ajcjobs > BlogBreak > Archives > 2007 > May > 17 > Entry
Getting caught in the act!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Cheating is rampant in high schools and on college campuses. Up to 70% of kids say they cheat in high school. By the end of college, 80% admit to cheating in one or more ways to get better grades. Just when you think you’ve heard or seen it all, another technology or idea comes along that makes it easier or at least innovative to cheat and not get caught. Plagiarism, using a ghost writer, text messaging, phone-camera technology, and ipods all have been used to cheat and to avoid detection. One semester, I found myself googling my student’s papers to catch them in using undocumented work. Some students surf the net for the answers while testing in supposedly secure testing centers. In most universities, for each innovation, there’s a professor out there looking for a new way to counter it - busting cheaters is a new enterprise in itself.
Now, what does this have to do with BlogBreak? I’m wondering how much of this cheating transfers into the work world? Does the ethical lapse on the college campus translate into cheating on the job? Probably.
On the job, cheaters steal the words, thoughts and ideas of others. Have you ever used company time to do something totally unrelated to work? Are you taking a “mental health day” here and there or carrying home a few paper clips, pens or maybe even a printer or copier? Skimming off petty cash, padding expense reports, using company vehicles for family time are all fairly common. What’s to say the next step isn’t fraud or embezzlement?
Cheating is not only related to stealing words, money or workplace items, it can also mean padding or lying on your resume. How often has that been in the news lately?
Cheating in one way or the other permeates every profession. Business seems to have the worse reputation but it’s there in churches and in social organizations.
Is it possible to do business these days without cheating? I’m wondering just how many of us could say that we’re squeaky clean? I’d like to hear some anonymous confessions, how many of you out there cheated in college, cheat on the job or cheat in your marriage? Is cheating as widespread as the “experts” say?
Comments
Commenting is now closed for this entry.
By Gary Wheeler
May 17, 2007 10:28 AM | Link to this
David, this is an interesting topic. In April, I spent a week in Budapest, Hungary teaching at the University of Budapest in their MBA program. One of the seminars I conducted was on ethics in business in the U.S. I talked about the Marrietta police academy incident last year. After discussions with students and the professors, cheating is tollerated in Hungary.
If you are caught cheating on a test, they reschedule you to retake the test.
The thinking stems from, it is okay for people attempting to get ahead in which was once a Soviet Union controlled country.
It shows that there are different perspectives throughout the world.
Gary
By David Bennett
May 22, 2007 10:15 AM | Link to this
Gary, You’re right, I have had similar discussions with people from Ukraine and Russia. It seems to be no big deal if you’re caught.
David