An Analysis of Ethics Articles Published between 2000-2015 in the Journal of Accountancy and the Accounting Review

Abstract

This paper considers the impact that financial scandals, the end of self-regulation in the audit industry, and the emergence of the Great Recession had on the subject matter, specifically on ethics, of articles that were published in The Accounting Review (an academic journal) and the Journal of Accountancy (a practitioner journal) from 2000-2015. This time frame was selected since many of the financial accounting scandals that led to passage of The Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) occurred during this period. In addition, the bursting of the housing bubble that led to the Great Recession and the subsequent economic recovery occurred during this period. The Accounting Review (TAR) and the Journal of Accountancy (JofA) were selected because TAR and JofA are arguably the leading academic and professional journals, respectively, in the accounting profession. The number of ethics-related articles increased substantially over the period 2000-2015 in both the academic and practitioner journals. However, different trends within the study period were found for each journal. The number of ethics articles in JofA, a practitioner journal, shows quick reaction and rapid fall-off after the period of financial scandals. By contrast, TAR, an academic journal, has maintained an increasing trend, despite concerns over the economy that developed during the recessionary years. This finding suggests that accountants will continue to be sensitized to the importance of ethics whether in the midst of an ethical crisis or not.

Keywords: Ethics, Sarbanes-Oxley Act, Financial Accounting Scandals

JEL Classification: M41, M42, M48, M49