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5.16 Brainstorming: Are Ethics Programs Helpful? (Objs. 1–5)

In the wake of the mortgage meltdown and numerous banking scandals, more companies are hiring ethics officers—sometimes called “ethics cops.” Companies are also investing in expensive interactive Web-based ethics training. You have been named to a team to discuss ethics compliance in your company, a large firm with thousands of employees. It has no current program. Other companies have ethics codes, conflict-of-interest policies, ethics officers, training programs, and hotlines. Some authorities, however, say that ethics failures are usually not the result of ignorance of laws or regulations.15 A variety of pressures may cause ethics lapses.