This research explores the relationship between work context and professional ethics. Specifically, we analyze through an
online survey of professional accountants the degree to which changing work conditions have altered individual accountants’
commitment to the core professional value of auditor independence. We argue that certain changes in the condition of work
have made some categories of accountants more susceptible to the logic of commercialism rather than the logic of professionalism.
We find general support for this argument. We observe that accountants working outside of public accounting have a higher
commitment to independence than do accountants working in the context of public accounting firms. We further observe that
accountants in large international accounting firms (i.e. the “Big Four”) report lower commitment to auditor independence
than do others in public accounting. And we observe that older accountants report stronger commitment to auditor independence.
One finding, however, contradicts our general thesis. We find that commitment to one’s client does not necessarily result
in a loss of commitment to the core professional value of independence. We conclude that changes in the context of work have
contributed to the demise of ethics among professional accountants and suggest that further research be done to elaborate
the relationship between client commitment and independence commitment.