Business ethics on the Web.

According to a recent survey, four in 10 employees say they are aware of ethical or legal violations such as sexual harassment, lying, conflicts of interest, stealing and discrimination taking place at their company in the last two years. And the study, conducted by Walker Information, found that only 37 percent of the surveyed workers said they would be comfortable reporting on-the-job misconduct.

If these statistics aren't disturbing enough, here's another reason for corporate executives to take notice: workers often don't think much of senior management's ethics-many say leaders don't practice what they preach. However, when workers nave a nigh opinion of their employer's ethics, they are more committed--42 percent say a company's integrity directly influences their decision to work there. These findings, as well as the remainder of the study, can be found at www.walker information.com. In addition, you can find out how to use the company's Business Integrity Assessment to evaluate your organization's ethics and measure the effectiveness of your compliance program.

If you're interested in seeing how other companies maintain their business ethics programs or what advice and guidance various organizations can offer, visit the following Suggested Web sites.

After a number of environmental and public relations problems, Shell Off was determined to put itself back on track with the development and implementation of its General Business Principles. Shell's Web site, www.shell.com, provides comprehensive coverage of this statement as well as a copy of its 1998 report entitled "Profits and Principles--Does There Have to Be a Choice?," which details Shell's commitment to renewable energy, sustainability and human rights around the globe.

The Body Shop is a leader in "green" purchasing, manufacturing and marketing. To see what the lifestyle products company has been up to lately, visit www.the-body-shop.com. The "Action" section describes the Body Shop's joint effort with Amnesty International to celebrate and campaign for the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, while the "Company & Values" section has a detailed statement of organizational performance on social, environmental and animal protection issues.

Columbia/HCA Healthcare, the subject of a recent U.S. government inquiry, has developed a corporate ethics and compliance program that is "intended to demonstrate in the clearest possible terms the absolute commitment of the organization to the highest standards of ethics and compliance." You can read about the company's entire ethics program at www.columbia-hca.com.

Various segments of the U.S. defense industry have banded together to create the Defense Industry Initiative on Business Ethics and Conduct (DII). The DII Web site, www.dii.org, provides information on its ethics training resources, links to other sites of interest and the text of their annual report.

For case studies of corporate ethics programs and compliance-related issues, ethikos magazine is a good place to begin. The magazine's bare-bones Web site, www.singerpubs.com/ethikos, offers a brief history of the magazine and personnel and an index of back issues from 1987 to the present.

For an academic perspective, check out the University of British Columbia's Centre for Applied Ethics at www.ethics.ubc.ca. This site features extensive links in the many subdisciplines of applied ethics such as healthcare, business, professional, environmental, media and computer ethics.

For a discussion of ethical issues m professional practice and to provide help in creating practical solutions to ethical problems you may encounter, a number of companies have cosponsored the Applied Ethics in Professional Practice Internet Program. At www.engr.washington.edu/epp/Pepl/Ethics, the site features real-life ethical situations to which visitors can react and comment. Results and various solutions to each situation are compiled and reported on the site the following month.

The United States Sentencing Commission has created guidelines providing for increased fines and sanctions for business misconduct, which makes it necessary- for managers to be fully aware of the changing standards for corporate criminal liability. The commission's Web site, www.ussc.gov, details its reports to Congress and offers publications, guideline manuals and training, federal sentencing statistics, and hearing transcripts and testimony.

For those managing corporate ethics and compliance programs, the Ethics Officers Association (EOA) is a place to network, exchange information and strategies, and confront professional issues. EOA's Web site, www.eoa.org, offers membership information, conference and event planning, newsletters and research, and ethics and compliance links.