Ethics and Risk - For Senior Management and Leaders Package

Overview:

If you are a CPA professional in a leadership role or working towards a leadership role in your organization, this package of 5 courses will provide you with the guidance, tools, and resources you need to feel confident in dealing with matters of ethics and risk.

Ethics:

You will gain knowledge about the return on investment from ethical decision-making, practical guidance on the implementation of ethical infrastructure in your organization, and a detailed decision-making framework you can use when navigating unexpected ethical dilemmas. You will learn about the structure and contents of the CPA Alberta Rules of Professional Conduct with Guidance, and how the rules are actually enforced.

Risk:

Enterprise risk management principles and processes, including the risk appetite approach, will be discussed in detail. A case study will be examined to help you establish a risk management system within your own organization and give you methods to evaluate fraud risk and potential weaknesses. Learn about the Canadian practice inspection findings related to internal control and receive guidance through developing your own set of questions and considerations to think about as a board member, manager, or an auditor. In addition, you will learn about the legislated requirements for internal control in Canadian organizations, and consider how to comply with SOX (Sarbanes-Oxley Act) and Canadian SEC requirements.

Course Content:

You will gain knowledge about the following topics:

Dealing with Unethical Situations in the Workplace (1 hour)

·         Introduction to business ethics and definitions

·         Return on investment from ethical business practices

·         Ethical dilemmas in the accounting profession

·         6-step framework to deal with unethical situations in the workplace

·         Case studies

Preventing Unethical Behaviour in the Workplace (1 hour)

·         State of ethics in Canadian workplaces

·         Ethical principles

·         Threats to ethical behaviour

·         Ethics risk analysis

·         High-risksk behaviours and danger phrases

·         Indicators of widespread misconduct

·         Safeguards for implementation

Canadian CPA Code of Professional Conduct (1 hour)

·         CPA profession’s role in society

·         Structure and contents of CPA professional conduct across Canada

·         Guidance on significant matters regarding professional conduct

·         The code enforcement process

Enterprise Risk Management (1 hour)

·         ERM principles

·         ERM process

·         Risk appetite approach

·         Evaluate fraud risk and potential weaknesses

Introduction to Internal Control (1 hour)

·         Canadian auditing standards and audit assertions

·         SOX and Canadian securities regulations

·         Findings of Public Companies Audit Oversight Board (PCAOB)

·         Canadian practice inspection findings

Learning Objectives:

 Upon completing all of these courses, you should be able to:

·         Identify the returns on investment from ethical business practices

·         Apply a decision-making framework to develop solutions for ethical dilemmas

·         Describe potential threats, danger signs, high-risk behaviours, and indicators of widespread misconduct in your organization

·         Identify specific safeguards that can be implemented to protect your organization from ethical breaches

·         Examine the structure, contents, and enforcement of the Rules of Professional Conduct

·         Describe why risk management is important for every organization

·         Identify methods and processes for enterprise risk management activities

·         Describe what can happen in the absence of internal controls

·         Identify warning signs for potential fraud related to specific business activities, including employee behaviour and lifestyle, management attitude, payroll, and more

·         Examine why people commit fraud and key principles to detect and mitigate risk

·         Identify components of Canadian auditing standards and assertions, and internal control evaluations

Who Will Benefit: 

 CPAs in leadership and management positions or those aspiring for leadership roles who are looking for guidance, tools, and resources needed to feel confident in dealing with matters of ethics and risk.