You are the auditor for a company. In discussion with one of the company’s accounts department employees, you are advised as follows:

“You accountants think you are something special calling yourself ‘professionals’. I do not think it is appropriate. There have been so many cases recently where accountants have been found to have acted dishonestly or unethically. I don’t think that your organisation acts any differently to my trade union. Both our groups act in the best interests of their members. To claim that your organisation upholds higher virtues or values than mine is rubbish! Even if it did, your members would still act in their own best interests anyway — people always try to maximise their own personal interest.’

Required

Explain how you would try to convince the cynical accounts department employee that the accounting profession can make a valid claim to being professional.