A postmodern moral tale: the ethics of research relationships

Once upon a time, universities were ivory towers--or, at least, most people saw them as such. Academics prided themselves on not being influenced by, or answerable to, anyone except the academy, and perceived themselves as free from conflicts of interest arising from relationships with people or institutions outside the walls of the university. None of this holds true today and, as the case of Dr Nancy Olivieri illustrates, universities are facing some difficult times in adjusting to these changes.