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The ethics of creative accounting

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Abstract

The term 'creative accounting' can be defined in a number of ways. Initially we will offer this definition: 'a process whereby accountants use their knowledge of accounting rules to manipulate the figures reported in the accounts of a business'. To investigate the ethical issues raised by creative accounting we will: - Explore some definitions of creative accounting. - Consider the various ways in which creative accounting can be undertaken. - Explore the range of reasons for a company's directors to engage in creative accounting. - Review the ethical issues that arise in creative accounting. - Report on surveys of auditors' perceptions of creative accounting in the UK, Spain and New Zealand.

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  • Oriol Amat & John Blake & Jack Dowds, 1998. "The ethics of creative accounting," Economics Working Papers 349, Department of Economics and Business, Universitat Pompeu Fabra.
  • Handle: RePEc:upf:upfgen:349
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    1. Sweeney, Amy Patricia, 1994. "Debt-covenant violations and managers' accounting responses," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 17(3), pages 281-308, May.
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    1. Csongor CSŐSZ & Partenie DUMBRAVA & Albert MÁRTON, 2012. "Creative accounting – tangible assets and amortization," Anale. Seria Stiinte Economice. Timisoara, Faculty of Economics, Tibiscus University in Timisoara, vol. 0, pages 767-774, May.
    2. Zita Drábková, 2013. "The potential to reduce the risk of manipulation of financial statements using the identification models of creative accounting," Acta Universitatis Agriculturae et Silviculturae Mendelianae Brunensis, Mendel University Press, vol. 61(7), pages 2055-2063.
    3. Ahmad Bukola UTHMAN & Zayyad Abdul-BAKI, 2014. "The value-relevance of accounting information in Nigeria: analysts’ perception in the IFRS regime," The Journal of Accounting and Management, Danubius University of Galati, issue 1, pages 43-60, April.
    4. Zita Drábková, 2015. "Analysis of Possibilities of Detectnig the Manipulation of Financial Statements in Terms of the IFRS and Czech Accounting Standards," Acta Universitatis Agriculturae et Silviculturae Mendelianae Brunensis, Mendel University Press, vol. 63(6), pages 1859-1866.
    5. Tetyana Storozhuk, 2016. "Impact of Creativity in Accounting on Indicators of Financial Statements," Oblik i finansi, Institute of Accounting and Finance, issue 2, pages 65-70, June.
    6. Tadeusz Miczka, 2018. "The State of Anthropological Uncertainty as an Educational Problem," European Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies Articles, Revistia Research and Publishing, vol. 3, January -.
    7. Ioana Lavinia Safta & Andrada-Ioana Sabău (Popa) & Neli Muntean, 2021. "Bibliometric Analysis of the Literature on Measuring Techniques for Manipulating Financial Statements," Risks, MDPI, vol. 9(7), pages 1-16, July.
    8. Jasim Mohammed Mushib Janabi & Zainab Husham Qasim Al-Rikabi, 2018. "Factors of Failure of the Iraqi Banking System in the Implementation of the Decisions of the Basel Committee," European Journal of Economics and Business Studies Articles, Revistia Research and Publishing, vol. 4, January -.
    9. Laura-Alexandra MORTURĂ & Daniel Petru VÂRTEIU & Andreea Elena DREGHICIU, 2017. "Procedures And Techiques Specific To Creative Accounting Used In Registering The Exchange Rate Differences," SEA - Practical Application of Science, Romanian Foundation for Business Intelligence, Editorial Department, issue 15, pages 407-411, December.
    10. Marisa Agostini & Giovanni Favero, 2012. "Accounting fraud, business failure and creative auditing: A micro-analysis of the strange case of Sunbeam Corp," Working Papers 12, Department of Management, Università Ca' Foscari Venezia, revised Mar 2013.
    11. Tha’er Amjed Mahmoud Ababneh & Mehmet Aga, 2019. "The Impact of Sustainable Financial Data Governance, Political Connections, and Creative Accounting Practices on Organizational Outcomes," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(20), pages 1-16, October.
    12. Joseph Heath, 2007. "An Adversarial Ethic for Business: or When Sun-Tzu Met the Stakeholder," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 72(4), pages 359-374, June.
    13. Ndebugri, Haruna & Tweneboah Senzu, Emmanuel, 2017. "Analyzing the critical effects of creative accounting practices in the corporate sector of Ghana," MPRA Paper 81113, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 04 Sep 2017.
    14. Oriol Amat & John Blake & Ester Oliveras, 2000. "The ethics of creative accounting: Some Spanish evidence," Economics Working Papers 455, Department of Economics and Business, Universitat Pompeu Fabra.
    15. Ester Oliveras & Oriol Amat, 2003. "Ethics and creative accounting: Some empirical evidence on accounting for intangibles in Spain," Economics Working Papers 732, Department of Economics and Business, Universitat Pompeu Fabra.
    16. Carmine Zoccali, 2012. "The Role Of Financial Indicators In The Life Of Italian Football Clubs," Rivista di Diritto ed Economia dello Sport, Centro di diritto e business dello Sport, vol. 7(3), pages 83-101, gennaio.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Accounting; creative accounting; ethics;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • M41 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Accounting - - - Accounting

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    1. Креативный учёт in Wikipedia Russian

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