Problem

Lauren Smith is the controller for Sports Central, a chain of sporting goods stores. She has been asked to recommend a site for a new store. Lauren has an uncle who owns a shopping plaza in the area of town where the new store is to be located, so she decides to contact her uncle about leasing space in his plaza. Lauren also contacted several other shopping plazas and malls, but her uncle's store turned out to be the most economical place to lease. Therefore, Lauren recommended locating the new store in her uncle's shopping plaza. In making her recommendation to management, she did not disclose that her uncle owns the shopping plaza. Discuss whether or not the accountant acted ethically.