Overview

While CPAs’ commitment to ethics hasn’t changed, the environment in which CPAs operate has changed significantly over the past decade, and will continue to change as rapidly, or even more so, over the next few years. As CPAs adapt to this rapidly evolving environment, they need to understand how our current ethical standards apply in this new environment and whether any new ethical guidelines need to be developed or modified to reflect the challenges of our ever-changing and technologically linked world. In this course we’ll review the CPA’s ethical requirements with a specific focus on how these are impacted by technology. The course will explore ethical challenges related to data security and privacy, investigate emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and blockchain, and discuss how technological advances impact how CPAs provide their services. Lastly, the course will review recent initiatives of the International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA) to update its Code to provide guidance to assist accountants and auditors in navigating the more pressing ethics and independence challenges arising from evolving technologies.

Major Topics:

• The ethical foundations of the CPA profession, as found in the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct, and how they apply in this era of technological advances
• Common ethical dilemmas made more challenging due to the impact of technology
• Initiatives of the IESBA to update global ethical standards for the impact of technology

Learning Objectives

• Recall the basic underlying ethical premises of the accounting profession
• Identify ways in which technological advances create ethical challenges for accountants
• Recall key elements of IESBA initiatives to update international ethical standards to reflect emerging technology–based issues

Designed for:

CPAs who wish to understand the ethical challenges of today’s technology-based business environment

Prerequisite:

Experience in accounting and attestation

Advanced Preparation:

None