This article seeks to test the general assertion that
changes in the context of accounting work have
eroded professional ethics. Specifically, we extend
the literature on professional ethics by introducing
the construct of ethical commitment, and by
examining the extent to which professional
accountants’ ethical commitment towards auditor
independence varies along features of their work and
cultural environment. We do so through an online
survey of Chartered Accountants (CAs) from four
Canadian provincial institutes administered in late
2002. Ethical commitment is defined as the extent to
which the individual adheres to ideal moral values
and their regulatory enforcement within her/his
professional community.1 Because auditor independence
is a central concept in the accounting
profession, the present study focuses on the
commitment that professional accountants manifest
towards auditor independence. Specifically, independence
commitment is defined as the extent to which the
individual accountant considers auditor independence
as a key attribute of the profession, and believes
that regulatory standards of auditor independence
(issued by the profession and/or external regulatory
agencies) should be rigorously binding and enforced
in the public accounting domain.