Purpose In Action: Accountants building a better world

(008) How to be ready for ethical dilemmas

"Simple steps make a big difference when it comes to living, and working, ethically." Clare Levison, CPA, CGMA, is a member of the AICPA Professional Ethics Executive Committee and founder of Inspired Responsibility, a consulting company that delivers organizational education via positive messages and meaningful content. She joins host Kim Nilsen to share tips about ways to deal with ethical risks.  TALKING POINTS  The conversation touches on: * The beauty of having a personal ethics statement. * How to build an ethical work culture. * Applying the AICPA Conceptual Framework, an approach designed for accountants that is part of the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct, to any ethical dilemma in life. From a high level – the framework contains four steps: 1. Identifying threats – aka recognizing that you have a problem. 2. Evaluating the threat. 3. Identifying safeguards, which means answering what you are going to do about the threat. 4. Evaluating how well the safeguard worked. LINKS  * Find out more about the AICPA Conceptual Framework. [https://us.aicpa.org/interestareas/professionalethics/community/aicpa-conceptual-framework] * Clare is the founder of Inspired Responsibility [https://www.inspiredresponsibility.com/] * For more on the work of accountants in the public interest, visit our Purpose In Action page at AICPA.org. [https://www.aicpa.org/about/landing/purpose-in-action] CONNECT * Our guest Clare Levison can be reached on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/clare-levison-58448126/]. * The host for this episode is Kim Nilsen, [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mskimnilsen/] Senior Director for Reputation and External Affairs at the North Carolina head office of AICPA & CIMA.  Feedback and comments welcomed at podcast@aicpa-cima.com [podcast@aicpa-cima.com] This is a podcast from AICPA [http://aicpa.org/] & CIMA [http://cimaglobal.com/], together as the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants.

(007) A look at what’s ahead in 2023

While the show is paused for the holidays, here’s a sense of what’s to come from new presenter Kim Nilsen. Purpose in Action is taking a holiday break and the show has big plans for 2023. We’ll start the year on Jan. 25 with the first in a series of episodes exploring the many aspects of ethics. To get more on ethics until we’re back, check out Episode 4’s look at building an ethical career, [https://directory.libsyn.com/episode/index/id/24712437] or Episode 6’s discussion of the role we all can play in detecting and preventing fraud [https://directory.libsyn.com/episode/index/id/25050255].  LINKS * For more on the work of accountants in the public interest, visit our Purpose In Action page at AICPA.org. [https://www.aicpa.org/about/landing/purpose-in-action] * Connect with presenter Kim Nilsen via LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mskimnilsen/]. Feedback and comments welcomed at podcast@aicpa-cima.com [podcast@aicpa-cima.com] This is a podcast from AICPA & CIMA, together as the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants.

(006) Preventing and detecting fraud: everyone has a role

In a sense, everyone is an accountant, and therefore everyone is a fraud detective.  We all have a role in preventing and detecting fraud, and it starts with treating compliance activities as more than just a check-the-box exercise. On this episode of the Purpose in Action podcast, global fraud detective Nigel Iyer, FCMA, CGMA, describes ways that everyone can contribute to the prevention and detection of fraud. Iyer, a founder of the firm B4 Investigate in Oslo, Norway, explains: * How to combat fraud in a passionate but also compassionate manner. * Why everyone is an accountant, and by extension, everyone is a fraud detective. * Technology’s role in the fight against fraud. * How to stop fraud before it happens. Connect with our guest, Nigel Iyer [https://b4investigate.com/contact/] and take the B4 Investigate Fraud Detective Challeng [https://b4investigate.com/fd-challenge/]e, a 5-minute test of what kind of fraud detective you are. Find out how accountants are protecting against money laundering [https://www.aicpa.org/news/article/accountants-protect-against-money-laundering-amid-russias-invasion] amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.  You can also learn how accounting professionals are working in cybersecurity roles [https://www.aicpa.org/news/article/cybersecurity-accounting-professionals-work-to-keep-the-public-safe] to keep the public safe. For more on the work of accountants in the public interest, visit our Purpose In Action page at AICPA.org. [https://www.aicpa.org/about/landing/purpose-in-action] Feedback and comments welcomed at podcast@aicpa-cima.com [podcast@aicpa-cima.com] This is a podcast from AICPA [http://aicpa.org/] & CIMA [http://cimaglobal.com/], together as the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants.

(005) Protecting older adults from fraud

Fraud perpetrated against seniors can cause tremendous harm. But family, friends and accounting professionals can help. Older adults can be inundated with suspicious communications from potential fraudsters these days. That's why this episode is a must-listen for older adults who are worried about being susceptible to fraud, as well as for their family members and friends who want to protect them. Mitchell Freedman, CPA/PFS, and Ann Marie Milinazzo, CPA/PFS, share insights on fraud schemes to watch for. They also outline tactics that can be used to protect older adults from fraud. You'll hear: * Tips for recognizing fraudulent communications. * How family members and friends can protect older adults, and how accounting professionals recognize whether family members have their parents’ or grandparents’ best interests at heart. * How advance planning can help reduce older adults’ exposure to fraud. * What to do if you become a victim of fraud. Connect with our guests, Ann Marie Milinazzo [https://www.linkedin.com/in/annmariemilinazzo/] and Mitchell Freedman [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mitchell-freedman-cpa-pfs-8268716/]. For more on the work of accountants in the public interest, visit our Purpose In Action page at AICPA.org [https://www.aicpa.org/about/landing/purpose-in-action]. Feedback and comments welcomed at podcast@aicpa-cima.com [podcast@aicpa-cima.com] This is a podcast from AICPA [http://aicpa.org/] & CIMA [http://cimaglobal.com/], together as the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants.

(004) Pursuing the good: Building an ethical career

The workplace is a great place to build character and integrity. Hear more from an expert in organizational behavior, professor Isaac Smith of Brigham Young University. Looking at time spent at work as an opportunity to build character as well as profit is a good way to make the world a better place. Many people spend more than half of their waking hours during the week at work, so they can develop a stronger moral fiber by making the effort to build an ethical framework for their career. Although leaders have a responsibility to give employees the ability to “pursue the good” at work, ethics expert Isaac Smith of Brigham Young University explains that people also have their own duty to work to be better. Smith is an associate professor of organizational behavior and human resources at BYU, and in this episode of the Purpose in Action podcast he explains:  * How to treat ethics as an opportunity to pursue the best qualities in everyone, rather than a compliance exercise. * Strategies for influencing others and helping them improve their character. * How accounting professionals such as finance department leaders and internal auditors help people behave ethically in an organization. * What people can do to go to bed each night knowing they behaved in an ethical manner. * The difference between the motivation to do good and the motivation to not do bad.  For more on audit and audit quality, visit our Purpose In Action page at AICPA.org. [https://www.aicpa.org/about/landing/purpose-in-action] Connect with our guest, Isaac Smith [https://www.linkedin.com/in/isaac-smith-17aa921/]. Feedback and comments welcomed at podcast@aicpa-cima.com [podcast@aicpa-cima.com] This is a podcast from AICPA [http://aicpa.org/] & CIMA [http://cimaglobal.com/], together as the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants.