“An Indian-owned business”
Spirit Lake Consulting is developing an on-line web course titled: Tribal Leaders with Character and we would like your input. Ethical violations are costing tribal organizations hundreds of millions of dollars each year. Most of these costs are not in large-scale embezzlement of millions of dollars or kick-backs on multi-million dollar contracts. Instead, these are small violations that occur on a large scale and bleed money from tribal and federal funds. For example:
Violation of travel policies may include, payment for friends or relatives’ expenses as companions on business trips, double-charging of expenses, e.g., reimbursement of hotel costs by both the school board and tribal council, and payment for training courses or conferences at which the ‘attendee’ attends none or almost none of the classes or sessions at the event.
Violation of time accounting; working less than 40 hours every week while being paid full-time, punching an employee in or out on the time clock when that employee is not at work, performing personal errands during work hours, and use of sick leave, funeral leave, etc. for reasons other than funeral and illness. Finally, violation of policies regarding tribal property; use of tribal vehicles for personal benefit and use of tribal property (supplies, computers, fax machines) for personal benefit
List five most common major/minor ethical infractions and the frequency (all the time, once in a while, very seldom) you believe they occur on Indian Reservations.
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(NOTE: The above is the survey used in preparation of a grant proposal we submitted to USDA. Feel free to copy for your own needs. If you would like to be part of our continuing data collection, email us your responses at: [email protected] )