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For Immediate Release:
January 28, 2008
JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT AND
DELOITTE CHALLENGE HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS TO APPLY ETHICAL
DECISION-MAKING
Students invited to
compete for $5,000 college scholarship in fourth annual
"Excellence through Ethics" essay contest
Colorado Springs, Colo. - Junior
Achievement (JA) and Deloitte today announced the launch of
their fourth annual "Excellence through Ethics" essay contest,
in which high school seniors are asked to apply their knowledge
of ethical decision-making and share their views on the
importance of ethics in business. To enter, high school seniors
must compose an original essay of 500 words or less in response
to an ethical dilemma posted on Junior Achievement's Web site,
located at www.ja.org. Entries must be submitted online and will
be accepted starting today, until March 28, 2008.
The winning essay will be selected by
members of the Junior Achievement Blue Ribbon Panel on Ethics,
comprised of corporate ethics officers and noted academicians.
The essays will be judged on criteria that includes how well the
student analyzes the situation, presents a well-supported
argument in response to the dilemma, and how thoughtfully they
articulate the importance of ethics in business.
The contest is part of Deloitte's $2
million commitment to Junior Achievement to promote ethical
decision-making among young people. Results of the fifth annual
JA/Deloitte Teen Ethics Survey revealed that the majority of
teens surveyed (71 percent) feel fully prepared to make ethical
decisions when they enter the workforce. Yet, 38 percent of that
group believes it is sometimes necessary to cheat, plagiarize,
lie or even behave violently in order to succeed. Nearly
one-quarter (24 percent) of all teens surveyed think cheating on
a test is acceptable on some level, and more than half of those
teens (54 percent) say their personal desire to succeed is the
rationale.
"This contest gives students a great
opportunity to demonstrate their understanding of the critical
importance of ethical behavior in the workplace-while they try
to earn money for college," said Sean C. Rush, president and
chief executive officer of Junior Achievement. "JA's ethics
curricula are a key component of our workforce readiness
programs. We are proud to work with Deloitte to promote this
important initiative and provide young people with ethical
decision-making tools."
Business leaders believe that practical
application is one of the best forms of instruction. "Applying
the ethical decision-making concepts to a real-life scenario,
when multiple angles must be considered, is a great way to
enhance the learning process," said Ainar D. Aijala, Jr., Global
Managing Partner, Consulting, Deloitte and Chairman of the
Board, JA Worldwide. "The contest will be a valuable exercise
for every student who competes."
Junior Achievement and Deloitte recently
launched JA Business EthicsTM in a continuation of their $2
million initiative to help young people make ethical decisions.
Developed to address the needs of high school students, JA
Business Ethics provides hands-on classroom activities and
real-life applications designed to foster ethical
decision-making as students prepare to enter the workforce.
Students examine how their beliefs align with major ethics
theories and learn the benefits and advantages of having a code
of ethics. Additionally, Junior Achievement recently updated its
original Deloitte-sponsored ethics program, Excellence
through EthicsTM, which is available online at
ja.org free of charge and provides age-appropriate lessons for
students in grades 4-12.
To enter the contest, students must have
completed at least one Junior Achievement lesson in ethical
decision-making. For more information on the "Excellence through
Ethics" essay contest, including the complete contest rules,
please visit
http://studentcenter.ja.org/aspx/LearnEthics/.
About JA Worldwide® (Junior
Achievement)
JA Worldwide is the world's largest organization dedicated to
inspiring and preparing young people to succeed in a global
economy. Through a dedicated volunteer network, JA Worldwide
provides in-school and after-school programs for students in
grades K-12. JA Worldwide offers educational programs that focus
on three key content areas: entrepreneurship, work readiness,
and financial literacy. Today, 139 individual area operations
reach more than four million students in the United States, with
an additional 4.3 million students served by operations in 114
other 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
have 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.
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