THE PENDULUM

David Childers spoke on the importance and practice of business ethics on Thursday night as the 2010 Love School of Business' Ethics Speaker.

"I don't think the world we live in understands ethics and we often get polarized because things are considered either right or wrong," he said. "Rather, I believe in integrity, values, and personal accountability."

Despite the fact that most knowledge is already available within corporate America, Childers said there often fails to be effective communication between different parts of an organization.

"The more you know, the lower your risk," he said. "Part of what you need to do to build ethics is to get people to talk to one another and build transparency."

Childers also emphasized the sustainability of business ethics, describing it as a process, not an initiative.

In many cases, conflicts global mandates exist between companies, which can make business between them difficult. Childers said it is important to understand differences in the law in order to work around them.

Childers encouraged students to not only live into their heritage from Elon, but also to have a compliance vision and to evaluate corporate and individual values when applying for jobs in the future.

"I want you looking and working at great jobs," he said. "Interview them about their business just as hard as they interview you."

Bright ethical lines can bankrupt companies because they are hard to follow, Childers said.

"I wish the world would allow luxury, but it is more about integrity," he said. "To be winners, you have to live in the real world.

Childers serves as CEO of EthicsPoint, Inc. in Portland, Oregon, which helps a large basis of global clients with governance, risk and compliance. He described it as a business with a purpose that carries throughout the entire organization.

"We pride ourselves on the integrity of or business and the way we treat our clients," he said. "Everything we do is about integrity and we lead our business based on core values."