What is "conflict of interest"

n. (context legal English) A situation in which someone in a position of trust, such as a lawyer, insurance adjuster, a politician, executive or director of a corporation or a medical research scientist or physician, has competing professional or personal interests.

n. a situation in which a public official's decisions are influenced by the official's personal interests

A conflict of interest (COI) is a situation in which a person or organization is involved in multiple interests, financial interest, or otherwise, one of which could possibly corrupt the motivation of the individual or organization.

The presence of a conflict of interest is independent of the occurrence of impropriety. Therefore, a conflict of interest can be discovered and voluntarily defused before any corruption occurs. A widely used definition is: "A conflict of interest is a set of circumstances that creates a risk that professional judgement or actions regarding a primary interest will be unduly influenced by a secondary interest." Primary interest refers to the principal goals of the profession or activity, such as the protection of clients, the health of patients, the integrity of research, and the duties of public office. Secondary interest includes not only financial gain but also such motives as the desire for professional advancement and the wish to do favours for family and friends, but conflict of interest rules usually focus on financial relationships because they are relatively more objective, fungible, and quantifiable. The secondary interests are not treated as wrong in themselves, but become objectionable when they are believed to have greater weight than the primary interests. The conflict in a conflict of interest exists whether or not a particular individual is actually influenced by the secondary interest. It exists if the circumstances are reasonably believed (on the basis of past experience and objective evidence) to create a risk that decisions may be unduly influenced by secondary interests.

Conflict of Interest is a 1993 independent action film directed by Gary Davis.

Conflict of Interest may refer to:

• For conflicts of interest generally, see conflict of interest
• "Conflicts of Interest" (Babylon 5), a 1997 episode of Babylon 5
• Conflict of Interest (EP), an album by Darkwood
• " A Conflict of Interest", a 1987 episode of Yes, Prime Minister
• "A Conflict of Interests" (Life on Mars), an episode of Life on Mars
• Conflict of Interest (novel), a legal thriller by David Crump
• Conflict of Interest (film), a 1993 independent film directed by Gary Davis
• Conflict of interest editing on Wikipedia