Ethics and Accounting

In accounting tonight, we spent sometime talking about ethics. Enron is the classic case of a breach of ethics in accounting. It was sobering to contemplate the ramifications of decisions made by a few people. A few people essentially destroyed two gigantic companies and left 1000's of people without jobs and retirement plans. Within months, people lost their livelihoods. Faced with seemingly insurmountable stresses, some even committed suicide.

It was even more sobering to realize that we are all people. Maybe the decisions that I make or you make won't have this kind of impact. But, we are all susceptible to the underlying motivation behind these unethical decisions... greed. We are all faced with difficult decisions... decisions of right and wrong. Sometimes I don't always consider that the decisions I make can potentially affect others. Enron is certainly a powerful and sobering reminder of this reality.