Legality and Ethicality of Financial Reporting

355 Words2 Pages
(INTRO) One of key accounting activities this WorldCom case points out is how WorldCom capitalized leased lines which brought little or no value to the organization, but were accounted as capitalized assets, and the impact this can have on external users. “To maintain and broaden public confidence, members should perform all responsibilities with highest sense of integrity.” (AICPA.com) By capitalizing the costs of these leased lines instead of it would have shown a significantly lower net value of the company. It would have negatively affected cash flows and all the ratios. This activity certainly discredits the profession. It does not offer the fullest disclosure, objectivity, and transparency. “Members should accept the obligation to act in a way that will serve the public interest, honor the public trust, and demonstrate commitment to professionalism.” (AICPA) If the investors, creditors, and general public had found out about this questionable reporting, the integrity of the leadership of the organization would have been questioned a lot sooner. Investors would have been running away from WorldCom a lot sooner. Creditors would have stopped issuing resources in good faith. The general public and news reporting agencies would have created uproar. SCOTT SULLIVAN: Scott Sullivan, the CFO of WorldCom was not acting in an ethical manner whatsoever. Once he found out about the internal audit and the findings, he started asking questions to those in charge of performing the audit. Why would a CFO be so concerned about an internal audit now, when there been so little interest in the past? Sullivan started to become more involved in the internal audit. By becoming more involved in the audit, he is creating a conflict of interest. The auditors should be allowed to maintain objectivity and be free of conflicts of interest. Sullivan did not take the

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