Financial Prompts (Essay Sample)

Student’s Name Professor’s Name Course Number Date ETHICAL DILEMMA: CHOOSING THE LESS EVIL An Accountant has the responsibility of preparing financial statements and/or reports necessary to evaluate the performance of a firm for the whole accounting period. With the power given to the Accountants, they are expected to act in good faith (Love and Eickemeyer n.p.). This means that they should not commit any forms of misconduct and fraud which may lead to greater problems. As evidence, the ever-famous Enron Scandal, which manipulated t income to hide the company’s problem and attract investors (Bondarenko n.p.). Similarly, Harmony which is the Senior Accountant of a bank is actually facing the same problem with Enron. She would manipulate sales revenue to save multiple employees under different branches. Harmony faces an ethical dilemma wherein she needs to choose the best option that would benefit the majority of the people. However, these choices are from conflicting moral beliefs and both would result in bad endings. She could either save employees who would possibly be laid off from work but make the bank suffer the same faith with Enron. Or she could turn a blind eye and act in good faith, by reporting the correct figures which would not guarantee the future of the employees. Technically, Harmony is actually combining Virtue and Communitarian ethics in her decision making. Virtue ethics in the sense that she is essentially doing what a good person would do- saving her colleagues. Howbeit, she is facing the clashing virtues of loyalty and honesty (Ethical Theories n.p.). At the end of the day, she would choose a decision in support of the favored virtues. On the contrary, it is Communitarian ethics due to the fact that Harmony actually thinks of others rather than her own self (Seawell 5). She could actually report the authentic data and receive promotions from the higher ups, but she is actually considering the welfare of the staff of the company. Generally, what Harmony did was either good or bad. Good in the sense that she saved her workmates. Bad for the reason that she is putting the whole company at risk of bankruptcy. Possibly, she could lose her job once the hig...