What does it mean to be “ethically prepared” to join America’s workforce?

Do you have to be willing to:

A. lie.

B. cheat.

C. slug somebody.

It seems a frighteningly large number of American teenagers would answer “all of the above. ”

A new survey by Junior Achievement Worldwide and Deloitte & Touche found that while 71 percent of the teens polled said they felt “fully prepared to make ethical decisions when they enter the workforce”, nearly 2 in 5 teens also said that it was “sometimes necessary to cheat, plagiarize, lie or even behave violently [emphasis added] in order to succeed.”

Not surprisingly, experts say that the emergence of these mini-Machiavellis does not bode well for society’s future workforce.

“The high percentages of teenagers who freely admit that unethical behavior can be justified is alarming,â€? David Miller, Ph.D., executive director of the Yale Center for Faith and Culture and Assistant Professor (Adjunct) of Business Ethics, said in a recent news release. “It suggests an attitude of ethical relativism and rationalization of whatever actions serve one’s immediate needs and purposes.

“This way of thinking will inevitably lead to unethical if not illegal actions that will damage individual lives and ruin corporate reputations,â€? he said.