The effect of corporate ethical values on accountants' perceptions of social responsibility

Abstract

Significant research has concluded that corporations have a social responsibility to stakeholders beyond maximizing shareholders' wealth. The current study examines the relationship between corporate ethical values and the perception of the importance of corporate social responsibility. A total of 583 CPAs in public accounting, industry and academia completed a survey designed to measure the importance of corporate social responsibility on profitability, long-term success and short-term success before Enron and Worldcom declared bankruptcy. The results indicated that CPAs employed in organizations with high (low) ethical values perceived corporate social responsibility to be more (less) important in profitability and long-term success and less (more) important in short-term success of the firm.