Pressures to breach accounting ethics principles and job satisfaction of accountants

• Authors: Rogošić Andrijana , Repić Helena

Title variants

PL

Naciski na naruszanie zasad etyki rachunkowości i satysfakcja z pracy księgowych

• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

Purpose: The main objective of our study is to determine the levels of pressure to breach accounting ethics principles that professional accountants in business are exposed to. This research aims to explore accountants' intention to quit the profession due to ethics-related pressures. In addition, we analysed the effect of pressure due to conflicts of interest on job satisfaction. Methodology/approach: This study is based on a survey. The research instrument was an online questionnaire addressed to professional accountants in business. The collected primary data was statistically analysed. We performed the Jonckheere-Terpstra test to verify the hypotheses. Findings: Our evidence suggests that accountants in Croatia most frequently face the pressure to perform without expertise or due care. The intention to quit the accounting profession is related to the frequency of exposure to pressures regarding the preparation and presentation of accounting information, inducements, and non-compliance with the laws and regulations. The pressure due to the conflicts of interest has a negative impact on job satisfaction with the nature of the work, top management, co-workers, and supervision. Research limitations/implications: This evidence is provided for a relatively small sample of Croatian accountants (N = 85), which could be considered a limitation of our study. Nevertheless, our study has important implications for future research that should explore in depth various factors that induce the pressures to breach accounting ethics principles. Originality/value: Our findings fill an important gap in research into job satisfaction and accounting ethics. Since the ethics-related pressures that accountants face have been poorly examined, this paper has made a significant contribution to accounting ethics literature.

PL

Cel: Głównym celem artykułu jest określenie poziomu nacisków na naruszenie zasad etyki rachunkowości, na jakie narażeni są zawodowi księgowi zatrudnieni w przedsiębiorstwach. Celem tego badania jest zbadanie zamiaru rezygnowania z zawodu księgowych ze względu na presję związaną z etyką. Ponadto przeanalizowaliśmy wpływ presji wynikającej z kon-fliktu interesów na satysfakcję z pracy. Metodyka/podejście badawcze: Zastosowano badanie ankietowe. Instrumentem badaw-czym była ankieta internetowa skierowana do zawodowych księgowych prowadzących działalność gospodarczą. Zebrane dane pierwotne poddano analizie statystycznej. W celu weryfikacji hipotez wykorzystano test Jonckheere’a-Terpstry. Wyniki: Zebrane dane sugerują, że księgowi w Chorwacji najczęściej spotykają się z presją, aby wykonywać swoje obowiązki bez wiedzy specjalistycznej i należytej staranności. Za-miar odejścia z zawodu księgowego wiąże się z częstotliwością narażenia na naciski doty-czące: sporządzania i prezentacji informacji księgowych, zachęt oraz nieprzestrzegania prawa i regulacji. Presja wynikająca z konfliktu interesów ma negatywny wpływ na satys-fakcję z pracy z charakteru pracy, najwyższego kierownictwa, współpracowników i nadzoru. Ograniczenia/implikacje badawcze: Dowody te przedstawiono dla stosunkowo małej próby chorwackich księgowych (N = 85), co można uznać za ograniczenie naszego badania. Niemniej jednak badanie ma ważne implikacje dla przyszłych badań, które powinny do-głębnie zbadać naciski na łamanie zasad etyki rachunkowości i różne czynniki je wywołujące. Oryginalność/wartość: Ustalenia w artykule wypełniają istotną lukę w badaniach dotyczących satysfakcji z pracy i etyki rachunkowości. Ponieważ presje związane z etyką, przed którymi stają księgowi, zostały dotychczas słabo zbadane, niniejszy artykuł stanowi zna-czący wkład do literatury dotyczącej etyki rachunkowości.

Keywords

EN

accounting ethics; accountants; pressures; financial reporting quality; job satisfaction

PL

etyka rachunkowości; księgowi; presje; jakość sprawozdawczości finansowej; satysfakcja z pracy

• Publisher: Stowarzyszenie Księgowych w Polsce (SKwP), Zarząd Główny, Rada Naukowa
• Journal: Zeszyty Teoretyczne Rachunkowości
• Year: 2024
• Issue: 48(1)
• Pages: 173-185

Contributors

author

Rogošić Andrijana

• University of Split, Faculty of Economics, Business and Tourism, Department of Accounting and Audit

author

Repić Helena

• University of Split, Faculty of Economics, Business and Tourism

References

• Adkins N., Radtke R.R. (2004), Studentsʼ and faculty membersʼ perceptions of the im-portance of business ethics and accounting ethics education: Is there an expectations gap? “Journal of Business Ethics”, 51, pp. 279–300.
• Agrawal A., Cooper T. (2015), Insider trading before accounting scandals, “Journal of Cor-porate Finance”, 34, pp. 169–190.
• Akrout O., Damak Ayadi S. (2022), Intention to leave public accounting profession in Tunisia: a qualitative study, “Journal of Accounting in Emerging Economies”, 12 (1), pp. 1–28.
• Andresen M.L., Zuber J.M., Hill, B.D. (2015), Moral Foundations Theory: An Exploratory Study with Accounting and Other Business Students, “Journal of Business Ethics”, 132 (3), pp. 525–538.
• Blanc R., Cho C.H., Sopt J., Branco M.C. (2019), Disclosure responses to a corruption scan-dal: The case of Siemens AG, “Journal of Business Ethics”, 156, pp. 545–561.
• Bonini, S., Boraschi D. (2012), Corporate scandals and capital structure [in:] Cressy R., Cumming D., Mallin C. (eds.), Entrepreneurship, Finance, Governance and Ethics, vol. 3, Springer Science & Business Media, Dordrecht , pp. 241–269.
• Boyd C. (2004), The Structural Origins of Conflicts of Interest in the Accounting Profes-sion, “Business Ethics Quarterly”, 14 (3), pp. 377–398.
• Brierley J.A. (1999), Accountant’s job satisfaction: A meta-analysis, “The British Accounting Review”, 31 (1), pp. 63–84.
• Cameron R.A., O’Leary C. (2015), Improving ethical attitudes or simply teaching ethical codes? The reality of accounting ethics education, “Accounting Education”, 24 (4), pp. 275–290.
• Chi C.G., Gursoy D. (2009), Employee satisfaction, customer satisfaction, and financial performance: An empirical examination, “International Journal of Hospitality Man-agement”, 28 (2), pp. 245–253.
• Choi T.H., Pae J. (2011), Business ethics and financial reporting quality: Evidence from Korea, “Journal of Business Ethics”, 103, pp. 403–427.
• Chong V.K., Monroe G.S. (2015), The impact of the antecedents and consequences of job burnout on junior accountantsʼ turnover intentions: a structural equation modelling approach, “Accounting & Finance”, 55 (1), pp. 105–132.
• Clements C.E., Neill J.D., Stovall O.S. (2012), Inherent conflicts of interest in the account-ing profession, “Journal of Applied Business Research”, 28 (2), pp. 269–276.
• Cooper B.J., Leung P., Dellaportas S., Jackling B., Wong G. (2008), Ethics education for accounting students – A toolkit approach, “Accounting Education: an International Journal”, 17 (4), pp. 405–430.
• Dole C., Schroeder R.G. (2001), The impact of various factors on the personality, job satis-faction and turnover intentions of professional accountants, “Managerial Auditing Jour-nal”, 16 (4), pp. 234–245.
• Dordunun W., Owusu G.M.Y., Simpson S.N.Y. (2020), Turnover intentions and job perfor-mance of accountants: The role of religiosity and spiritual intelligence, “Journal of Re-search in Emerging Markets”, 2 (1), pp. 43–61.
• Dorta-Afonso D., González-de-la-Rosa M., Garcia-Rodriguez F.J., Romero-Domínguez L. (2021), Effects of high-performance work systems (HPWS) on hospitality employees’ out-comes through their organizational commitment, motivation, and job satisfac-tion, “Sustainability”, 13 (6), pp. 1–18.
• Gordon I.M. (2011) Lessons to be learned: An examination of Canadian and US financial accounting and auditing textbooks for ethics/governance coverage, “Journal of Business Ethics”, 101, pp. 29–47.
• Handbook of the International Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants (2022), Interna-tional Federation of Accountants, New York.
• Herbohn K. (2005), Job satisfaction dimensions in public accounting practice, “Accounting Research Journal”, 18 (2), pp. 63–82.
• Ishaque M. (2020), Cognitive approach to understand the impact of conflict of interests on accounting professionals’ decision-making behaviour, “Accounting Forum”, 44 (1), pp. 64–98.
• Kessler S.R., Lucianetti L., Pindek S., Zhu Z., Spector P.E. (2020), Job satisfaction and firm performance: Can employees’ job satisfaction change the trajectory of a firm's per-formance? “Journal of Applied Social Psychology”, 50 (10), pp. 563–572.
• Latif M.S., Ahmad M., Qasim M., Mushtaq M., Ferdoos A., Naeem H. (2013), Impact of employee’s job satisfaction on organizational performance, “European Journal of Busi-ness and Management”, 5 (5), pp. 166–171.
• Lloret Millan P., Arimany Serrat N. (2023), Relationship among economic crisis, stock market crashes and accounting scandals, “Intangible Capital”, 19(3), pp. 359–378.
