Maintaining ethics has never been more important and necessary for accounting professionals. With increasing pressure and limited time, a declining economy and no shortage of other factors that might impact and impair our professional behaviour, it is crucial to ensure that ethical standards are upheld.
The IRBA CPD policy also requires all IRBA members, regardless of whether their status is recorded in the IRBA’s register as assurance or non-assurance, to engage in compulsory CPD activities on ethics of at least 3 hours per year.
This course aims to address the abovementioned CPD need for IRBA members and auditors, as well as enable other accounting professionals in public practice and in business to maintain and enhance their ethical framework in accordance with their relevant Codes of Professional Conduct.
*Disclaimer: This course is not intended to provide the satisfaction of all the IRBA, SAICA or SAIPA CPD requirements on ethics activities, but serves as a method to address developmental needs and supplement CPD activities. Members are still responsible to ensure that they have performed the relevant self-assessment and reflection activities required in terms of the CPD policies of these regulatory bodies. This course is also not suitable for the completion of the C9 compulsory ethics for SAICA trainees - please refer to the separate programme that we have available for this on the MySkills Portal*
The course will address the following:
An overview of the elements of personal and business ethics and how it impacts the auditor and accounting professional
All the relevant requirements from the IRBA, SAICA and SAIPA Codes of Professional Conduct applicable to members, including:
o An overview of the conceptual framework, and the process of identifying and addressing threats to ethical principles
o Specific coverage on threat indicators from the relevant Codes and how to address them, including a discussion of the most common areas prone to unethical behaviour in practice
o Specific matters related to independence required from auditors
o Specific matters regarding the response to NOCLAR