Personal Ethics

and Financial
Reporting
Wayne Rowley
Accounting 2010
Tammie Neeley
By

1
A butterfly is a magnificent and beautiful creature. Before becoming so, it was required
to go through three stages: egg, pupa and larva. In my quest to become an ethical and honest
citizen, I too need to go through several important stages.
The first stage that I encountered was the learning stage. As a young child my parents
taught me to be honest and to not steal. They taught me through counsel and example. I
remember when I was about 5 years old, I went with my mother to go shopping for groceries. At
some point during our trip I decided to fill my pockets with taffy. My mother realizing what I
had done was quick to correct me and tell me that what I had done was wrong. Her approach
was firm yet compassionate. In school and at church I was taught the importance of personal
integrity and obedience to commandments and laws. By the time I was a young man I fully
understood what was required of me.
The second stage is the most important one, the one I like to call the practice stage. This
is when you begin to put into practice what you have been taught. Throughout your life you are
faced with many decisions. In early childhood decisions are black and white but as a young
adult they become grayer. This is where we develop most of who we are in life. At this stage in
life we need to avoid the Fraud Triangle which we learned from the assigned video is the
intersection where pressure, rationalization and opportunity meet. I think that each and every
one of us have given into pressures and made the mistake of being dishonest. It is important we
learn from these bad choices and return to practicing what we have been taught. When I was 16
years old, I decided to skip class. My friends pressured me into it and I rationalized that
everyone skips class. However, I did it again and again and each time it became easier. Before I
knew it, I had missed over 100 days. The consequence of this action was that I had to repeat my

2
senior year and did not graduate with many of the kids I grew up with. I learned from this
experience and made appropriate changes in my life.
The last stage in becoming that beautiful (honest) butterfly is the teaching stage. When
as an adult, I begin to teach my children and others those values that I had been taught. I have a
strong sense of responsibility when it comes to being a parent. I want to leave behind a good
legacy. I want my children to learn from my good example. Maintaining my personal ethics
helps me be a good employee. Having to provide for a family is stressful, especially when you
choose to go to school as well. I currently work as a production planner and purchasing. We
purchase many precious metals such a gold wire for our production. It would be easy to set aside
and hide a roll or two of wire. We use so much of it that it is hard to keep track of every order
that used it. However, when faced with the opportunity at work to be dishonest or steal, I think of
my family and what would happen if they found out that I had been dishonest. Our beliefs and
ethics determine our actions. If we wish to be ethical and honest then we must adhere to the
commandments and laws that we have been taught.




Learn
Practice
Teach