovers and corrects. In fear of losing her job, she does not report the mistake to her supervisor. How should the employee have handled this situation and what should the supervisor do when the situation is disclosed?3. How does the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct relate to ethics? Provide examples to support your response.4. The CFO for a corporation deliberately misstates expenses on the income statement purely out of a sense of loyalty to his CEO and the company. The CFO will receive no financial incentive for this misstatement. In fact, he risks losing his job by doing this. Is this an ethical violation for the CFO? Why or why not?Week 2 DQs1. Financial statements are an important product of the accounting process. Provide an example of an internal user. How could he or she be harmed by fraudulent and unethical financial statements?2. Financial statements are an important product of the accounting process. Provide an example of an external user. How could he or she be harmed by fraudulent and unethical financial statements? 3. Large-scale bankruptcies and corporate frauds resulted in the Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) Act. Which provision of SOX do you think will have the most profound effect on improving the quality of financial reporting and why4. Corporate executives are pressured between conflicting interests of internal and external stakeholders. Provide a specific example of such a conflict. How can the conflict best be resolved?Week 3 DQs1. Many professionals believe it is impossible to regulate ethics. Yet, the SEC and other federal agencies provide rules, regulations, and laws surrounding corporate governance. How effective are the legal processes in regulating corporate governance? Provide an example.2. Several laws, most recently Sarbanes-Oxley, have provided provisions requiring high ranking officials to certify that they have acted ethically in corporate governance and financial reporting. How effective are such laws in protecting the public? Be sure to cite specific examples.3. Executive officers within an organization will often feel compelled and tempted to emphasize short-term results—net income for the current year—over long-term success and company survival.4. Why would they be so inclined and what are the ethical implications of overemphasizing short-term results over long-term success and solvency?5. What are the ethical implications of the Microsoft® corporate governance systems presented in the text?6. How could Microsoft® improve corporate governance?Week 4 DQs1. Several federal laws require external audits to protect the public. Should federal laws also require internal audits within a public corporation? Provide an example to support your response.2. Professional auditing standards provide for an unqualified audit report with three standard paragraphs. Briefly describe those paragraphs. Which is the most important? Why?3. Professional standards require independence in fact and appearance in regards to assigning auditors to engagements. Briefly define the terms in fact and appearance. What are the ethical implications and rationale for these auditing procedures?4. In terms of professional standards, when is a disclaimer more appropriate than an audit opinion? Explain the basis for your example.