Document Type

Article

Publication Date

Winter 1998

Source Publication

Journal of Applied Business Research

Source ISSN

0892-7626

Abstract

Prior research shows that underreporting chargeable time has been a concern for public accounting firms even though many of these firms have policies and procedures that prohibit "eating" time. The purpose of this study is to examine the current state of this problem and to provide recommendations to manage the problem more effectively. Practicing public accountants at all professional levels were surveyed to determine the extent, opportunity, ethical perception and perceived benefits of underreporting time. The results show that although the majority of the respondents believe underreporting time is unethical, the majority of them did not report all of their chargeable hours in the prior year. The main reasons for such behavior stem from the desire to: (1) receive better periodic performance evaluations, (2) be viewed as competent by superiors and (3) receive promotions.

Comments

Published version. Journal of Applied Business Research, Vol. 15, No. 1 (Winter 1998/1999): 13-20. DOI. © 1998-1999 Clute Institute. Used with permission.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

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