ARE CONVICTS MORE ETHICAL THAN STUDENTS?

When it comes to ethical standards, convicts and MBA students rate about even, according to Shaheen Borna, professor of marketing, Ball State University, Muncie, Ind. However, when it comes to loyalty, convicted felons may have the edge, his study revealed.

The survey's participants were from three minimum security prisons located in three Midwestern states. They were primarily male (90%), white (80%), and young (48% were between 20 and 25 and 32% between 25 and 30). All were convicted felons participating in some capacity in the prison education system. The average sentence being served was 4.5 years. The survey found:

* About 73% of MBA students and 60% of convicts would hire, if it was legal, a competitor's employees who knew the details of a profitable discovery.

* Both groups believe their own ethical standards are about the same as or superior to peers, past supervisors, and business executives.

* When it came to priorities, convicts put customers first, while students favored stockholders, with customers second.

* Convicts were more likely to do what was asked of them in ethically difficult or doubtful situations.

* Students were more likely to quit when faced with obviously unethical behavior, while...