Maine Ethics for CPAs

Course Description:

This course is designed to meet the 4 hour ethics CPE requirement for Maine CPAs. It covers standards of professional conduct and business practices adhered to by accountants in order to enhance their profession and maximize idealism, justice and fairness when dealing with the public, clients and other members of their profession. It also presents an approach --the threats and safeguards approach –to coping with ethical dilemmas. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act and its impact on business ethics, new internal control requirements, and the CPA’s responsibilities are summarized. Also included are some cases of AICPA ethics violations.

Learning Objectives:

Upon successful completion of this course, participants will be able to:

• Define ethics
• Differentiate between amoral and ethical values
• List and characterize two systems of ethics
• Differentiate between legal versus ethical codes
• Discuss ethical reasoning used by accountants
• Illustrate ethical dilemmas encountered by accountants