Home     About        FAQs        Feedback    Take Action    Downloads     MythWatch   Advanced Advocacy    Store   


HUMANE MYTH
GLOSSARY:
Conflict of Interest



Bookmark and Share          

 HUMANE MYTH GLOSSARY
Abolition
Animal advocacy
Animal husbandry
Animal protection
Animal rights
Animal welfare
Animal welfare industrial complex
Animal-using industries
Co-option
Commodification
Conflict of Interest
Conscience
Conscientious objection
Critical thinking
Cruelty-free
Disillusionment
Doctrine of necessary evil
Happy Meat
Hogwashing
Humane myth
Humane slaughter
Neocarnism
Non-participation and Non-cooperation
Non-violent social change
Open Rescue
Path of Conscience
Plant-based diet
Privilege of domination
Speciesism
Suffering
Sustainable
Utilitarianism
Values-based activism
Vegan
 






Conflict of Interest

When a person is responsible for fulfilling two or more duties, and these duties are in conflict with one another, the person is said to be engaged in a conflict of interest. Conflict of interest is most commonly referred to in professional fields such as law, where it is understood that a judge, for example, shouldn't preside over a case involving one of her own relatives, or a company in which she is an investor. As with those in the legal profession, social justice advocates must be particularly sensitive to conflict of interest issues. For example, when animal advocacy groups accept conference sponsorship money from corporations that make millions of dollars of profits by selling animal products, their duty as animal advocates comes into conflict with their duty as fundraisers for their nonprofit organizations. Such conflicts of interest are to be avoided not only because they can result in compromise of the organization's mission or even outright corruption, but also because they erode public trust. Thus, even the appearance of conflict of interest is problematic, and should be avoided.