At this event we will be exploring the use of staff
surveys in taking the ethical temperature of organisations.
" What questions are most likely to be asked
in employee surveys?
How well is the ethics policy known?
Can any trends be detected?
How is the information used by companies?
How can the process be improved?
Stephen Harding, who is an executive director at ISR,
an employee research and consulting firm, will be examining
these issues and presenting ISR's findings.
A day-long seminar designed to develop further the
role of ethics in public affairs Guest speakers including,
Sir Alistair Graham, Chair of the Committee on Standards
in Public Life and Lord Turnbull, former Treasury Permanent
Secretary and Sir Kevin Tebbit, former Permanent Secretary
of the Ministry of Defence.
The debate surrounding diversity issues has moved on
from simply a discussion on the merits of 'equal opportunities'.
Diversity is a complex and far-reaching theme and new
issues are arising all the time, both at home and abroad.
What policy challenges are organisations facing
as the diversity debate evolves?
What effect have the new laws on age had on organisations'
diversity programmes?
How do employers manage the expectations of different
faiths amongst their workforce?
Where does diversity fit into a wider corporate
responsibility programme?
These and other questions will be discussed at a corporate
subscriber only roundtable which will be introduced
by Harish Bhayani, principal at Proactive Reputation
Management, a diversity and culture change consultancy.
Public Private Partnerships have been at the heart
of the government's attempts to revive Britain's public
services. But how do private companies who run public
services deal with the ethical issues which arise?
What tensions arise between the need for profit
for shareholders with delivery of services which are
not linked to market forces?
How do providers bring a diverse and disparate workforce
together behind one set of corporate values?
What ethical issues arise in the transfer of staff
from public sector to private employment?
Gary Sturgess is Executive Director of The Serco Institute,
a research institution established by the international
public service company, Serco Group plc. Serco works
with governments to improve services across many areas
of public life - from justice to healthcare, education
to defence.
John Plender will look at some of the recent scandals
in the world of business. He will explore answers to
the following questions:
Why do business scandals continue?
Does greater regulation really help curb unethical
behaviour?
Are business ethics programmes becoming merely a
device to reduce penalties or enhance reputation?
John Plender has been a senior editorial writer and
columnist at the Financial Times since 1981, as well
as broadcasting for the BBC and Channel Four. He is
the author of many books, his most recent being, with
co-author Avinash Persaud, All You Need To Know About
Ethics And Finance - Finding a moral compass in business
today (Longtail Publishing, 2007).
'Cultural fit' between two organisations is increasingly
recognised as an important element of successful business
relationships, and no more so when entering into a new
relationship, from a joint venture to mergers and acquisitions.
The IBE has long recognised the need for businesses
to analyse 'ethical compatibility' as part of cultural
fit and as integral to integrity risk management. Ethical
due diligence is proposed as the framework for this;
a systematic review of the values, corporate culture
and extra-financial issues of a potential business partner
to help tease out upfront any mismatches and risks.
With this report, the IBE is hoping to provoke discussion
and raise the profile of this type of due diligence
as a requirement alongside legal and financial due diligence,
and we invite you to join us to begin this debate.
Wendy Harrison, Director of Shell's Compliance Strategy
Programme will introduce the topic and then David
Lascelles, author of the report will describe the
main features and the principal conclusions. There will
be an opportunity to ask questions and participate in
an open discussion on ethical assurance. The event will
close at 5pm.
Only 1 in 3 organisations has an explicit policy for
managing work related issues arising from the religion
or belief of employees. But, according to the latest
CIPD/KPMG quarterly Labour Market Outlook, while two
thirds of organisations support people in meeting the
dress code of the religion, two thirds mention being
confused about which faith-days their staff will be
celebrating and how.
Together with employment law regarding religious discrimination,
these findings highlight some of the issues which are
part of the public debate about whether and how employees
should be able to express openly their religious beliefs
while at work.
What can ethical organisations do in this complex area
to ensure fairness in their diverse workplaces?
Do companies that actively attempt to embed their ethical
values into business practice enjoy stronger financial
performance as a result? This report by Kaodi Ugoji,
Nicole Dando and Lance Moir, describes research comparing
the financial performance of FTSE 350 companies which
have a business ethics training programme with those
simply declaring a commitment to ethical values.
