Level of Ethical Awareness of Bs Accountancy Students in Selected Private Universities in Camarines Sur: Basis for Ancillary Business Ethics Guide

Abstract

Accounting is a discipline that involves not just the mechanical application of accounting expertise but also making complex judgments, both quantitative and qualitative, which demands the highest standards of integrity and objectivity. Ethical considerations are therefore of utmost importance to all accountants. Ethics education should continue to play an important part in accounting education. Accounting ethics were first introduced by Luca Pacioli and later expanded by government groups, professional organizations, and independent companies. Robert H. Montgomery, describing ethics in accounting, has said that “Accountants and the accounting profession exist as a means of public service; the distinction that separates a profession from a mere means of livelihood is that the profession is accountable to standards of the public interest and beyond the compensation paid by clients.”