2017
Volume 17, Number 4, pp. 155–162
Commercial integrity
J.J. Ramsden
The University of Buckingham, MK18 1EG, England
Most discussion of scientific integrity focuses on the individual scientist, with institutional integrity receiving much less attention. Among institutions, universities and public agencies receive the most attention. Many academic papers deal with industry–university links, but usually in some deprecatory sense, pointing out (for example) egregious examples of data suppression by the industrial partner, especially in the pharmaceutical industry. This paper looks at the matter from a more fundamental viewpoint. The starting position is that the vast majority of companies wish to serve their customers by producing honestly excellent products, but undoubtedly departures from this ideal norm occur; this paper explores why and by what mechanism. Quite simply, it is cupidity that leads companies, and not less universities and individual scientists, astray. Conflict of interest or competing interest declarations are ineffective in preserving integrity. If some kind of public declaration is desired, an unambiguous renunciation of cupidity would achieve the required effect.