Some Ethical Issues for Accountants in Antidumping Trade Cases: An Examination of Recent Case Studies with Emphasis on Latin America

A search of the accounting, trade and ethics literature failed to find a single article that discussed the role that accountants play in assisting in the data gathering process of a trade investigation. Yet there are serious ethical issues that need to be addressed. Certain aspects of trade investigations are unethical, whether one takes a utilitarian or rights view of ethics, and accountants play a role in this unethical conduct. This paper looks at those issues and makes recommendations for change. The author calls for the various state and national accounting organizations to closely examine the ethical issues involved when accountants take part in an antidumping investigation and establish guidelines for ethical conduct.