News and Views

For the first time, a majority of U.S. medical schools have implemented strong conflict-of-interest policies, according to the 2010 American Medical Student Association (AMSA) PharmFree Scorecard.  The Scorecard, developed by AMSA and the Pew Prescription Project, finds that 79 of 152 medical schools (52 percent) now receive a grade of A or B for their policies governing pharmaceutical industry interaction with medical school faculty and students, compared with 45 last year.  Related resource: AMSA Scorecard with grades for each medical school.

Speaking of the pharmaceutical industry, the public ranks it with oil, health insurance and tobacco as industries needing more regulation, according to a new poll by Harris Interactive. Together with the telecommunications and automobile industries, these are the least trusted businesses in America. "When asked which of a list of 17 industries are generally honest and trustworthy, almost half (48%) of all adults say 'none of these' which is the highest number giving this negative response since we first asked this question in 2003," the firm reported. The findings confirm a number of other studies showing that public trust of institutions is in decline. Related resource: Press release on survey findings, Dec. 2, 2010.

Can empathy be learned?  And if so, can it be taught?  An innovative project at Capital University in Ohio aims to find out by immersing six selected students in activities designed to let them "walk a mile in someone else's shoes."  The Empathy Project was conceived by Capital President Denvy Bowman, who calls it a "monumental undertaking" but is not willing to divulge many details while students are applying for the chance to participate.  Below is a short video of Bowman describing the project:



A University of Michigan study concluded several months ago that today's college students are not as empathetic as students of the 1980s and 1990s.  Sara Konrath, a researcher on the 30-year study of 14,000 students, suggests that exposure to media and social networking could be a reason: "Compared to 30 years ago, the average American now is exposed to three times as much nonwork-related information. In terms of media content, this generation of college students grew up with video games, and a growing body of research, including work done by my colleagues at Michigan, is establishing that exposure to violent media numbs people to the pain of others."  Related resources:  University of Michigan research on students and empathy; sample questions from the University of Michigan study.

One in every four people in the world paid a bribe to a public official during the last year, according to a study by Transparency International released this week on International Anti-Corruption Day.  The Berlin-based non-governmental agency reported data on small-scale bribery from polls of more than 91,000 people in 86 countries and territories.  While bribes were frequently paid to health, education and tax authorities, it was law enforcement that proved most corrupt, with 29 percent of people who had dealings with police saying they paid a bribe. Worldwide, sub-Saharan Africa was the region reporting the greatest incidence of bribery with more than one person in two saying they had bribed government officials in the last year.  The Middle East and North Africa was the next most corrupt region, followed by the former Soviet republics, South America, the Balkans and Turkey, the Asia-Pacific region, the European Union, and North America.  Related resource: Transparency International 2010 Global Corruption Barometer.

News and Views

The International Statistical Institute (ISI) announced a new ISI Declaration on Professional Ethics for statisticians.  The declaration expands a 1985 code that covered objectivity, conflicts of interest and privileged information, adding a section on "shared professional values" of respect, professionalism, truthfulness and integrity.  It is intended to help statisticians make "ethically valid judgments and decisions" and is available in multiple languages. Related resource: ISI Declaration on Professional Ethics (PDF).

Fewer than three in five employees who witness unethical conduct at work report it to management or another appropriate person, according to Ethics Resource Center (ERC).  Researchers have identified several consistent trends: women tend to report more than men; members of unions are less likely to report than nonunion workers; and managers report more concerns than do nonmanagement employees.  ERC conducts annual surveys of U.S. employees across multiple industries.  Related resource: ERC Brief on Employee Reporting (PDF).

The public sees business as more socially responsible than a year ago.  So says a study by Boston College's Center for Corporate Responsibility and the Reputation Institute, which surveyed 7,790 consumers on their perceptions of  U.S. companies' performance related to citizenship (the community and the environment), governance (ethics and transparency) and workplace practices. "The top 25 companies all rated at or above 75 in this year’s study compared to 2009 when only the top nine companies scored that high," according to the researchers who gathered ratings of 230 large companies.  Related resource: Corporate Social Responsibility Index, full report (PDF).

