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(004) Pursuing the good: Building an ethical career

Purpose In Action: Accountants building a better world

Release Date: 10/18/2022

(008) How to be ready for ethical dilemmas show art (008) How to be ready for ethical dilemmas

Purpose In Action: Accountants building a better world

"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...

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(007) A look at what’s ahead in 2023 show art (007) A look at what’s ahead in 2023

Purpose In Action: Accountants building a better world

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 or Episode 6’s discussion of the role we all can play in .  LINKS For more on the work of accountants in the public interest, visit our Purpose In Action page at Connect with presenter Kim Nilsen via . Feedback...

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

Purpose In Action: Accountants building a better world

  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,...

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(005) Protecting older adults from fraud show art (005) Protecting older adults from fraud

Purpose In Action: Accountants building a better world

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:...

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(004) Pursuing the good: Building an ethical career show art (004) Pursuing the good: Building an ethical career

Purpose In Action: Accountants building a better world

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,...

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(003) Continuous auditing: Improving business results in real time show art (003) Continuous auditing: Improving business results in real time

Purpose In Action: Accountants building a better world

Continuous auditing is an increasingly popular practice that delivers more timely results for clients and the public. Samantha Bowling, CPA, CGMA, of Garbelman Winslow, and Paul Johnson, CPA, of Wipfli, explain how continuous auditing brings substantial benefits. As technology continues to make information available faster than ever, a developing practice known as continuous auditing promises to provide enormous benefits to the public. If a deficiency develops in a company’s internal financial controls, continuous auditing has the potential to detect the problem far quicker than a yearly...

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(002) How defending CPA licensure protects the public show art (002) How defending CPA licensure protects the public

Purpose In Action: Accountants building a better world

Critical professional licensing laws are under attack in legislatures throughout the nation. But CPAs are fighting back to protect the public interest. Legislators on both sides of the aisle have been pushing for laws that would eliminate professional licensure requirements in a handful of states across the country. Accounting professionals and state CPA societies have been fighting to preserve professional licensing rules because they protect the public. Licensing rules give consumers comfort that when they hire a CPA, they will be working with a professional who is held to high standards of...

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(001) It's time to act on the ballooning federal debt show art (001) It's time to act on the ballooning federal debt

Purpose In Action: Accountants building a better world

As of September 2021, the U.S. federal government had more than $34 trillion in liabilities and less than $5 trillion in assets, according to the federal financial statements for fiscal year 2021. Expenses related to the COVID-19 pandemic have added to the federal deficit, and rising interest rates make it more difficult to pay off what is owed. Greg Anton, CPA, CGMA, a BDO partner and former chair of the AICPA Board of Directors, has long been an advocate of federal fiscal responsibility. He joins us to explain the severity of the deficit problem, which has the potential to spiral and create...

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More Episodes

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.

Connect with our guest, Isaac Smith.

Feedback and comments welcomed at [email protected]


This is a podcast from AICPA & CIMA, together as the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants.