Open Discussion Ethical Due Diligence
Patrick Dunne, Group Communications Director, 3i
When entering into a new business relationship, from
joint ventures to mergers and acquisitions, cultural
fit and ethical compatibility are increasingly recognised
as important elements of success. Checking out the ethical
standards of business partners can ensure compatibility
and control risks. But how does ethical due diligence
work in practice? How transparent can companies really
be when involved in acquisitions and takeovers?
3i are the only FTSE 100 private equity firm, each
year investing over €2.7bn in projects and businesses.
Patrick Dunne is Group Communications Director of 3i,
he is probably best known for building up their Independent
Directors Programme; he is also the author of Directors'
Dilemmas and Chairman of Leap confronting conflict.
Many companies operate in controversial sectors, from
defence to alcohol, chemicals to tobacco. How do they
introduce an ethical dimension into their strategies?
With stewardship comes responsibility and accountability.
How does this work out in practice?
Are there particular problems for companies with
controversial products applying their ethical values?
How are ethical values extended to subsidiaries
and acquisitions?
Ian Bailey is Head of Science & Stewardship at
Imperial Tobacco and will share Imperial Tobacco's approach
to these issues at an IBE lunch meeting which will be
held under the Chatham House Rule on Thursday 28th February
2008.
Monday
3rd March
Ethics in the Workplace The Good Employer
Mike Emmott, Chartered Institute of Personnel &
Development
The Institute of Business Ethics invites you to the
first Ethics in the Workplace event of 2008 on Monday
3rd March at 5pm, where Mike Emmott, Employee Relations
Adviser of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development
(CIPD) will talk about what makes a "Good Employer".
What is a 'good' employer?
What factors influence employee well-being? Is it
more than pay and conditions?
How can HR and Ethics departments work together
to enhance employee well-being?
How can an employer be 'good' when faced with difficult
decisions, such as redundancy?
Mike Emmott has been an adviser on employee relations
at the CIPD since 1996. His interests include the changing
employment relationship, employee engagement, corporate
social responsibility and employment law. He will examine
these questions which will then be followed by an open
discussion under the Chatham House Rule.
Thursday
6th March
Publication
Launch Use of Codes
of Ethics in Business: 2007 survey & analysis of trends by Simon Webley with Nicole Dando, Niall Gallagher
& Lutz Preuss.
This new publication sets out the findings of the fifth
IBE survey of FTSE350 companies on how they use and implement
their codes of ethics. The Institute has been conducting
this survey since 1995 and so can chart trends and changes
in the way companies use their codes of ethics to embed
their values within company culture. There are some significant
changes over the last three years.
Jenny Dawkins, Head of Corporate Responsibility Research
at Ipsos MORI Reputation Centre will provide some context
for the report. Simon Webley, the author of the report,
will describe the main findings and the principal conclusions.
Thursday
13th March
Roundtable Promoting Integrity in Reporting
Anne Davis, Institute of Chartered Accountants in England
& Wales
Calls for a renewal of integrity in business reporting
are common whenever there is a lack of public confidence
in business. An IBE survey conducted by Ipsos-MORI shows
that the public believe that business is behaving less
ethically that a year ago (54% compared to 58% in 2006).
Mistrust in business leads to calls for greater regulation
What can be done to enhance the standards of corporate
reporting?
What is meant by integrity in business reporting?
Why is integrity in business reporting important?
How can reporting inspire trust and confidence?
How does an organisation achieve the consistency
and openness required for reporting with integrity?
Areas rich in natural resources are also among those
which rate highest on the Transparency International
Global Corruption Index. In past decades a lot of revenues
from oil, gas and mining have been embezzled by elites
in developing countries rather than used to promote
wider development. The Extractive Industries Transparency
Initiative is a multi-stakeholder response to these
challenges.
Initiatives like the Extractive Industries Transparency
Initiative assist companies in fighting poverty and
corruption; but how effective are they in reality?
Do 'voluntary initiatives' like the EITI stand a
realistic chance of delivering greater transparency
and accountability?
How can companies protect employees and their businesses
whilst trying to operate with integrity?
Edward Bickham is Executive Vice President, External
Relations at Anglo American plc.
