Resolving Ethical Dilemmas in Financial Audit

Resolving ethical dilemmas is a difficult endeavor in any field and financial auditing makes no exception. Ethical dilemmas are complex situations which derive from a conflict and in which a decision among several alternatives is needed. Ethical dilemmas are common in the work of the financial auditor, whose mission is to serve the interests of the public at large, not those of the auditee’s managers who mandate him/her. The objective of the present paper is to offer support in resolving ethical dilemmas in financial audit. Methodologically, the paper applies an innovative moral reasoning framework – the Potter box – to a scenario frequently encountered in financial audit. Authors conclude that the Potter box can be a useful tool for both professionals and academicians in thoroughly investigating ethical decisions already made or in analyzing alternative courses of action.