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"The subject of ethics is all-pervasive," said Knapp, who received
his undergraduate degree from Georgia State and a doctorate
from the University of Wales. "In fact, what we are really dealing
with is how people work together. Ethics is a dimension of
all relationships – employee to employee, employees with their
supervisors, the CFO to the company’s investors, just to name
a few."
TALKING EFFECTIVENESS
 Many believe ethical discourse became popular only in the late
'90s when the Enron scandal rocked American business. "But," said the Institute director, "ethical issues in business are not new.
What is different now is that we are no longer just talking about
training, communications, and a code of ethics. Now we are
talking about effectiveness."
"For example," said Knapp, "Enron had model ethical processes.
They had a code of conduct, hotlines, and training in place, most
of it geared to rogue employees. What was not considered,"
he
noted, "was what would happen if those rogue employees were
at the top of the organization."
It is one reason why today’s conversations on ethics have turned
to leadership and the creation of an ethical culture. "It’s now all
about setting the right tone at the top," said Knapp. "Enron had
the right program, but a toxic culture."
LEADING INDICATOR
 Indicators of how wide ranging the subject of ethics can be
are the topics covered at the Southern Institute’s Leading with
Integrity luncheon series and its Executive Breakfast Forums.
In December 2006, for example, the Leading with Integrity luncheon
featured "Excellence without a Soul? Higher Education
and the Shaping of Moral Character." The speaker was Harry R.
Lewis, a former Harvard dean, who argued that higher education
has lost its way in terms of teaching and setting an example
for good moral character. Lewis said university faculty are typically
hired without a character evaluation. "Smart is not enough,"
he proclaimed. Needless to say, his remarks stirred the juices of
a panel of university presidents who, while recognizing some of
Lewis’s arguments, responded vigorously in defense of today’s
faculty and system of higher education.
Another speaker, Karen Katen, vice chairman of Pfizer Inc. and
president of Pfizer Human Health, spoke on a variety of ethical
issues facing her industry, such as direct-to-consumer advertising,
clinical trials, drug costs in developing countries, patent
protection, reimbursement, product liability, and bioethics.
Then there was the presentation and discussion on sexually
explicit advertising. Deborah Waller, chairperson of Jockey
Apparel, talked about how some companies in her industry use
the exploitation of women as a means to sell products. Jockey
will have none of that, said Waller, making sure all its ads are
tasteful and adhere to strict standards.
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