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NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release September 8, 2004
Nearly One-Third of
Teens Believe “You have to Bend the Rules to Succeed,” According
to JA/Deloitte Poll
Junior Achievement Adds
10 New Lessons to Ethics Curriculum
Colorado Springs, Colo.– In a
surprising increase from a similar poll conducted last year,
nearly one-third of teens surveyed believe you have to “bend the
rules to succeed,” according to a new Junior
Achievement/Deloitte & Touche USA LLP poll conducted by Harris
Interactive. Only 20 percent of teens gave the same answer in
last year’s poll. In addition, more than 8 out of 10 (83%) teens
turn to their “Friends” for help in making ethical decisions,
followed by “Parents” (68%), “Teachers” (27%), “Internet” (24%)
and “Clergy” (14%). “Boss,” “Library” and “School Counselor”
were rated in single digits.
More encouraging is the percentage of
teens who think people who practice good business ethics are
more successful than people who don’t, which jumped to 62
percent in 2004 from 56 percent in 2003.
The poll of 624 teens between the ages of
13 and 18 was conducted between July 9 and 23, 2004 as part of
the “Excellence through Ethics” curriculum, a $1 million
initiative of Junior Achievement (JA) and Deloitte to promote
business ethics among today’s young people. The poll has margin
of error of +/- 3.9 percent. JA has expanded the curriculum by
adding 10 new ethics lessons, which will be taught in classrooms
across the country beginning this fall.
“These poll results indicate that teens
are getting mixed messages, so we continue to believe that
ethics education must begin early, during formative years,” said
James H. Quigley, CEO of Deloitte & Touche USA LLP. “Every
generation needs to learn and understand why bending the rules
is not only wrong but also not good business. That’s why we’ve
teamed up with JA to foster a constructive dialogue among teens,
their teachers and role models through the ‘Excellence
through Ethics’ program.”
"JA has a long history of teaching young
people about business,” said David S. Chernow, president and CEO
of JA Worldwide. “The main reason the free enterprise system
remains so successful is that it is built upon a foundation of
ethical behavior. It is imperative that we as adults emphasize
the importance of ethics to our young people in order to keep
our free enterprise system, and our nation, strong.”
Excellence through Ethics is a
business ethics curriculum designed to teach young people that
responsible, ethical behavior is the cornerstone of the American
free enterprise system. It is used in all JA programs for grades
4-12, and has the potential to reach more than three million
students each year in the United States.
More than 800 Deloitte people are JA
volunteers. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Center for Corporate
Citizenship recognized Deloitte with its Citizenship in Action
award in connection with the organization’s commitment to
support early ethics education.
Excellence through Ethics
activities are designed for classroom use and are valuable tools
to help teach students about ethics. Content of the lessons
include: examining the concept of intellectual property rights,
learning the importance of presenting yourself accurately and
truthfully during a job search, making ethical decisions,
learning why insider trading is illegal, exploring ethical
accounting practices and understanding why ethical standards are
important for business people. For more information about
Excellence through Ethics, visit
http://studentcenter.ja.org/aspx/LearnEthics/.
About Junior Achievement
Junior Achievement is the world's largest
organization dedicated to educating young people about business,
economics and free enterprise. Through a dedicated volunteer
network, JA provides in-school and after-school programs for
students in grades K-12. JA offers educational programs that
focus on seven key content areas: business, citizenship,
economics, entrepreneurship, ethics/character, financial
literacy, and career development. Today over 140 offices reach
more than four million students in the United States, with over
two million students served by operations in 98 countries
worldwide. For more information, visit
www.ja.org.
About Deloitte
Deloitte refers to one or more of Deloitte
Touche Tohmatsu, a Swiss Verein, its member firms and their
respective subsidiaries and affiliates. As a Swiss Verein
(association), neither Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu nor any of its
member firms has any liability for each other’s acts or
omissions. Each of the member firms is a separate and
independent legal entity operating under the names “Deloitte,”
“Deloitte & Touche,” “Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu,” or other
related names. Services are provided by the member firms or
their subsidiaries or affiliates and not by the Deloitte Touche
Tohmatsu Verein.
Deloitte & Touche USA LLP is the U.S.
member firm of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu. In the U.S., services
are provided by the subsidiaries of Deloitte & Touche USA LLP
(Deloitte & Touche LLP, Deloitte Consulting LLP, Deloitte Tax
LLP, and their subsidiaries), and not by Deloitte & Touche USA
LLP.
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