Central European Business Review 2023, 12(1):21-64 | DOI: 10.18267/j.cebr.315

Ethical Modelling of the Accounting Profession Based on the Value Judgements of Romanian Accounting Professionals

Barbara Kardos1, Katalin Balázsiné Farkas2, Richárd Kása ORCID...3, Erzsébet Szász ORCID...4, Iván Bélyácz5
1 Budapest Business School, Faculty of Finance and Accounting, Department of Accounting, Budapest, Hungary, kardos.barbara@uni-bge.hu
2 Budapest Business School, Faculty of Finance and Accounting, Department of Accounting, Budapest, Hungary, balazsinefarkas.katalin@uni-bge.hu
3 Budapest Business School, Faculty of Finance and Accounting, Department of Management, Budapest, Hungary, kasa.richard@uni-bge.hu
4 Partium Christian University, Oradea, Romania, szaszerzsebet@partium.ro
5 University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary, belyacz@ktk.pte.hu

There is a great contrast between the real role of accounting and its public perception. Accounting can be regarded as the language of business operations, but it is also the representative and manipulator of corporate operations and culture. The major challenge of accounting is whether it allows the most honest and knowledgeable managers to make outstanding reporting decisions while preventing the others on the other side of the honesty competence scale from distorting what they know about their company. This study presents the results of the authors’ empirical research about the opinions of accounting practitioners in Romaine on the values, career opportunities and ethical behaviour of the profession. The findings are interpreted at the various levels of accounting professions (administrators, accountants, auditors) by the number of years spent in accounting and groups of internal and external colleagues, focusing on causal relations. The conclusions are drawn through structural-equations-based causal models by the qualification of accounting professionals and the time spent by them in their jobs.
Implications for Central European audience: The paper is examining the role and ethics of accountants within the small and medium-sized sectors. In Central Europe, we have a similar cultural and historical background which might be touchable even in the business environment. Accountants influence how business works and what is disclosed about it. For the aim of a clear view, accountants must behave ethically, and they have to learn about business ethics and professional ethic topics.

Keywords: accounting; profession; ethics
JEL classification: I23, M16, M41

Received: October 20, 2021; Revised: June 1, 2022; Accepted: June 2, 2022; Prepublished online: September 16, 2022; Published: March 20, 2023  Show citation

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Kardos, B., Balázsiné Farkas, K., Kása, R., Szász, E., & Bélyácz, I. (2023). Ethical Modelling of the Accounting Profession Based on the Value Judgements of Romanian Accounting Professionals. Central European Business Review, 12(1), 21-64. doi: 10.18267/j.cebr.315
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