(no subject)
Whatever happened to "just do the best you can"? For all that my father ever taught me, that was one maxim that stuck, and i can't say i've done too shabbily.
"What else can we expect when parents wear T-shirts that say 'Second place is the number one loser', which I recently saw at one of my daughter's basketball games?"
The Business Times
Published May 27, 2005
Pressure to win fuelling corporate scandals
Ethical awareness, not just laws, needed to solve problem: prof
By DANIEL BUENAS
IF YOU think it a good idea to teach your children that 'winning is everything', think again - they could grow up to become the individuals responsible for the next big corporate ethical scandals, says Patrick Harker, dean of the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School.
Prof Harker who was speaking yesterday at a breakfast networking session held at European business school Insead in Singapore, said that such societal attitudes could be what is fuelling the spate of corporate ethics scandals, such as those at Enron, WorldCom and Pamalat.
He said business schools should do more to address the issue.
'Our role, in every sphere of a person's development that we can influence, is to help (business students) develop the habit of ethical awareness in their professional decision making,' he said.
'But the problems begin long before students are sitting in a business ethics class.'
Prof Harker described how this 'nothing-short-of-winning' mindset develops early, as in childhood sports where the 'win' message can override the 'play' message.
'There is relentless cultural pressure to win at all costs,' Prof Harker said.
'What else can we expect when parents wear T-shirts that say 'Second place is the number one loser', which I recently saw at one of my daughter's basketball games?'
The problem of corporate scandals and lack of ethical conduct, according to Prof Harker, is a 'hugely consequential one' for economic systems.
'When markets are corrupt, they cannot be efficient,' he said. 'The stakes are high, not just for business schools, or businesses, or economies, but for all of society.'
Responding to questions after his speech, Prof Harker said that the solution was 'not just about regulations', which focus on a 'compliance culture' and not an ethical one.
'Regulation will not solve the problem. It is the collective will of business leadership that will solve the problem,' he said.
Prof Harker is in town to attend the three-day Wharton Asian Global Alumni Forum which began yesterday.
It is the first time since the forum's inception 14 years ago that Singapore is hosting the event, and the forum will see a line-up of speakers that includes Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong, as well as top chief executives and central bankers.
The forum is held three times a year - once in an Asian city, once in a city in Africa, Europe or the Middle East, and once in Latin America.
This year, the forum will be held in Singapore, London and Santiago.
http://business-times.asia1.com.sg/sub/news/story/0,4574,157013,00.html?
"What else can we expect when parents wear T-shirts that say 'Second place is the number one loser', which I recently saw at one of my daughter's basketball games?"
The Business Times
Published May 27, 2005
Pressure to win fuelling corporate scandals
Ethical awareness, not just laws, needed to solve problem: prof
By DANIEL BUENAS
IF YOU think it a good idea to teach your children that 'winning is everything', think again - they could grow up to become the individuals responsible for the next big corporate ethical scandals, says Patrick Harker, dean of the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School.
Prof Harker who was speaking yesterday at a breakfast networking session held at European business school Insead in Singapore, said that such societal attitudes could be what is fuelling the spate of corporate ethics scandals, such as those at Enron, WorldCom and Pamalat.
He said business schools should do more to address the issue.
'Our role, in every sphere of a person's development that we can influence, is to help (business students) develop the habit of ethical awareness in their professional decision making,' he said.
'But the problems begin long before students are sitting in a business ethics class.'
Prof Harker described how this 'nothing-short-of-winning' mindset develops early, as in childhood sports where the 'win' message can override the 'play' message.
'There is relentless cultural pressure to win at all costs,' Prof Harker said.
'What else can we expect when parents wear T-shirts that say 'Second place is the number one loser', which I recently saw at one of my daughter's basketball games?'
The problem of corporate scandals and lack of ethical conduct, according to Prof Harker, is a 'hugely consequential one' for economic systems.
'When markets are corrupt, they cannot be efficient,' he said. 'The stakes are high, not just for business schools, or businesses, or economies, but for all of society.'
Responding to questions after his speech, Prof Harker said that the solution was 'not just about regulations', which focus on a 'compliance culture' and not an ethical one.
'Regulation will not solve the problem. It is the collective will of business leadership that will solve the problem,' he said.
Prof Harker is in town to attend the three-day Wharton Asian Global Alumni Forum which began yesterday.
It is the first time since the forum's inception 14 years ago that Singapore is hosting the event, and the forum will see a line-up of speakers that includes Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong, as well as top chief executives and central bankers.
The forum is held three times a year - once in an Asian city, once in a city in Africa, Europe or the Middle East, and once in Latin America.
This year, the forum will be held in Singapore, London and Santiago.
http://business-times.asia1.com.sg/sub/news/story/0,4574,157013,00.html?