Imagine that you are an accounting clerk for Ace Hardware. The store manager has asked you to prepare the trial balance. The totals on the trial balance are not equal and you cannot find the error. You realize that the trial balance is due at the end of the day. You are frustrated and consider changing one of the account balances just to get the trial balance to balance.

1. What are the ethical issues?
2. What are the alternatives?
3. Who are the affected parties?
4. How do the alternatives affect the parties?
5. What would you do?