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The gift will fund a new program to advance business ethics research and ethical management practices.

By University Communications
June 3, 2009

EthicsPoint, a leading provider of hotline and anti-fraud reporting and case management services, has announced a gift to The University of Arizona Foundation that will establish the EthicsPoint Fund for the Discovery and Dissemination of Ethics Research.

The first of its kind for the University and EthicsPoint, the fund will support research, education and collaborative programs designed to redefine the focus and impact of business ethics research.

"The economic downturn has underscored that poor ethical leadership can have a negative impact on not only a company's reputation, but also the bottom line," said David Childers, CEO, EthicsPoint. "EthicsPoint and the UA's Eller College of Management share a common view that business ethics must transition from the philosophical to the practical. EthicsPoint makes this donation with the dual goals of helping prepare the next generation of business leaders and of advancing research to better understand the dynamics behind behavioral ethics in business."

Under the administration of the department of management and organizations, or M&O, in the Eller College of Management, the EthicsPoint gift will provide for research discovery and dissemination.

The M&O department will work with EthicsPoint to define and support research in areas including organizational justice, behavioral decision-making and management information systems.

They will jointly promote these findings and education via reports, webinars and other marketing and educational programs.

EthicsPoint and M&O also will partner to offer the inaugural Business Ethics Symposium hosted by the Eller College of Management. At this symposium, industry compliance officers and M&O faculty will offer panel discussions that tie best practices from industry with emerging research from academia.

"This program represents an important collaboration between the public and private sectors to redefine and promote ethical leadership," said Stephen Gilliland, Arnold Lesk Chair in Leadership and head of the UA's M&O department. "The EthicsPoint gift will not only fund our research, but will give both our students and faculty the opportunity to gain real-world experience and knowledge with leaders from EthicsPoint. We are honored by EthicsPoint's recognition of our work and look forward to furthering it with their generous support."
 
"The cutting-edge research by the University faculty on the dynamics behind ethical decision-making, combined with our experience working with over 2,000 organizations, will enable us to deliver more value to our clients and help them build a sustainable business culture of integrity," added Childers.