Mary Frances Ford, International Programs Intern

Ethics Resource Center 2003
Mary Frances Ford

Upon my arrival the Ethics Resource Center a year ago, my knowledge and experience in the business ethics field was limited. In fact, in the spirit of honesty and transparency, my knowledge was nil. My perceptions of the ERC's functions were, I thought, in direct contrast to any of my prior experiences. I believed the very liberal and idealistic lessons I had gleaned from Amherst College were going to be of little value beyond a good sense of what they called "proper writing technique" in a freshmen seminar. I was convinced that my life growing up at a horse stable and competing was for naught. Not only did the ERC get an intern with little understanding of business ethics, corporate America, or government bureaucracy, they got an intern that was shocked she made it to the office having only been in a true "city setting" for three weeks. In short, I thought I would truly be a "fish out of water."

A year later I have eaten my words. "Business ethics" is quite simply (or quite perplexingly) an extension of character into one's professional persona. The foundations for business ethics do not come from boardroom meetings among top executives, nor do they come from simply hiring an organization such as the ERC to direct a company towards better business practices. As an intern and employee at the ERC I perceive business ethics to be a desire to make the value of a company more than its bottom line or the wealth of its shareholders. To truly embody the bedrock principles of business ethics, there must be desire among those who make up a company, from the CEO to the new intern, to believe not only in the institution of ethical business practices, but in the idea that bringing character to the workplace will truly make a difference for employees, customers and shareholders. This difference is notalways found in the bottom line, but in the qualitative contributions a company can make in their community andfor the people it employs.

Although there is much skepticism in even linking "business" and "ethics" in the same context, I truly believe through my experiences with the Fellows program as well as with my co-workers at the ERC, that it is a noteworthy cause to bring "character" to the table. Although my background did not explicitly prepare me to understand the building that rests upon the foundation of business ethics, it certainly allowed me to stand at the bottom and glance up with appreciation at what the ERC strives for.

Mary Frances Ford, now an Associate Consultant, began working for the ERC as an intern in the international programs in October 2002. She graduated from Amherst College with a B.A. in Law, Jurisprudence & Social Thought and American Studies and is currently working on her Masters of Public Policy (M.P.P) in International Policy Development, with a specialization in International Law, from Georgetown University's Public Policy Institute.