Concluding Statement
In a society of seemingly endless problems with no real solutions, the accounting
profession crisis seems to be just another point in the trend. However, this researcher
feels that this problem can be solved. Whereas change cannot be affected overnight, with
75
diligence and a strong commitment to social change, it can be affected little by little.
Thus, it is not the goal of this study to solve the massive problem that has existed for
decades and will most likely continue to exist into the unforeseeable future; but instead to
go back to the beginning and try to identify exactly where change can begin. This study
has shown that a majority of students enter accounting programs with an ethical
perspective that is incompatible with the nature of the accounting profession. Due to a
lack of ethics instruction in current accounting curriculum, these students are graduating
with increased knowledge of the code, but without the professional judgment needed to
apply the code. Thus, the current academic system is perpetuating the problem, not
helping to solve it or at the very least curb it. Therefore, changes must be made to
curriculum and to recruitment approaches in an effort to increase the professional
judgment of accounting graduates. Only then will a solution to this problem seem
possible. Only then will the accounting profession begin to heal the public confidence,
which will result in great social change