¶ … Enforcing Ethical Business Practices by U.S. Federal Contractors
Summer 2013
There have been a number of high-profile cases of corporate wrongdoing in recent years that have involved federal contractors, and these cases have created calls for improved ethical practices in the public and private sectors alike. Because there is an enormous amount of taxpayer resources involved in the federal contracting process, it is vitally important that is conducted in a transparent and ethical fashion, but opportunities for unethical practices are commonplace and tend to increase as firms gain experience and become friendly with federal contractors. In addition, other opportunities for unethical practices can present themselves simply because practitioners are unaware of the long-term implications that are involved, or because they lack formal guidance for unique ethical dilemmas. To gain some fresh insights into these issues, this paper provides a review of the relevant peer-reviewed and scholarly literature to identify the causes of unethical practices by U.S. federal contractors and what steps CEOs can take to prevent unethical practices in federal contracting. Finally, a description of robust business ethics and compliance programs and ways that CEOs can enhance their programs is followed by a summary of the research and important findings concerning these issues in the conclusion.
Review and Discussion
Causes of Unethical Practices by U.S. Federal Contractors
In some cases, unethical practices are intentional from the outset and are intended to defraud the U.S. government for unjust personal gain (Wentick, 2001). In other cases, though, unethical practices may develop, even inadvertently, over time. In these cases, federal contractors develop good working relationships with the contractors they do business with on a regular basis. According to Wentick (2001), good working relationships between federal contractors and their vendors can facilitate mission achievement, but there are some issues that federal contractors must be alert for, including the following:
If the relationship is with a federal employee who has nothing to do with the contract or the contractor employee, the only concern might be for the protection of "inside information";
If the relationship is with a federal employee who has responsibilities involving the contract or the work being performed by the contractor employee, there will be...
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