Monday
21 April
Open Discussion Ethics & Ageism Rachel Krys, Employers Forum on Age
Age discrimination in employment is now unlawful.
But like most laws designed to combat discrimination
and promote equality, there are many grey areas and
much debate about what this really means, both for employers
and employees.
What are the ethical issues surrounding ageism in
the workplace?
What impacts does the new legislation have on the
workplace?
How are decisions about recruitment, redundancy
and retirement affected?
How can employers fairly reward loyalty and performance?
Why is age an issue?
Rachel Krys is the Director of the Employers Forum
on Age (EFA), the UK's leading authority on age. Founded
in 1996 the EFA is an independent network of leading
employers who recognise the value of an age diverse
workforce.
Your product has been interfered with. How can you
prevent the contaminated stock from reaching your consumers?
A natural disaster has devastated your premises. What
do you do?
Your organisation is targeted in a campaign by Animal
Rights Extremists. How do you communicate with your
staff, neighbours, shareholders and other stakeholders?
The IBE invites you and your colleagues to the second
Ethics in the Workplace event of 2008.
At this event, Dom Chester, Senior Consultant for Crisis
Management at Control Risks will look at the ethical
aspects of crisis management.
What aspects need to be considered to ensure that
any crisis is managed responsibly?
How do we know when an incident or series of events
constitutes a crisis?
How far does an employer's duty of care extend in
managing a crisis?
Where does ethics come in to crisis management?
Thursday 29th May
Half Day Seminar: Ethics in Public Affairs
ComKnow has teamed up with the Institute of Business Ethics to provide a half-day ethics seminar geared towards more senior public affairs practitioners, both in-house and from consultancies.
The purpose of the seminar is very practical - it is to help people working in public affairs to identify and manage the often complex and sometimes subtle issues which arise in the course of appropriate ethical public affairs practice. Participants will leave better able to understand the complex potential ethical threats that are unique to public affairs, and better able to pre-empt and enhance their reputations from them. The day will take the form of a series of interactive facilitated discussions covering the business of ethics and ethical hot topics such as multiple roles, conflicts of interest, confidentiality, perceptions, raising concerns, access, explicit vs implicit values.
There will also be a series of ‘in conversation with’ sessions with speakers including:
Sir Alistair Graham, former Chairman, Committee on Standards in Public Life
Greg Hands MP
Philippa Foster Back OBE, Director, Institute of Business Ethics
The complexities of the relationship between organisations and their suppliers are well documented. But do problems arise when large companies wish to ensure consistent ethical standards throughout their supply chains?
How do small businesses cope with conflicting ethical requirements from different customers?
What should companies consider when working to achieve fair relations with suppliers?
What issues are raised by attempts to influence suppliers' working practices?
What specific challenges do small businesses face as suppliers?
Dr Laura Spence, is a Reader in Business Ethics at Brunel University. She is a member of BRESE (Brunel Research in Enterprise, Innovation, Sustainability and Ethics) and has worked in the field of business ethics since 1994, and published widely on topics including environmental issues, the ethics of recruitment, corporate social responsibility, stakeholder relationships and social capital. She is the author of IBE's publication Supplier Relationships in the UK: Business ethics and procurement practice.
Thursday 3rd July
Chris Beresford Memorial Debate
"What can business teach politics about ethics?"
in association with Editorial Intelligence and KPMG
IBE Breakfast Seminar: Business Ethics for Non-Executive Directors
Thursday 25th September
Business Ethics Net: Ethics Ambassadors
lead by Ruth Steinholtz, Borealis
Monday 29th September
Open Discussion: From good intentions to good practice: Successes and problems in trying to introduce high ethical standards into world trade
Lord Young, Vice Chair, Ethical Trading Initiative
The Ethical Trade movement has continued to make good progress in introducing ethical standards into world trade. However, from migrant worker’s rights in preparing for the Olympics in China, to below minimum wage pay for UK waiting staff and allegations of Primark’s use of child labour in the supply chain, reports of unethical trade practices continue in the media unabated.
Is it really possible to apply ethical trade standards globally?
What are the barriers to implementing ethical trade?
How can they be overcome?
In a global economic downturn, are ethical standards a luxury?
