CodeofEthicsforProfessionalAccountantsofHKICPA专业会计师的道德规范accountantsof

1、code of ethics for professional accountantsof hkicpalectureraries wongb.b.a., m.sc., m.phil., cfa, cpaemail: .hkhomepage: home.chuhai.hk/arieswongintroductionna professional accountants responsibility is not exclusively to satisfy the needs of an individual client or employer. in

2、acting in the public interest a professional accountant should observe and comply with the code of ethical.nmembers of hkicpa who fail to comply with the code could lose their membership.nit is not practical to establish ethical requirements that apply to all situations and circumstances. members sh

3、ould therefore consider the ethical requirements as the basic principles they should follow in performing their work.nthe code is divided into four parts:qpart a: fundamental principlesqpart b: professional accountants in public practiceqpart c: professional accountants in businessqpart d: additiona

4、l ethical requirements on specific areasfundamental principlesi) integrityii) objectivityiii) professional competence and due careiv) confidentialityv) professional behaviourfundamental principlesi) integrityna professional accountant should be straightforward and honest in all professional and busi

5、ness relationships.na professional accountant should not be associated with reports, returns, communications or other information where they believe that the information:qcontains a materially false or misleading statement;qcontains statements or information furnished recklessly; orqomits or obscure

6、s information required to be included where such omission or obscurity would be misleading.ii) objectivityna professional accountant should not allow bias, conflict of interest or undue influence of others to override professional or business judgments.nrelationships that bias or unduly influence th

7、e professional judgment of the professional accountant should be avoided.fundamental principlesiii) professional competence and due carenthe principle of professional competence and due care imposes the following obligations on professional accountants:qto maintain professional knowledge and skill a

8、t the level required to ensure that clients or employers receive competent professional service; qto act diligently in accordance with applicable technical and professional standards when providing professional services.ncontinuing professional development develops and maintains the capabilities tha

9、t enable a professional accountant to perform competently.na professional accountant should take steps to ensure that those working under the professional accountants authority in a professional capacity have appropriate training and supervision.nwhere appropriate, a professional accountant should m

10、ake clients, employers or other users of the professional services aware of limitations inherent in the services to avoid the misinterpretation of an expression of opinion as an assertion of fact.fundamental principlesiv) confidentialitynthe principle of confidentiality imposes an obligation on prof

11、essional accountants to refrain from:qdisclosing outside the firm or employing organization confidential information acquired as a result of professional and business relationships without proper and specific authority or unless there is a legal or professional right or duty to disclose; andqusing c

12、onfidential information acquired as a result of professional and business relationships to their personal advantage or the advantage of third parties.na professional accountant should take all reasonable steps to ensure that staff under the professional accountants control and persons from whom advi

13、ce and assistance is obtained respect the professional accountants duty of confidentiality.nthe need to comply with the principle of confidentiality continues even after the end of relationships between a professional accountant and a client or employer.fundamental principlesiv) confidentiality (dis

14、closure of confidential information)nthe following are circumstances where professional accountants are or may be required to disclose confidential information or when such disclosure may be appropriate:qdisclosure is permitted by law and is authorized by the client or the employer;qdisclosure is re

15、quired by law, for example:qthere is a professional duty or right to disclose, when not prohibited by law.nin deciding whether to disclose confidential information, professional accountants should consider the following points:qwhether the interests of all parties, including third parties whose inte

16、rests may be affected, could be harmed if the client or employer consents to the disclosure of information by the professional accountant;qwhether all the relevant information is known and substantiated, to the extent it is practicable;qthe type of communication that is expected and to whom it is ad

17、dressed.fundamental principlesv) professional behaviournthe principle of professional behaviour imposes an obligation on professional accountants to comply with relevant laws and regulations and avoid any action that may bring discredit to the profession. nthis includes actions which a reasonable an

18、d informed third party, having knowledge of all relevant information, would conclude negatively affects the good reputation of the profession.nin marketing and promoting themselves and their work, professional accountants should not bring the profession into disrepute. professional accountants shoul

19、d be honest and truthful and should not:qmake exaggerated claims for the services they are able to offer, the qualifications they possess, or experience they have gained; orqmake disparaging references or unsubstantiated comparisons to the work of others.threatsncompliance with the fundamental princ

20、iples may potentially be threatened by a broad range of circumstances. many threats fall into the following categories:nself-interest threats, which may occur as a result of the financial or other interests of a professional accountant or of an immediate or close family member;nself-review threats,

21、which may occur when a previous judgment needs to be re-evaluated by the professional accountant responsible for that judgment;nadvocacy threats, which may occur when a professional accountant promotes a position or opinion to the point that subsequent objectivity may be compromised;nfamiliarity thr

22、eats, which may occur when, because of a close relationship, a professional accountant becomes too sympathetic to the interests of others;nintimidation threats, which may occur when a professional accountant may be deterred from acting objectively by threats, actual or perceived.ethical conflict res

23、olutionnwhen initiating either a formal or informal conflict resolution process, a professional accountant should consider the following:qrelevant facts;qethical issues involved;qfundamental principles related to the matter in question;qestablished internal procedures; andqalternative courses of action.nwhere a matter involves a conflict w