Well my first thing i would do is probe more by
asking questions. Even though it may help the non profit
by reducing losses and giving a effiecnt usage of supplies
i feel this would be something that needs to be cleard
by a manager. I personally wouldn't feel comfortable making
the decision alone. I do feel like that a different way
to record the excess should be talked about because I
feel the books should reflect exactly what is happening
with supplies for future purches to see if we need to
purchase less or more. The books should reflect what the
organization is using directly not giving away. Now if they
were to do a donation of the sore then i feel like
other steps should be taken for that and the supplies
should of been bought for that context. If I was asked
by a coworker to adjust the records so that way we
could use the extra supplies and an event put on by
the company. I would have to see with my supervisor
if it was something done in the past or just common
practice to make sure I wouldn’t be breaking any rules.
I know from past experiences in the military we would
use funds from our budget to plan training operations in
a different quarter or fiscal year to make sure we were
not on a time constraint later on. So I would be
open to the request as long as I wasn’t the highest
“ok” in the chain of command and it wouldn’t fall
solely on me if things were done incorrectly. To add
to it as well if the request list was item that made
sense to order that would really be used at said event.
I wouldn’t just ok extra random items like 50 extra
brooms or 20 extra tables when I know they can not
be used correctly. If my coworker requests to have me
adjust the records so these supplies could be used at
the nonprofit, I would have to definitely start asking
questions before agreeing to it. I would need to make
sure that it is being used for what it said. I would
ensure that it is an approved thing we can do within
the company, and that it follows proper procedures when
being tracked in the records. I would make sure that it
is done by the books because if it is not and not
used for the nonprofit or not used correctly, it could be
considered stealing. I do not want to be wrapped up in
a sandal of any kind. As the accountant, I need to
ensure my job is completed to the best of my abilities
as it is very important for numbers and records to be
accurate. If all documentation is presented and it turns out
to be a reasonable and legit request that lines up with
the values and procedures of the company I would do
it. If it does not, I would explain to my coworker
that I can not do so and I would move the request
up higher if needed. would personally talk with the co-
worker and let him know that the company most likely
does have a contributions budget that they use to provide
specific charities with items or grants. I would ask them
if they have gone through the process to see if this
particular non profit was one that the company wanted to
contribute to in that a lot of times there are company
polices where they won't donate to ones that are tied
to employees and things since it may show up as
favoritism. If he says no, then I would explain the
importance of that process and tell him that he should
get it on the list for review with that committee to
see if he can get the supplies donated and at that
time we would account for it.
If he or she said that they did approve it and just
needed it accounted for, I would say, that's great, but
we need to account for it in a different manner. We
will account for the office supplies used by the company
as a supplies expense and credit the supplies inventory for
those and then we will credit the rest of the supplies
inventory for what is going to the not for profit and
expense our contributions account. This way we have visibility
for tax and other reasons on what we are contributing.
Most companies have a specific budget on what they donate
every year and this needs to be reflected in that budget
and thus needs to be accounted for in the proper manner.
"Managers across the country dread the call from accounting
at this time of year — we need your accruals. Many
managers feel that the process of putting together their
accruals is tedious, and, dare we say, a waste of time.
They wonder, “Why does accounting need this information? Is
this another piece of information that goes into the black
hole of a spreadsheet, never to be seen again?”
Accruals, especially at this time of year, are critical to
good accounting. They help to ensure you have good
information about the financial health of your company. And,
they help to keep the books “clean,” that is, keeping
things that happened in 2009 in 2009 so that the picture
your company presents with its financials tells the 2009
story in its entirety. I am all for helping non-profit
organizations, as long as the action aligns with company
policies and procedures. Falsifying records to acquire extra
supplies is a compliance and ethics infraction and should
be dealt with accordingly. This would be a fire able
offense at the company I work for. I would refuse the
request, review the company policy with the employee making
the request, and report this to my manager, and also
with our compliance and ethics hotline.
it’s quite possible that the employee had good intentions
and were unaware of the policy, standard, or violation,
however, it is important that they understand the consequences
and policy. It may need to be communicated to all
employees for better awareness and adherence to company
policy. I would not do as my coworker requested because
recording larger supplies adjustment compared to what is
leftover so the extra supplies can be used at a nonprofit
organization, to me sounds like stealing. Although it is for
a good cause manipulating records is unethical because if
one were to get caught by superiors, they would see
that as stealing and their job could be at stake.