Corruption remains an obstacle to achieving economic and social progress worldwide, according to Transparency International’s 2010 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), an annual measure of domestic, public sector corruption.  This year's report shows that nearly three quarters of the 178 countries in the index score below five, on a scale from 0 (perceived to be highly corrupt) to 10 (perceived to have low levels of corruption), indicating a serious corruption problem.  Denmark, New Zealand and Singapore tie for first place with scores of 9.3, while Afghanistan, Myanmar and Somalia round out the bottom of the list.  Related resource: Corruption Perceptions Index 2010.

News and Views

Transparency International has published its 2009 Global Corruption Report, a useful handbook that describes strategies for tackling corruption in business, areas needing reform, and ways for companies, governments, investors and others to raise corporate integrity and meet "the challenges that corruption poses to sustainable economic growth and development." Related Resources: 2009 Global Corruption Report;Transparency International.

Thirty-five percent of students ages 13 to 18 have used cell phones to cheat in the classroom, either by texting answers to others or by storing information on a phone, according to a survey for Common Sense Media by the Benenson Strategy Group. More than 40 percent of these students do not see their behaviors as serious cheating offenses. Meanwhile, three-quarters of parents say that cell phone cheating happens at their teens’ schools, but only 3 percent believe their own teen has ever used a cell phone to cheat. The study reports that teens with cell phones send 440 text messages a week and 110 a week while in the classroom. Related Resource: Report of Survey Findings.

A "Manifesto for a Global Economic Ethic" was published Oct. 6 by a UN-led consortium of organizations. Calling for multi-stakeholder dialog, the document builds on the 1993 Parliament of World Religions’ Declaration towards a Global Ethic by espousing five "universally acceptable" values: the principle of humanity; non-violence and respect for life; justice and solidarity; honesty and tolerance; and mutual esteem and partnership. Related Resource: Manifesto for a Global Economic Ethic.

Also at the UN, more than 1,000 companies have been delisted by the Global Compact since 2008 for failing to meet the mandatory annual reporting requirement, or Communication on Progress (COP) policy. Business members of the Global Compact agree to report annually on progress in implementing ten principles covering human rights, workplace standards, the environment, and anti-corruption. The Global Compact continues to grow at a rate of roughly 100 new companies per month, with total participants now numbering over 7,000 organizations in more than 135 countries. Related Resources: Names of Delisted Companies; UN Global Compact.

University Leaders in Southern Africa Vow to "Fearlessly Confront" Moral Crisis in Society

“Higher Education must engage in the exhilarating business of giving moral and ethical leadership training," – Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, speaking at the Stellenbosch Seboka on Higher Education and Ethical Leadership, South Africa, 24 April 2008.

Corrupt leadership continues to plague much of sub-Saharan Africa, deepening the economic, social and political crises in a region where half the population subsists on less than one dollar a day. "In most African countries corruption is estimated to represent between 20 and 30 percent of the GDP," said UNECA's Okey Onyejekwe at last month's International Conference on Institutions, Culture and Corruption in Africa. "That is inconceivably large."

The global coalition Transparency International, which ranks many of this region's countries among the world's most corrupt, concludes in a recent report that efforts to alleviate poverty fail because "donors and governments still treat poverty and corruption as separate — rather than integral — components of the same strategy."

Yet against this discouraging backdrop, a hopeful initiative has emerged from a diverse group of university leaders who believe higher education can be a catalyst for change. Presidents, vice chancellors and other officials of 17 universities met in southern Africa last April for the Stellenbosch Seboka on Higher Education and Ethical Leadership (Seboka is a Sesotho word meaning "a gathering for a common cause"). Convened at Stellenbosch University in South Africa, the meeting was co-hosted and facilitated by Mann Center Director John Knapp, who was then director of a center at Georgia State University.

Among the Seboka leaders were Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, former South Africa Chief Justice Arthur Chaskalson, and Ms. Frances Hesselbein, chair of the Leader-to-Leader Institute. The gathering culminated with a Declaration of Beliefs and Principles, unanimously adopted by the assembled leaders, which began with the affirmation, "Higher education is responsible for developing ethical and moral leaders for all sectors of society." Moreover, the group declared, "Higher education should fearlessly acknowledge and confront moral issues in society by articulating and publicly discussing them, and by deliberately addressing them as part of its teaching, research, community engagement, and administrative agenda."

Recognizing that this may be easier said than done, the Seboka called on all universities to "rethink and re-imagine traditional assumptions and approaches in all of its activities and disciplines." Click here to download the full Declaration of Beliefs and Principles.