Sample Research Projects

The following are samples of research projects undertaken by ERC in recent years.

Leaders on Ethics

Based on the insight that one of the most effective teaching tools is the use of narrative, ERC and PLICorpedia videotaped interviews of more than 20 senior business leaders talking about their personal perspectives on ethics in the workplace and the experiences that shaped their character. Excerpts from the interviews, in which many of the leaders discuss challenging ethical situations they faced, the decisions they made, and the lessons they learned from the experience, are available for public viewing at www.leadersonethics.org. Additionally, we are creating related case studies to be provided along with the video to business schools, law schools and corporate managers in an effort to encourage future leaders to consider the role of character in the workplace and to learn from the decisions made by some of today's top corporate leaders.

National Conference of State Legislatures Ethics Survey

Because most state legislators serve only part-time, they are confronted with a host of conflicts of interest, yet often are not afforded the protection of clear and substantive ethics training, making them some of the most ethically vulnerable people in government. Working with the National Conference for State Legislatures (NCSL) under the auspices of an SBC Foundation grant, we conducted a country-wide ethics survey of state legislators. NCSL will use the survey results to seek funding for the next phase of their plan to provide online ethics training to state legislators.