Do American corporate scandals reflect a climate of greed?
Another participant in NOW’s September 27, 2002 roundtable discussion, Joanna Underwood, claims that as a society, we “focus on accumulation of money and wealth and short term gains. No delayed gratification”. William Lerach adds that 60 percent of household wealth was in the equity market at the beginning of 2000. Corporate leaders complain that investors’ demands create great pressure to pursue short-term gains rather than long-term goals. Ask students to compare the salaries of actors, entertainers, sports figures and corporate executives. (See NOW’s statistics on executive compensation. How do these salaries compare to other fields?) Have students take a look at their own personal goals. What are their educational and career plans? Discuss the students’ criteria in choosing their careers, such as personal satisfaction, income, opportunity for public service, interesting work environment, etc. Do students feel they are unduly focused on “accumulation of money and wealth?” If not, do