Please join us for the launch of this publication,
which looks further into the results of IBE's earlier
publication Does Business Ethics
Pay?
Over 85% of FTSE100 quoted companies and c. 60% of
FTSE 350 companies have a code of ethics yet there is
a perception that business is behaving badly.
Colin Melvin, Chief Executive of Hermes Equity Ownership
Services will look at some of the ethical issues which
arise when investing in public equity and whether they
are the same when investing in private equity.
Hermes, one of the largest fund managers in the UK
with a portfolio of £70 billion, has developed
The Hermes Principles on expectations between companies
and their shareholders and more recently EOS (Equity
Ownership Service), which represents pension funds as
corporate owners. It has also established shareholder
engagement funds and has an investment arm dedicated
to private equity.
Colin Melvin will examine these issues in the context
of the emerging interest in responsible investment
in association with the Daily Telegraph and EBEN-UK
At no time has it been more important for those involved
in business to understand the importance of behaving
ethically.
Get it right, and it can have a significant benefit
to your business; get it wrong, and it can be catastrophic.
No-one aspiring to be a business leader of tomorrow
can afford not to think about this area.
And that is what the IBE Student Essay Competition
aims to encourage: getting the business leaders of tomorrow
to think about ethics. Now in its fifth year, its wider
aim is to foster the subject of Business Ethics in UK
Business Schools and similar teaching departments. 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 Monday 22nd October 2007 at 5-7pm
here at 24 Greencoat Place, London SW1P 1BE. A representative
from the Daily Telegraph Business Section will present
the prizes and the winners will also provide a presentation
on their essay topics.
This year's event will include an open discussion as
part of the Ethics in the Workplace series when Jim
Ineson, Executive Director of SIFE UK, the Students
In Free Enterprise Network, will present on the work
of the organisation. SIFE helps university students
to develop leadership, teamwork and communication skills
by carrying out national and international community
projects. These projects address the real life managerial
challenges that students will face on graduation, including
business ethics issues. Some students who participate
in the scheme will also present on issues which arise
in their projects. SIFE is backed by leading businesses
and is currently active in over 20 UK universities.
Cadbury Schweppes have a long established reputation
as one of the UK's most ethical companies. However,
recently the company has grappled with reputation crises,
including the salmonella incident and their children's
'Get Active' campaign.
Neil Makin will share how Cadbury reacted to the ethical
challenges at an IBE lunch meeting which will be held
under the Chatham House Rule on Thursday 22nd November
2007.
Issues which he will address include:
How can companies deliver maximum returns for shareholders
and still ensure their ethical values are embedded
within their organisation?
When companies operate in a controversial sector
(for example confectionary), how do they implement
ethics into their strategies (for example dealing
with obesity)?
How are issues such as fair trade, child labour
and restructuring managed whilst ensuring competitiveness?
Neil Makin is External Affairs Director with Cadbury
Schweppes plc. He manages the Group's governmental affairs
programme in Brussels, Westminster and Washington, and
co-ordinates relationships with trade associations and
a number of other industry-wide bodies. In recent years
he has led the company's corporate responsibility strategy
and process development; he supports the Main Board
CSR Committee, and he chairs the Group's Human Rights
and Ethical Trading Group. He is a Board member of the
International Cocoa Initiative, the new multi agency
Foundation established by the global confectionery industry,
the ILO and a number of NGOs to ensure ethical labour
standards and sustainability in cocoa production in
West Africa and elsewhere.
The Committee on Standards in Public Life was set up
in 1994 to monitor the ethical environment of public
life and to respond to issues of concern, which may
arise. The Committee established The Seven Principles
of Public Life which are Selflessness; Integrity; Objectivity;
Accountability; Openness; Honesty and Leadership. However,
public servants continue to face allegations of sleaze,
dishonesty and spin, the cash for honours debacle and
John Prescott's affair with his secretary being just
two high profile examples.
What ethical challenges do public servants face, and
how do they differ from other employees? In demanding
ethical behaviour both publicly and privately, are we
expecting too much?
During his tenure as Chair, Sir Alistair Graham was
a high profile critic of the Government's conduct. He
will be examining the ethical challenges faced by those
in public life at the next Ethics in the Workplace lecture.
