The study analyzed the compliance-training records of 2.5 million employees, working at approximately 350 companies, who have completed Integrity Interactive's Web-based ethics and compliance courses.

Financial integrity is the top compliance-training topic covered by major corporations, reflecting the persistent determination of many companies to proactively prevent compliance violations such as backdated stock options and inaccurate financial reports.

Close behind is the proper use of computers, reflecting the desire of companies to protect their leaders, employees, and themselves from embarrassing, inappropriate, or even illegal uses of computers, the Internet, instant messaging and related information technologies.

Sarbanes-Oxley and internal controls training appeared on the list for the first time this year, along with data safeguarding. The popularity of these course topics reflects corporate efforts to respond to important legislation adopted in recent years at the national and state levels.

"Today you cannot read the paper or watch the news without seeing a story about a corporate scandal or a major ethical lapse," said Richard J. Cellini, a vice president at Waltham, Mass.-based Integrity Interactive Corp. "The trend is actually accelerating, from backdating stock options and falsifying sales reports, to corporate board spying. We live in an era in which corporations are subject to tremendous compliance requirements, and face serious consequences for ethical or legal failings."

The Integrity Interactive study quantifies which ethical violations companies fear most, identifies emerging compliance risk-management trends, and gives concrete examples of how top compliance-training topics map to corporate governance scandals dominating business headlines today. For more information: www.integrity-interactive.com