I've just stumbled on the website for the the book "The Cheating Culture"Its news column includes

Accounting

KPMG under heavy fire for selling illegal tax shelters

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Corporations

Parmalat scandal may cost investors up to $12 billion

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Education

Students at UVA plead mental insanity in cheating case

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Electronic Piracy

Is the record industry's campaign of fear working? Insiders say no.

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Financial Services

Mutual fund frauds cost typical investor $3,700, says study

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An interesting looking set of links. The author discusses the pressures in American society that he believes are causing an increase in cheating - perhaps chief among them an increasing focus on numbers and targets

the last quarter-century has seen an intensification of bottom-line pressures. So there's more of a focus on profits in business but also in law and medicine and even nonprofit organizations are more focused on the bottom line, and people are under more pressure to produce. For example, 30 years ago, lawyers didn't turn in billable hours, and to the extent that they did, they weren't expected to work nearly the kinds of hours that they're expected to work now. Now, young lawyers at law firms have to keep track of everything they do during the day, all of their billable hours, and they're accountable to the partners as to how many hours they're billing, their billing expectations are up to 2,200 or 2,400 hours a year, and if they can't meet their quota, then they are the first to be fired during a downturn, or they're less likely to make partner, or they don't get a bonus ...

posted by Johnnie M, 9:47 AM  permalink