Verizon Continues Sponsorship of Lecture Series on Ethical Business Practices

NEW YORK - For the seventh consecutive year, Verizon is sponsoring a lecture series on business ethics at Bentley College, Waltham, Mass. Presented by Bentley's Center for Business Ethics, the series begins today and will run through Friday, Feb. 11.

Begun in 1999, the lecture series attracts business leaders, experts in the academic world, students and the public. The lectures explore and analyze how ethical conduct affects all aspects of a company's operations.

"More and more, in both a business environment and in our personal lives, we are seeing the importance of sound, ethical decision-making, policies and practices," said Anne Carroll, director of Verizon's Office of Ethics and Business Compliance. "Verizon's own business practices call for its employees to conduct themselves with integrity and show respect for fellow employees, customers and business partners. This lecture series is part of Verizon's continuing efforts to promote leadership that fosters these ideals."

Rushworth M. Kidder, Ph.D., founder and president of the Institute for Global Ethics, will speak as part of the Verizon Visiting Professorship in Business Ethics and Information Technology. His lecture, titled "Moral Courage, Digital Distrust: Ethics in a Troubled World," is free and open to the public. During the week, Dr. Kidder will visit classrooms and spark discussions with students about general business ethics topics. He also will meet with college faculty members to develop ways to blend business ethics into their curriculum.

"The relentless advance of information technology is constantly changing the world for the better, enhancing especially our abilities to communicate, learn and do business," said Mike Hoffman, executive director of the Center for Business Ethics at Bentley College.

"But," cautioned Hoffman, "innovation and change also present new challenges and dilemmas in the face of which we must hold on tight to our ethical sensitivities and convictions. Verizon's longstanding support of CBE's Visiting Professorship Program helps reinforce this foundation of ethical values, as Bentley faculty and students strive to be at the frontier of business education and practice. It also serves as a reminder of the critical roles that technology and communication can play in doing business with integrity."

Bentley College is a business university renowned for its educational leadership in information technology.

Verizon was the first recipient of the Business Ethics Award from the Center for Business Ethics and is a sponsoring partner of The Ethics Officer Association.

Verizon Communications Inc.

With more than $71 billion in annual revenues, Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) is one of the world's leading providers of communications services. Verizon has a diverse work force of more than 210,000 in four business units: Domestic Telecom serves customers based in 29 states with wireline telecommunications services, including broadband, nationwide long-distance and other services. Verizon Wireless owns and operates the nation's most reliable wireless network, serving 43.8 million voice and data customers across the United States. Information Services operates directory publishing businesses and provides electronic commerce services. International includes wireline and wireless operations and investments, primarily in the Americas and Europe. For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

####