ABSTRACT. This research examines the extent to which similarities and differences exist in the codes of professional conduct of certified (chartered) accountants across the following countries: the United States, Taiwan, South Korea, Malaysia, Ontario (Canada), Australia, India, and Hong Kong. These eight countries exemplify some of the diversity in economic, political, legal, and cultural environments in which public accountants practice. The professional codes of ethics establish the ethical boundary para- meters within which professional accountants must operate and they are a function of these environments. The results of the study reveal that commonalities exist on some ethical rules indicating that some rules are indeed “culture free”. Cross-country variations, however, exist as to the specificity and elaborateness of the rules. Such variations can be attributed to cultural and legal differences, as well as the length of time each professional organization has been in existence. An understanding of the similarities and differences in the codes is important to individuals who may work in these countries. Professional accountants involved in international business must understand the implications of the decisions they make in light of the ethical codes and moral values of their counterparts in foreign countries. After a dis- cussion of the similarities and differences in the codes, the implications of these comparisons for accounting practice are discussed. KEY WORDS: Certified Public Accountant, Code of Professional Conduct, Chartered Accountant Introduction Business professionals often have to deal with ethical problems while carrying out their pro- fessional activities. Much publicized events such as the Iran Contra Affair and the Savings and Loans scandal heightened the level of sensitivity among the public to the betrayal of public trust by various professional groups. Any failure by a profession to hold the public trust may cause the public to lose its confidence in that profession. The public accounting profession is no excep- tion. They, like members of any other profes- sional group, are expected to uphold certain ethical standards in their professional practice. As a result of events such as these, the study and research of ethical problems in accounting has attracted greater attention in recent years (e.g. Mihalek et al., 1987; Likierman, 1989; Stanga and Turpen, 1991; Gunz and McCutcheon, 1991; Cohen and Pant, 1991; Schweikart, 1992, Madison and Boatright, 1995, Preston et al., 1995). While many researchers have addressed ethical issues in a variety of different countries, few studies seek to compare similarities and dif- ferences across countries. This research examines the extent to which similarities and differences exist in the codes of professional conduct of certified (chartered) accountants across different countries. This comparison provides important information about the commonality of ethical values of professional accountants across different countries. Elders (1976) suggests that certain attitudes are culture free. Donaldson (1989) states that economic systems cannot survive without the A Cross-Country Comparison of the Codes of Professional Conduct of Certified/ Chartered Accountants Journal of Business Ethics 35: 111–129, 2002. © 2002 Kluwer Academic Publishers. Printed in the Netherlands. S. T. Jakubowski P. Chao S. K. Huh S. Maheshwari