Accounting professionals play a crucial role not only in the financial and risk management of a company, but also corporate governance and the overall development of an organisation. Moreover, they have an overriding duty to protect the public interest. Given this unique role, professional accountants must uphold the highest standard of professional ethics and stay vigilant to various ethical risks and challenges.

The Hong Kong Business Ethics Development Centre (HKBEDC) of the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) has developed this series of feature articles in consultation with the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants (HKICPA). These articles highlight some common ethical risks faced by different accounting professionals, namely external auditors, internal auditors, financial accountants and management accountants, and the legal obligations and professional principles they should pay heed to in tackling these challenges.