When discussing and evaluating professional ethics, it is essential to understand the purpose, terminology, and repercussions of professional misconduct. The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) code of professional conduct is the gold standard for defining professional conduct in accounting; it is, therefore, important for business professionals to be familiar with.

First, select one of the following principles of professional conduct to examine in the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct document:

• Responsibilities
• Public interest
• Integrity
• Objectivity and independence
• Due care
• Scope and nature of services

Reflect on what the appropriate practice of your selected principle would look like in the field, and also on some potential examples of violations of the principle. Use the following questions to help guide your reflections:

• How would you define and describe your selected principle?
• What value does the principle bring to practitioners, businesses, and clients?
• What is an example of a difficult situation that a practitioner may face related to your selected principle, and what would an ethical response to the situation be? Why might a practitioner be tempted to, or accidentally, not take an ethical course of action?