This incorrect recording will make the books show the
incorrect number of supplies that is actually being used.
To cover up this overage by making up other expenses
is also unethical. I wouldn’t want to be the person
responsible for incorrect books, so after denying the request
I would recommend that they speak to someone of upper
management to get the okay to order the additional supplies.
If it is done the correct way all the supplies can be
accounted for. If the charge is approved, I would then
order the additional supplies. From there we can come up
with agreement of what the company should order monthly
for non-profits. Based on what extra supplies the company
has left over, that supplies could be used as well and
help the company cut down on its losses. I think as
much as a nonprofit organization may need the extra
supplies, I don't think that no person should do anything
to put there job or company in jeopardy of anything.
For myself, I wouldn't do as my co-worker requested to
help give the nonprofit organization can have these extra
supplies. By a co-worker asking someone to make a false
report by making a record larger with supplies then making
the right notation on the report. If a person would lie
on a report for a co-worker and is willing to cover
up someone's activity then who knows what they are really
willing to do. Now some people will have different opinions
about this because they would see the said of how it
was good that the individual to those extra supplies and
used it for the nonprofit organization. I do myslef feel
like it is always good to help out a nonprofit organization
in the right ways, but not by lying or stealing from
someone or from a company. Those people that were
involved in making false reports would definitely be in
trouble if someone found out. Many companies approve a
budget for the upcoming calendar or fiscal year. This helps
them stay within the approved limits, save money, keep
track of how much is left for additional expenses, and
to gauge future needs. Past usage is a huge factor in
determining future budget estimates.
What is being requested in the scenario above seems
unethical to say the least and I might even guess that
it can be considered theft if it was not approved by
owners, council, or management. Those supplies are owned by
the business and even if they were approved to be
donated to a non-profit organization, recording the transaction
as indicated above is not the correct manner. Donations to
an entity or Individual should still be expensed by the
business. Also, the organization runs the risk of depleting
their supplies sooner than anticipated. They will most likely
have to appropriate funds for the purchase of additional
supplies. Consequently, doing what the coworker asked will
negatively impact the cash, expense, and supplies accounts as
it will fail to provide accurate accounting.
I would not help the coworker with their request but
would question them to see if they understand why their
would be a problem. If they don't comprehend, perhaps
additional training is necessary. The supplies adjustment is an
record keeping for the company to see how much utilization
of supplies are used each month, this record keeping is
ultimately used for future office supplies procurement. If this
is overstated in one month it impacts the forecast for
the future. Although the coworker is making the request to
help a non profit and it may feel charitable this request
is still dishonest and is considered stealing. I am sure
the company has other more honest ways to ask for the
company’s support of a nonprofit. If I was asked to
overstate the office supplies I would not do it as it
could cost me my job. And, it is completely dishonest.
Although I would decline the request because it goes against
company policy and my own personal moral compass I
would see if there were other ways we could help the
nonprofit organization. vv At my company we are able to
submit requests through our Philanthropic committee to ask
for support for various organizations which is nice to have
a process in place to ask for help. If a co-worker
were to ask me to record larger supplies adjustments, I
would decline their request. It would be nice to help
the nonprofit organization but only if the company was
their own business. It would not be right to help the
nonprofit without a manager’s directive or approval. If my
coworker feels as if this nonprofit really needs the supplies,
then they should find another alternative to help them out.
This would be brought up to a manager’s attention, so
they are aware in case this coworker decides to go and
ask someone else for this request. But they should not
use the companies supplies without a manager’s approval.
Taking request from a coworker that has to do with the
company’s supplies or financials is something I cannot comply
with. These types of coworkers might be testing you to
see how much they can get away with and taking
advantage of your kindness. Working with the company’s
financials I like to make sure everything balances out or
that if supplies stock is low, I like to have backup
of where the items were distributed in case it is
questioned. I would not comply with my coworkers request
to adjust the office supply records. By manipulating the
the accounting records, you are going against company policies
and your own morals. The supplies are for the office,
and unless it is a formal donation, the records should
not be touched for anything besides office supplies. If the
supplies would be for a formal donation, the records would
not need to be manipulated, and this would be recorded
in a separate account. But since this does not state that
it is for a formal donation, I wouldn't touch the records.
