COLORADO SPRINGS, CO. - November 11, 2008 - Junior Achievement and Deloitte today announced the launch of their fifth annual "Excellence through Ethics" essay contest, in which U.S. 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 January 2, 2009.

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 include how well the student analyzes the situation, their presentation of a well-supported argument in response to the dilemma and how thoughtfully they articulate the importance of ethics in business.

This year, the scenario is set at a city golf tournament. Will a prominent local doctor take responsibility for an unreported rule infringement - or will his caddy, who wants the doctor's help getting into the college of his dreams, report the incident? The student essayist must decide what he or she would do in the same circumstance.
The contest is part of Deloitte's $2 million commitment to Junior Achievement to promote ethical decision-making among young people. According to a recent poll conducted by Junior Achievement and Deloitte on teens’ views of the importance of ethical behavior, a significant percentage of teenagers who are confident in their ability to make ethical decisions regard dishonest and even violent behavior as necessary for success.

The majority of teens surveyed (71 percent) said they feel fully prepared to make ethical decisions when they enter the workforce. Yet 38 percent of that group believe it is sometimes necessary to cheat, plagiarize, lie or even behave violently in order to succeed.
Sean C. Rush, president and chief executive officer of Junior Achievement, noted, "We're proud to join with Deloitte to give students an opportunity to demonstrate their ethical decision-making skills while trying to earn money for college."

Business leaders believe that practical application is one of the best forms of instruction. "We believe that learning is greatly enhanced when students have the opportunity to apply ethical decision-making concepts to real-life scenarios with which they can identify," said Ainar D. Aijala, Jr., global managing partner, Consulting, Deloitte and chairman of the board, JA Worldwide. "Every student who thinks through the scenario, considers the various options and writes a response will benefit from the exercise."

Junior Achievement and Deloitte have co-developed two programs 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 Ethics(TM), which is available online at ja.org free of charge and provides age-appropriate lessons for students in grades 4-12.

To enter the college scholarship 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 www.ja.org/ethics.


About Junior Achievement(R) (JA)
Junior Achievement is the world's largest organization dedicated to inspiring and preparing young people to succeed in a global economy. Through a dedicated volunteer network, Junior Achievement provides in-school and after-school programs for students which focus on three key content areas: work readiness, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy. Today, 138 individual area operations reach more than four million students in the United States, with an additional 4.3 million students served by operations in 118 other countries worldwide. For more information, visit www.ja.org.

About Deloitte
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Deloitte

Deloitte

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