Ethical Standards for Management Accountants

I would like to preserve your ability to be creative with this project, so you may
pursue any “subtopics” and take your research paper in a variety of different
directions, but please write about the following topic: “Ethical Standards for
Management Accountants.” You will find that the database resources through
the GWU Library provide great help when researching and acquiring full-text
journal articles. If you have difficulty, contact the GWU Library and ask for
Natalie Edwards.
The research paper should be constructed in Word. The paper should be 6-8
(double-spaced) pages long, excluding pages associated with title pages or
bibliography. In other words the body of the paper should be no less than 6 and
no more than 8 pages (1 inch margins – 12 pt. font – Times New Roman or Arial)
in length.
The paper should be documented using an APA (in-text parenthethetical)
documentation style, with the following additional requirements: no executive
summary, abstract, or outline. A paperback reference for APA would be nice to
have, although there are online sources of information about APA. I was put in a
strange situation recently when a student told me that (although the
documentation seemed to be flawed) their source came from a handout from a
past class (which one?) or some particular online source (where?). So, let me say
that the best source of information for documentation guidelines is:
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6th edition
OR – For FREE (!!) at:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/
For in-text or bibliographical APA formats also see…
http://www.cod.edu/library/research/citenet.htm
Please use one of the resources above for additional information about the APA
Documentation style.
The paper should be substantially based on at least three articles from
professional journals (five would be better). Professional journals in accounting,
for example, would include Accounting Horizons, Journal of Accounting
Research, Strategic Finance, The Journal of Accountancy, or something
comparable. You can also use other professional journals, such as the Journal of
Marketing, the Journal of Marketing Management, the Journal of Management
Information Systems, or the Journal of Information Systems. Either one, two, or
three of your journal articles could come from professional journals in other
disciplines such as these. The three principal journal articles referenced in the
paper should be copied and turned in with the paper. In addition, feel free to
include other research sources. You should have a minimum of five sources in
total, but you may include as many as you wish. The objective of the paper, apart
from the obvious coverage of the topic area, should be to INTEGRATE the
information provided in the research sources. You should not go through a page
and a half or two pages continuously citing the same source. In most classes, the
assigned paper is longer. I would rather sacrifice some length and emphasize a
good SYNTHESIS of the sources into a well-written, coherent document. There
is a writing lab at the GWU main campus which offers extremely valuable
advice. It is well staffed and well run. I would think that anyone would benefit
from the services they provide.
Please include the following statement on the title page – “This paper has been
specifically prepared for this class. It has not been submitted for credit in a
previous class and will not be submitted for credit in any future class, either in
whole or in part.” Your signature should follow the statement. Remember that if
the words of the author are used exactly, quote and include a parenthetical
reference. If the words of the author are paraphrased, do not quote but include a
parenthetical reference. Send the paper as a WORD file attached to an email
within the class.
Spelling and punctuation are PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT. If you have one
or two spelling or grammar errors, I’ll chalk it up to being human – no problem. If you have 5 or more spelling or grammar errors, your grade will suffer one or
more (probably more) letter grade deductions. By the time you get to graduate
school, you should have several other people (pick them carefully!) proofread
your paper before you hand it in . If you are concerned about the propriety of
your topic, please feel free to e-mail me or call me at home.