One thing that comes to mind when thinking about if
I did go against my better judgement would be that if
I did record the larger supplies adjustment like my coworker
asked, and then forgot to account for that adjustment in
the following month, then that discrepancy would fall on
me. Overall, it is best to do the right thing and to
be sure that you are not putting your job on the
line for someone else's actions. If the office keeps adjustment
records, then we can definitely add any adjustments accordingly.
However, if there is extra supplies left over, then those
need to be added to the adjustment record also. So, no,
I would not agree to record something that is not.
Using the extra supplies for a non profit organization is
a nice thing to do, unless we haven something already
organized with management where this was already set to
happen, everything needs to continue as it usually does.
Let's say I did make the adjustment, then the next
month the "extra supplies" aren't ordered, because we recorded
them as extras. The whole situation would become a
conflict, the extra supplies are not there and then we
still have to order them throwing off the plan or timeline
already in place. If a co-worker asked me to record a
larger supplies adjustment than what is leftover, I would
immediately say no. Although, giving to a non-profit seems
like a good idea at the beginning, the way the co-
worker is asking to allow this is wrong. If I were
to record the larger amount, I would be committing fraud
and that breaks so many codes of ethics, not to mention
laws. I would go to my co-worker and politely tell
them that I am unable to complete this request for that
very reason. If the co-worker insisted, I would then escalate
the situation to the head of the department to make
sure that others are aware of what is going on before
I did anything. If, at that point, I received authorization,
I would be more inclined to make the adjustment. I
would still have to enter it as a separate transaction, so
that the record shows what type of transaction it is and
who authorized it. If I were approached by a coworker
who asked me to record a larger supplies adjustment so
that they could give them to a nonprofit, I would say
no. while donating school supplies to a charity seems like
a good deed at first glance, it would require me to
commit fraud to do so in the manner my coworker
suggested, which breaks the code of ethics. Rather than
recording a larger supplies adjustment, I would suggest to
my coworker that they donate supplies to the nonprofit out
of their own pocket. While my coworker likey had positive
intentions regarding the donation, this is not a justification
to commit fraud- especially at work. It would be an
uncomfortable situation, but I would report my coworker's
actions to my employer because it is likely that my
coworker has tried this before and doesn't realize the
significance of his or her actions. It is important to hold
everyone accountable to avoid the same situation from
reoccurring. No matter how "justified" ones reasoning is, fraud
is still fraud. one needs to take a personal moral
judgement and an ethical stance on what would be
appropriate for both the co worker and yourself. I think
even if there were extra quantity of supplies leftover, it
would not be a great idea to just speculate and think
these will go to the non-profit no matter how good the
intention is. I am a firm believer on transparency especially
when you are loyal to an organization and are associated
on professional terms. The wise thing to do would be
to get the attention of a peer or potentially your boss
and ask if this would be the correct usage of the
supplies. If there are no immediate necessities for additional
supplies then that would be a clear shot answer from
your higher ups that you can use them at your discretion.
I in my role cannot be dishonest with my work nor
can i make up illegitimate numbers even if there was
no malice. As someone recording the data and numbers
they have to be accurate tallying not just the total
supplies but the residual and leftover as well. This is
something despite it's intentions being harmless not something
i would jeopardize my career over. There is a beginning
and an end amount of supplies on hand. We can always
make an adjust in entries when needed to update the
supplies account balance, this keeps the balance sheet supplies
account from being overstated, but the most important is
to keep the current assets accurate. I Would not do
what my co-worker ask me to do, so the nonprofit
organization can have the extra supplies, because it is
unethical and it would be cheating, stealing. Donations are
always possible when they are done in the right way,
like approved by the company and/ or manager in an
authorized transaction, in an authorized charity event maybe?
only then we would be authorized to do such adjustment
and adjust the supplies account, and not because any co-
worker ask. In this case, I think the co-worker is not
doing the appropriate thing in the right procedure. If it
is all about donations, then I think he should have a
meeting with teh company high management team and discuss
what to take to the non-profit organization for the donation.
