Abstract
Economic decision-making by enterprise owners, potential investors and the managers
and technologists of an organisation rely on information supplied by accountants. Insufficient
or inappropriate understanding of the norms of ethics by accountants or individuals acting in
their environment leads to the formation of accountants’ unethical behaviour and the
problems of accounts handling and finance management. This study analysed the models of
professional ethical behaviour presented in scientific literature and used for empirical studies
as well as the possibility of their application during an assessment of accountants’
professional ethics in the context of their virtues and environment, selected the virtues of
accountants and environmental factors having an influence on accountants’ motivation to
behave ethically/unethically and evaluated the importance of these factors for the ethical
behaviour of professional accountants. An analytical study design was used in order to
develop a theory-based framework. Using Rest’s model of executives’ ethical behaviour, we
analysed the impact of personal moral identification, business environment and the Code of
Ethics for Professional Accountants on accountants’ professional ethics. In order to establish
whether or not these factors predetermine ethical behaviour of professional accountants, an
anonymous survey of professional accountants in business was conducted by asking them to
evaluate whether or not the presented virtues and business environment-related cases that are
likely to cause professional ethics problems are important in accountant’s work. Study results
lead to the conclusion that the ethical behaviour perceived by accountants is predetermined by
their virtues (a sense of duty, integrity, fairness, attentiveness, independence and selfconfidence).
Meanwhile, neither a working environment of accountants nor knowledge of the
Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants predetermines ethical behaviour.