CPABC in Focus January/ February 2017 | Page 43

Why have a CPD requirement for business ethics ? CPAs will be confronted with challenging ethical situations throughout their professional careers , and the pressures of meeting competing objectives can make ethical decision-making difficult . A continuing professional development ( CPD ) business ethics requirement supports members . CPD provides an opportunity for members to discuss with professional peers the challenges , complexities , and risks faced when ethical dilemmas arise . This learning is such a valuable activity — both from the perspective of members and from the perspective of the public they serve — that many accounting bodies around the globe have adopted a mandatory ethics PD requirement .
What is business ethics CPD ? Business ethics CPD is learning that specifically addresses business ethics matters that are relevant and appropriate to the member . Business ethics CPD can cover a wide range of topics related to ethics and ethical decision-making . Examples of business ethics-related topics include , but are not limited to , the following :
• CPABC regulatory updates covering the Chartered Professional Accountants Act , bylaws , bylaw regulations , and the Code of Professional Conduct
• Regulatory updates relevant and appropriate to the member ’ s role and / or industry
• Professional conduct
• Doing the right thing
• Ethical decision-making , approaches , thinking , and case studies
• Honesty in business practice
• Corporate codes of conduct
• Ethical business culture
• Independence
• Conflict of interest
• Corporate social responsibility
• Bribery and corruption
• Money laundering
• Reputation and risk
• Whistle-blowing
1
A reminder : Effective 2017 , all CPAs will be subject to a three-year rolling CPD cycle on a continual basis . In each three-year rolling cycle , every member must complete at least 120 hours of CPD , at least 60 of which must be verifiable .
What are CPABC ’ s business ethics CPD requirements ? Every member must complete a minimum of four verifiable business ethics CPD hours as part of their 60-verifiable-hour requirement in each three-year rolling cycle . 1 For many CPAs , the first deadline to meet this requirement is December 31 , 2017 , for the three-year CPD rolling cycle of 2015-2017 ( see table below ). The four hours of business ethics do not have to be obtained in a single program , and can be accumulated through ethics components from any number of seminars or courses over the rolling three-year cycle . The requirement can be fulfilled in a number of ways , through CPA programs or other structured learning sources , including in the workplace .
CPA , CGA
CPA , CA
CPA , CMA
• Four-hour business ethics CPD requirement continues as before on a three-year rolling basis .
• Four hours of business ethics do not have to be obtained in a single program anymore .
• Requirement can be met in 2015 , 2016 , or 2017 ( or can accumulate over the three years ).
• Four-hour business ethics CPD requirement started with the 2015- 2017 three-year rolling cycle .
• Requirement can be met in 2015 , 2016 , or 2017 ( or can accumulate over the three years ).
• First deadline to obtain four hours of business ethics CPD is December 31 , 2017 . Requirement will then continue to be applied on a three-year rolling basis .
• Four-hour business ethics CPD requirement started with the 2015- 2017 three-year rolling cycle .
• Requirement can be met in 2015 , 2016 , or 2017 ( or can accumulate over the three years ).
• First deadline to obtain four hours of business ethics CPD is December 31 , 2017 . Requirement will then continue to be applied on a three-year rolling basis .
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