otherwise, telling me to record larger amount of inventory
is a sign of trying to steal from te company. I think
I should also have a meeting with my cp-worker and
remind him about the best approach to donation because
he or she seems not t understand. It is not ethical
to accept the request to make such adjustments. As a
worker, the company expects you to behave and portray
the best ethical behaviour to the company that won't
compromise the desires of what the company aims to
achieve. The compnay has also entrusted you with its
records of invenmtories and therefore failing them and through
missapropriation can lead to its downfall. Therefore,. it would
be ethical for you to inform your manager about the
request and try make the best decision abut donations. If
my coworker was to approach me and ask me to do
such a thing like that I would say no. That is
untrustworthy and unethical to do. Asking your coworker to
do that is basically asking your coworker to steal and
that can of course cost you your job. There is other
ways to get your company to make donations, and you
can start by talking with your company and presenting to
them the organization and why you would like to donate
to them and give the company the chance to say ye
or nay. You never want to steal from your company to
give donations and I don’t think the organization would
like that themselves to know that you went behind your
companies back and did things that were unethical to donate
to their organization. I know me personally I would
definitely say No if my coworker was to ask me to
do such a thing. I have actually worked with someone
who asked me to do something that they know was not
the right thing to do and I told them no. There is
one serious mistake of compromising the inventory of a
company in the name of helping the non-profit organization.
The company expects perfect documentation from me and here
is the co-worker requesting me to record large amounts of
inventories. Therefore, it is certain that the co-worker will
receive a straight no from me because that is stealing
from the company. If the co-worker seriously means to
help in the non-profit organization, then there is a need
for him or her to talk to the company and discuss
the matter to do with donations but not stealing. I also
tend to think that the non-profit organization won't be
happy to hear that the co-worker stole from the company
for the purpose of donations to them. Therefore, you may
not know the main intentions of this co-worker because his
or her mind might be diversified beyond what you think.
Maybe it is a plan to steal for his own benefit from
the company. Therefore, there is a need to take the
necessary precautions. I would not agree to the request
from my co-worker. I would however give an explanation
to them. i would let he/she know it is unethical to
agree to the request. I would also let he/she know their
heart is in the right place, just the incorrect way of
gaining supplies. I would also attempt to assist he/she the
right way. I would ask if he/she would like to partner
up with me in gaining permission to donate to the
nonprofit organization. If we were unable to gain permission,
I would go outside the company. I am a humanitarian
and I believe in human kindness. There are several hundred
resources in the communities from other agencies that normal
civilians could benefit from. I would assist he/she in
researching, contacting, and hopefully gaining the supplies. At
the very least, he/she would see that I am willing to
help out as much as I possibly can, just the right
way. If another employee were to approach me, asking me
to alter the amount that is entered instead of the correct
amount then my response would be a straight "No". Now
I understand that my Co-Worker may have been trying to
do something nice for another Non-Profit Organization, however
what they have asked is considered stealing from the
company and I would not want to put my job at
jeopardy. I would explain to the individual that what they
suggested is not the right way to do it. You could
simply ask permission, everyone tries to do things on their
own and not ask for a favor from the company. You
could create a presentation and present an idea to help
other Non-Profit Organizations in the area with supplies that
is not needed or if there is too much supplies ask
to put one or two to the side for the other
organizations. It is hard for Non-profits to stay afloat being
that the only supplies they have are donated, which is
another great way to support the others. The supplies
adjustment records the office supplies used for the month.
A co-worker asks you to record a larger supplies adjustment
compared to what is leftover so the extra supplies can
be used at a nonprofit organization.
Would you do as your co-worker requests so the nonprofit
organization an have these extra supplies?
Taking supplies is stealing from the company. I don’t
consider the co-worker doing a good deed because they
are requesting me to steal and lie to help them do
something unethical. Just because the co-worker is stating that
they are trying to provide help and support to the
nonprofit organization doesn’t constitute wrong doings. Nonprofit
organizations are a help to many communities, and they
operate on donations and grants to provide many services
throughout the community. I am certain that the nonprofit
organization would not think kindly of someone stealing from
one company to give to them.
I would have to have a heart-to-heart conversation with the
co-worker concerning making true and fair decisions in life
and at work. I would also tell the co-worker that I
am not the person to ask to lie and steal from work.
I would also remind the co-worker that it is unfair to
provide the company with false documentation concerning the
inventory. I would tell the co-worker if they are serious
about helping the nonprofit organization why not talk to
their manager or supervisor about donating any extra supplies.
