Professional Standards & Best Practices Flashcards
7 cards from real CSC practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Professional Standards & Best Practices flashcards as text
Which action best demonstrates adherence to confidentiality standards when a consultant is approached by a journalist about a client engagement?
Answer: Refer the journalist to the client's communications team and say nothing further
Referring media inquiries directly to the client's communications team ensures the client controls its own narrative without any accidental disclosure.
A senior consultant is managing two concurrent client engagements in the same industry. To manage conflict of interest appropriately, the consultant should:
Answer: Disclose both engagements to each client and obtain written consent if any conflict exists
Proactive disclosure and written client consent are required when concurrent engagements create real or perceived conflicts of interest.
During an engagement, a consultant learns that a client employee is engaging in financial fraud unrelated to the project scope. The consultant's professional obligation is to:
Answer: Consult with the engagement partner and follow the firm's ethics escalation protocol
Discovered illegal activity must be escalated through the firm's ethics and legal channels, not handled unilaterally by the individual consultant.
What is the primary purpose of a Statement of Work (SOW) in a consulting engagement?
Answer: To define deliverables, timelines, responsibilities, and scope boundaries for both parties
The SOW serves as the mutual agreement on scope, deliverables, timelines, and responsibilities, preventing misalignment between consultant and client.
A client pressures a senior consultant to backdate a deliverable submission to meet an internal audit deadline. The consultant should:
Answer: Refuse and explain that falsifying submission dates violates professional and potentially legal standards
Backdating documents is a form of falsification that violates professional integrity standards and may constitute fraud, regardless of circumstances.
When a consulting firm uses a subcontractor to fulfill part of an engagement, professional standards require that:
Answer: The client is informed and the subcontractor is held to the same confidentiality and quality standards
Clients must be informed of subcontractors, and all parties handling client data must be bound to equivalent confidentiality and quality standards.
A senior consultant's personal investment portfolio includes stock in a company the consultant is advising on a merger. What should the consultant do?
Answer: Disclose the investment to the client and recuse from decisions that could affect the stock price
Disclosure and recusal from decisions affecting the investment are required to manage a direct financial conflict of interest ethically.