Lord Young is Vice Chair of the Ethical Trading Initiative. The ETI was set up 10 years ago to improve the lives of workers and their families in global supply chains, believing that companies producing, supplying and selling goods for consumer markets should observe national and international labour laws. ETI’s purpose is to identify and promote responsible corporate practice that will help make this a reality.
Lord Young will examine these questions which will then be followed by an open discussion under the Chatham House Rule. The event will take place at 24 Greencoat Place, London SW1P 1BE starting at 3pm. The event will close at 5.00pm.
Speaker Lunch Reflections of a Compliance and Ethics Officer Jack Lynch, BP
“Why did I take on this role? What was I hoping to achieve? What did I learn about managing a compliance crisis? Are the approaches in the UK and the US really all that different? Why are prosecutors and regulators increasingly emphasising compliance programmes and an ethical culture? What does managing compliance risk look like in a global firm? How important is a Code of Conduct? What does it take to create a trustworthy helpline? These and other questions I have asked myself and others. It is now time to reflect on them.”
Jack Lynch has been Compliance and Ethics Officer of BP plc for the past two years. He is about to take up the position of General Counsel in the USA for BP and before leaving the UK will share his experiences of heading up a global function at an IBE lunch meeting which will be held under the Chatham House Rule on Thursday 9th October 2008.
Thursday 16th October
IBE Student Essay Competition Awards
with Tim Melville-Ross, Chairman, DTZ
The IBE Student Essay Competition aims to encourage both undergraduate and postgraduate students to think about business ethics. Now in its sixth year, its wider aim is to foster the discussion and teaching of business ethics in UK Universities and Business Schools. It is run in association with the UK branch of the European Business Ethics Network (EBEN), a network of academics teaching business ethics and is supported by the Daily Telegraph.
You are cordially invited to the presentation of prizes and certificates on Thursday 16th October 2008 at 3-5 pm here at 24 Greencoat Place, London SW1P 1BE. The awards will be presented by Tim Melville-Ross CBE , Chairman of DTZ, and a member of the IBE’s advisory council.
After the winning students have presented their essays, there will follow a panel discussion on the topics they have chosen. Tim Melville-Ross will be joined by Liam Halligan, Chief Economist, Prosperity Capital Management and Economics Commentator, Telegraph Group and Anthony McClaran, Chief Executive of UCAS for this. A general discussion on the issues raised will conclude the afternoon.
Monday 20th October
Corporate Subscriber Roundtable Taking shared steps towards a sustainable environment: - the rationale and opportunities of Corporate – NGO partnerships in a rapidly changing world
Introduced by Simon Martin, HSBC and Dave Hillyard, Earthwatch Institute
Historically, Corporate and NGO relationships have been of a combative nature. However, companies now include NGOs in their stakeholder dialogues, but some go further and work closely with NGOs in order to help them resolve ethical issues in their businesses.
What are the challenges for private and not-for-profit organisations working together?
What makes a successful partnership?
How do you reconcile different perspectives and different ways of working?
One company who has experience of this kind of partnership is HSBC who worked together with the Earthwatch Institute as part of their Climate Partnership Programme, engaging HSBC employees in climate change issues. Simon Martin Head of Group Corporate Sustainability at HSBC and Dave Hillyard, Director of Programmes at Earthwatch will talk frankly about the issues which affected them in working together by way of introducing the topic.
Is it really possible to apply the same ethical values everywhere you operate?
How do you integrate Group policies into operations in other countries?
What are the cross-cultural challenges that companies face?
How can they be overcome?
Jeffrey Oatham is Corporate Reputation Officer at Centrica. In 2005, Centrica acquired the right to explore for gas and oil in Nigeria. As Corporate Reputation Officer, Jeff develops and promotes Centrica’s CR programmes. He leads on the group’s CR approaches to local impact and supply chain, and oversees the company’s employee community involvement programme. He also provides advice and support on CR issues to Centrica’s Nigerian operations.
Thursday 13th November
Business Ethics Net Issues and good practice for integrating integrity (ethical) risk management with other existing risk management frameworksIntroduced by Ian Isaac, Head of Risk Management and Compliance, Telefonica O2 and Bryan Harris, Compliance Risk Manager for the Compliance and Ethics, Group Compliance & Ethics, BP
