Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/62201
T pressured by the employer to say yes. Neither of these reasons made her actions right. I think she knew it, too. It's easy to say that reneging on a job offer is wrong. It's wo years ago, one of our top students reneged on a job offer she had accepted. She explained that she had initially accepted the position because she was a foreign student and felt the need to take a job to obtain a visa; she also felt more difficult to know what we might do under similar cir- cumstances. Every day, all of us face situations that cause us to rationalize our actions or incrementally blur the line between right and wrong. Such rationalizations create a slip- pery slope that, in extreme cases, can lead to the kinds of cor- porate misconduct we have seen in recent years. This is not the first time corporate ethics have our problem? Did we look the other way because everything seemed to be going so well and everyone seemed to benefit? Did we push for more efficient and expedient policies that consequently weakened the system of checks and balances? Did we promise that we would police ourselves—and then follow up half-heartedly? Did we cultivate loyalty through cronyism and trading favors, and did this breed out inde- pendent thinking? Did we participate in questionable prac- tices because everyone else did? In so many situations, it is much easier to acquiesce than been at the center of news stories and academic debate. However, this most recent round indi- cates that the problems are not isolated to just a handful of individuals but may involve layers of management operating in a culture that encourages success by any means. Such a culture is enabled by corporate governance that fails to provide checks and balances and by directors who themselves breach codes of conduct. As a result of these scandals, investors and shareholders are developing almost unprece- dented levels of skepticism. Many people have referred to the current abuses as "systemic." They have noted that wrong- doing is actually embedded in the system. While it's sobering to contemplate the actions of the big offenders, I am even more troubled by all the smaller instances of moral conflict, like my student's decision to renege on her job. It is within these smaller arenas that most of us operate every day. As educators, one of our primary goals should be to help students understand how they might react when presented with an ethical conflict, no matter how big or how small. Holding the Line When investment genius Warren Buffett spoke to our stu- dents last spring, he commented that most people want to toe the line, but that the line has been drifting. Collectively, did we let the line drift? In this case, "we" are not those who aim to break the law, formulate schemes to defraud investors, or provide accounting disclosures to mislead the public. "We" are the majority of managers and professionals who want to do our jobs, give our best, and abide by principles we hold dear. But "we" are often faced with small-scale ethical dilem- mas that we may not handle as well as we'd like. Did we acquiesce before we got an answer that resolved by Carolyn Y. Woo illustrations by Jim Frazier to take a stand. As I was writing this essay, I thought of the TV game show called "The Price Is Right." Does everyone have a "right" price? We might be convinced that we don't, but what do our students believe? Even individuals who never sell out are ing questions or taking a stand. Do we have the will to act? Will our students have the will to act once they're in the cor- porate setting? Some students think they won't. A recent study by the Aspen Institute Initiative for Social Innovation through Business tracked the development of MBA students over their two years of study. The poll examined students' sensi- tivity to ethical issues and asked how they would resolve eth- ical dilemmas. The results showed that most students believe they will encounter conflicts of values in the workplace and that they expect to be highly troubled when these situations arise. When asked what they would do in such situations, the majority responded that they would leave their jobs rather than try to change the corporate culture. A much smaller percentage would take action, advocate changes, or organize other people to take up the cause. The Benefits of an Ethics Education In response to corporate scandals and the realization of what is at stake, many schools of business have begun to review the role of ethics in their curricula. Many have initiated new busi- ness ethics courses, developed cases, conducted workshops, and held seminars to put the spotlight on the need for princi- pled leadership. These efforts have also invited honest ques- tioning regarding the effectiveness of ethics courses. After all, can business schools teach MBA students right from wrong when the average student is between 26 and 28 years old? Besides, is it our right to define these boundaries for others when we live in a highly pluralistic society where individuals are entitled to their own opinions? BizEd MAY/JUNE 2003 23 required to do more than simply stand firm. To exercise moral agency, a person must first abstain from wrongdoing. But he also must act by rais-