Harmony, the Senior Accountant of a bank, is faced with a moral quandary.

She has
discovered that two out of the four branches of the bank have failed to meet their sales targets
for the second consecutive quarter. According to company policy, these branches are now at
risk of closure. Harmony is considering overstating the sales revenue in the financial
statements to prevent this from happening. However, from an ethical standpoint, this course
of action is highly questionable. Accountants are expected to uphold principles of honesty
and integrity in their work. Manipulating financial statements is a clear violation of these
principles (West 2023). Harmony’s intentions may be good, but her actions could have
serious consequences.
If Harmony’s manipulation of the financial statements is discovered, the bank could face
legal repercussions. Regulatory bodies may impose fines and sanctions, leading to significant
financial loss (Kiradoo 2020). The bank’s reputation could also be severely damaged.
Stakeholders, including investors and customers, may lose trust in the bank, leading to a loss
of business (Endenich & Trapp 2018). For Harmony herself, the consequences could be even
more severe. She could lose her job and face legal charges. Her professional reputation would
be tarnished, making it difficult for her to find employment in the field of accounting in the
future (West 2023).
Instead of resorting to unethical practices, Harmony should consider alternative strategies.
She could work with the management team to develop a plan to improve sales performance in
the underperforming branches. This could include providing additional training to staff,
implementing new sales strategies, or investing in marketing efforts (Almoslamani 2022).
Harmony could also propose a reevaluation of the company’s policy regarding branch
closures. Perhaps a more compassionate approach could be adopted, such as offering support
and resources to struggling branches before resorting to closure.
In conclusion, while Harmony’s intentions are understandable, it is crucial that she considers
the ethical implications and potential consequences of her actions. There are always
alternatives to unethical practices that can lead to positive outcomes for all stakeholders
involved.

Work Cited
Almoslamani, Yousef. "The impact of learning strategies on the academic achievement of
university students in Saudi Arabia." Learning and Teaching in Higher Education: Gulf
Perspectives 18.1 (2022): 4-18.
Endenich, Christoph, and Rouven Trapp. "Ethical implications of management accounting
and control: A systematic review of the contributions from the Journal of Business
Ethics." Journal of business ethics 163 (2020): 309-328.
Kiradoo, Giriraj. "Ethics in accounting: Analysis of current financial failures and role of
accountants." International Journal of Management (IJM) 11.2 (2020): 241-247.
West, Andrew. "Accounting Ethics (Including the Profession’s Code of Ethics and
Commitment to the Public Interest)." (2023).