Ethics Curriculum Shows There's Also a Marketplace of Ideas

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May 27, 2003

Ethics Curriculum Shows There's Also a Marketplace of Ideas
05/21/2003

By TAWNELL D. HOBBS / The Dallas Morning News

A toy company receives a big order for wooden yo-yos. But the forest where the company gets the wood is running out of trees, and the locals don't like it.

Should the company care?

The question was posed to Diane Davis' fourth-grade class at John F. Kennedy Learning Center in Dallas last week. Questions like that will be asked of thousands more Dallas schoolchildren in the coming months as the district rolls out a new business ethics curriculum focused on doing the right thing. The effort is inspired by some well-known incidents in which grown-ups didn't.

"Excellence Through Ethics," which kicked off at Kennedy last week, will be implemented in about 50 more schools this fall. Junior Achievement created the curriculum for students in grades 4-12 after high-profile business fiascos such as those at Enron Corp., WorldCom Inc. and Arthur Andersen.

"Members of the business community have an obligation to help restore credibility and trust," said Roger Nanney, regional managing partner at Deloitte & Touche, which partnered with Junior Achievement and committed $1 million to the nationwide effort.

WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
A look at the type of situation posed to fourth-graders during the ethics lessons in DISD:

Q. In the factory where Jack has a job, some of the workers have been getting sick from the dust and chemicals in the air. Their relatives and other people in the town know this.

1. What kind of resource is being harmed in the factory?

2. If a worker is sick, can he work as hard?

3. Why should the factory try to keep the workers healthy?

4. What are some ways the factory can help the workers?

5. Will fixing the problem add to the factory's expenses?

6. Why should the factory pay to fix the problems?

SOURCE: Junior Achievement

Dallas is one of 20 cities, including Chicago and San Francisco, selected to pilot the curriculum, which will be taught in conjunction with Junior Achievement's regular lessons on free enterprise, business and economics. The lessons are taught by volunteers from the business community or local colleges. As for the question posed to Ms. Davis' students at Kennedy elementary, yo-yos initially got the ax. The class said the company shouldn't cut down any more trees to make toys.

But Tiffany Johnson, a volunteer from Deloitte & Touche, persisted that the company needs the trees. She suggested getting wood from another state. The kids readily agreed.

But, Ms. Johnson warned, it would cost more money. The kids didn't like that. So how could the company make everyone happy?

"Grow more trees," suggested 9-year-old Bernardo Martinez.

Good answer, he was told. Dallas school officials like to hear about students thinking through such complex problems.

"In the current state of world business, it's important for students to understand that a business that is responsible, honest and fair is much more likely to succeed in the marketplace," said Donald Claxton, Dallas schools spokesman.

Volunteers from various fields will lead students through the new ethics curriculum once a week for five or six weeks, said Kristyn Brooks, a Junior Achievement public-relations representative. About 90 volunteers from Pizza Hut and Deloitte & Touche participated in the rollout at Kennedy.

HOW TO HELP:
Junior Achievement needs volunteers to help teach DISD students its ethics curriculum and other programs. Volunteers may call Sandi Smith at 972-690-8484, ext. 231, or e-mail ssmith@jadallas.org .

The students also learned about resources – capital, human and natural – and discussed what goods or services they'd like to produce. The ideas ran the gamut from washing cars to selling video games or roses. Talk then shifted to the difference between profit and loss and to making tough decisions. The fourth-graders were given two ethical dilemmas.

One scenario involved a factory where some workers were getting sick from dust and chemicals in the air. Ogechi Onyewuotu, a Deloitte & Touche volunteer, asked the kids whether the factory has a problem.

"They are hurting people," said Saul Requejo, 10, who recommended that the company buy masks and medicine for the sick workers.

But, Ms. Onyewuotu said, should the company fix the problem if it costs more money?

"Yes," the class decided unanimously. "They made the mess," said Aaron Elizondo, 10.

The students' sound ethical instincts are on par with others nationwide, according to Junior Achievement's Internet poll of 1,449 students in grades seven through 12.

Nearly nine in 10 teenagers said they wouldn't work for a company accused of wrongdoing. Three out of four said they wouldn't buy a product from a company accused of wrongdoing, according to the poll, conducted last August and September. The survey had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.9 percentage points.

Ms. Davis said her students got something out of the lesson. Linda Schoelkopf, president of Junior Achievement of Dallas, said her group looks forward to spreading the message.

"We believe it is critical that young people ... understand the importance of ethical decision-making and ethical practices in business," she said.

E-mail tdhobbs@dallasnews.com