1.09.2006 ET

(CSRwire) Colorado Springs, Colo. - As part of the $1 million "Excellence through Ethics" initiative to promote ethics education among young people, JA Worldwide (Junior Achievement) and Deloitte & Touche USA LLP (Deloitte) announced the launch of their second annual ethics essay contest which provides high school seniors with a forum to apply ethical decision-making concepts 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 JA Worldwide's website, located at www.ja.org. Entries must be submitted online and will be accepted until February 3.

The winning essay will be selected by the JA Worldwide Blue Ribbon Panel on Ethics, which is comprised of corporate ethics officers and noted academicians. The essays will be judged on how well the student uses an ethical decision-making process in developing a response to the dilemma.

"One of the best ways to learn about ethical decision-making is by applying the concepts to real-life scenarios," said James H. Quigley, CEO of Deloitte & Touche USA LLP. "The essay contest not only rewards the winner, it also provides a real learning opportunity for every student who participates." Last year's contest netted more than 8,000 submissions.

Another component of "Excellence through Ethics" is an annual poll conducted by Harris Interactive which gauges teen's attitudes about the importance of ethical behavior in the workplace. The results from the third poll conducted on this topic were released last September. The most recent data show that teenagers may be fine-tuning their ability to make ethical decisions, as the number who said they would act unethically to get ahead if there was no chance of getting caught has dropped to 22 percent, down from 33 percent in 2003.

However, while teens exhibit a strong sense of ethical behavior, many lack the courage of their convictions when faced with pressure from above, as more than 40 percent of teens admitted they might act unethically if instructed by their boss, and more than a third of teens would likely lie to their boss to cover up a mistake they made at work. "Our ongoing study shows that teens "know the right answer" but need support and ethics education," said David S. Chernow, president and chief executive officer of JA Worldwide. "We will be very interested to see how students apply their views of business ethics in their essays, and with Deloitte, look forward to helping the winner achieve his or her dream of a college education with this scholarship."

JA Worldwide's "Excellence through Ethics" is a Deloitte-sponsored business ethics curriculum, the third edition of which was recently released. The goals of the curriculum include bringing the issue of business ethics to the forefront of students' minds and providing them the tools and training they need to become ethical business leaders. It is used in all Junior Achievement programs for grades 4-12 in the United States.

For more information on the "Excellence through Ethics" essay contest, including the complete contest rules, please visit www.ja.org/ethics.

About JA Worldwide (Junior Achievement)
JA Worldwide is the world's largest organization dedicated to educating young people about business, economics and entrepreneurship. 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 seven key content areas: business, citizenship, economics, entrepreneurship, ethics/character, financial literacy, and career development. Today, 142 offices reach approximately four million students in the United States, with more than three million students served by operations in 96 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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