• Lopes H., Lagoa S., Calapez T. (2014), Work autonomy, work pressure, and job satisfaction: An analysis of European Union countries, “The Economic and Labour Relations Re-view”, 25 (2), pp. 306–326.
• Madigan D.J., Kim L.E. (2021), Towards an understanding of teacher attrition: A meta-analysis of burnout, job satisfaction, and teachers’ intentions to quit, “Teaching and Teacher Education”, 105, Article 103425.
• Mnif Y., Rebai E. (2022), Flexibility and job stress in the accounting profession, “Accounting Research Journal”, 35 (2), pp. 261–275.
• Moyes G.D., Shao L.P., Newsome M. (2008), Comparative analysis of employee job satisfac-tion in the accounting profession, “Journal of Business & Economics Research”, 6 (2), pp. 65–82.
• Okougbo P.O., Okike E.N., Alao A. (2021), Accounting ethics education and the ethical awareness of undergraduates: an experimental study, “Accounting Education”, 30 (3), pp. 258–276.
• Onumah R.M., Simpson S.N.Y., Kwarteng A. (2021), The effects of ethics education inter-ventions on ethical attitudes of professional accountants: evidence from Ghana, “Accounting Education”, 30 (4), pp. 413–437.
• Perfetto S. (2017), Nota critica sulla diffusione della Partita Doppia nei Libri Mastri Delle Zecche Del Regno di Napoli. La Firma di Benedetto Cotrugli (Secc. XV–XVI), “De Computis, Revista Española de Historia de la Contabilidad”, 14 (26), pp. 6–26.
• Pham Q.T., Tan Tran T.G., Pham T.N.B., Ta L. (2022), Work pressure, job satisfaction and auditor turnover: Evidence from Vietnam, “Cogent Business & Management”, 9 (1), Article 2110644.
• Poje T., Zaman Groff M. (2022), Mapping ethics education in accounting research: A bibli-ometric analysis, “Journal of Business Ethics”, 179 (2), pp. 451–472.
• Rogošić A. (2021), Examining the Threats to Compliance with the Accounting Ethics Prin-ciples, [in:] Economic and Social Development. Proceedings of the 73rd International Scientific Conference on Economic and Social Development – “Sustainable Tourism in Post-pandemic World” , Dubrovnik, Croatia, 21–22 October, 2021, eds. Z. Baracskai, D. Vukovic, J. Janjusevic, Varazdin Development and Entrepreneurship Agency, Varazdin, Croatia / University North, Koprivnica, Croatia / Faculty of Management University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland / Faculty of Law, Economics and Social SciencesSale-Mohammed V University in Rabat, Morocco / Polytechnic of Medimurje in Cakovec, pp. 87–95.
• Rogošić A., Bakotić D. (2019). Job satisfaction of accountants and their professional ethics, “Ekonomski vjesnik”, 32 (1), pp. 165–177.
• Sangster A., Rossi F. (2018), Benedetto Cotrugli on double entry Bookkeeping, “De Computis, Revista Española de Historia de la Contabilidad”, 15 (2), pp. 22–38.
• Shafer W.E. (2002), Ethical pressure, organizational-professional conflict, and related work outcomes among management accountants, “Journal of Business Ethics”, 38, pp. 261–273.
• Suadicani P., Bonde J.P., Olesen K., Gyntelberg F. (2013), Job satisfaction and intention to quit the job, “Occupational medicine”, 63 (2), pp. 96–102.
• Sun Y., Gergen E., Avila M., Green M. (2016), Leadership and job satisfaction: Implications for leaders of accountants, “American Journal of Industrial and Business Manage-ment”, 6 (03), pp. 268–275.
• Sweeney B., Boyle B. (2005), Supervisory actions, job satisfaction and turnover intentions of Irish trainee accountants, “Accounting, Finance & Governance Review”, 12 (2), pp. 47–73.
• Sweeney J.T., Summers, S.L. (2002), The effect of the busy season workload on public account-ants’ job burnout, “Behavioral Research in Accounting”, 14 (1), pp. 223–245.
• Thagard P. (2007), The moral psychology of conflicts of interest: Insights from affective neuroscience, “Journal of Applied Philosophy”, 24 (4), pp. 367–8211.
• Tian Q., Peterson D.K. (2016), The effects of ethical pressure and power distance orientation on unethical pro-organizational behavior: The case of earnings management, “Business Ethics: A European Review”, 25 (2), pp. 159–171.
• Toms S. (2019), Financial scandals: a historical overview, “Accounting and Business Re-search”, 49 (5), pp. 477–499.
• Tormo-Carbó G., Seguí-Mas E., Oltra V. (2016), Accounting ethics in unfriendly environ-ments: The educational challenge, “Journal of Business Ethics”, 135, pp. 161–175.
• Varma A., Malhotra G. (2022), Psychological empowerment and job satisfaction of account-ants: the mediating effect of task performance, “International Journal of Organizational Analysis”, 30 (4), pp. 933–950.
• Wilkin C.L. (2013), I can’t get no job satisfaction: Meta‐analysis comparing permanent and contingent workers, “Journal of Organizational Behavior”, 34 (1), pp. 47–64.
• Žager K., Dečman N., Novak A. (2019), Importance of ethics in the education of account-ants, “Ekonomski Vjesnik”, 32 (2), pp. 463–476.