Business Notes SURVEYS

In the wake of Wall Street's insider-trading scandals, sensitivity about business ethics is on the rise. But in Chicago, it seems, that sensitivity may still have a way to go.

In a survey published last week by Crain's Chicago Business, a weekly journal on corporate activity in the Windy City and its environs, 99% of 452 executives polled affirmed a belief that good ethics are good for business. More than 80% also said they believed most top executives are honest.

On the other hand, 21% said they would bribe a city inspector to expedite matters. And while 79% considered their own ethics higher than those of their peers, 73% agreed that the rhetoric about business ethics exceeds the reality for most companies.