How has the culture of ethical business changed in the last 25 years?
I am not sure it has actually changed. Companies have simply recognised the need to be more explicit about doing business ethically.
Major developments have been that companies now, in the main, provide guidance to staff about expected behaviours, ways of handling certain situations and so forth, usually in the form of a code of ethics/business practice. This has happened because the ‘job for life’ syndrome where one would learn alongside another employee about how the company worked no longer is the case. People switch careers or companies more frequently and have more diverse backgrounds than 25 years ago, so they need to understand more quickly how the company operates.
What has been the toughest challenge of your career?
The toughest challenge has been to do the right thing even if it meant I went out on a limb! It is rewarding though when doing so is recognised subsequently as having been the right thing to do.
What do you consider your career high points and/or your greatest achievements?
Finding myself at the Institute of Business Ethics which combines my interest in business, seeing it run successfully with education and encouraging people to share best practice – all within a charitable not-for-profit organisation.
If you could set one piece of global legislation to make businesses work more ethically what would it be?
I think if companies had to state in their memorandum and articles of association when they set themselves up how they are going to conduct their business (not just what the company is going to do), a benchmark would be set to measure that company’s performance.
What are the main factors that attract people to working with the IBE?
We are a small, friendly team who work closely with our subscriber base and others who share an interest and passion for the subject. Every day is different so there is no time to get stale!
In terms of ethics, what are your greatest fears for the UK business community?
I fear that cynics will never acknowledge the good that business does and the way, in the majority of cases, that businesses behave. Businesses and companies are human societies in themselves, with well and poorer behaved individuals making up the whole. Sadly, there are some rotten apples but to judge all by the few is unfair.
And your greatest hopes?
My hope is to prove the cynics wrong through businesses providing goods and services and conducting themselves in an open and fair manner that earns the respect and trust of the wider community.
How has the IBE utilised new technologies to progress its work and message?
We have Twitter and Facebook pages and regularly update and review our website; always looking for new ways to improve communication with our subscribers and others interested in the subject. During 2012 we will be introducing webinar events to reach out to those unable to attend our events in person.
The response to the Bribery Act from the business world has been well documented; but from your own point of view, what have been the most significant contentions and concerns with adhering to the legislation?
The legislation, for the most part, is common sense if you wish to stamp out bribery and corruption, which the business world needs to do as it is so corrosive. The most difficult element is how to say ‘no’ to a facilitation payment when you are at the front line and a lot hinges on whether you pay or not. This can be made worse if the payment made actually equates to the official’s salary as the local government knows they can get away with such practice.
Do you think the communications regarding the Bribery Act from the MoJ et al have been adequate?
In general, yes, though clearer practical guidance regarding facilitation payments would have been helpful. The SFO has now issued further guidance on this.
What do you see as the IBE’s main responsibilities when it comes to the Bribery Act?
Ensuring that experiences and practical solutions that companies have, relating to the Act, are shared for the benefit of all.
IBE has always fostered strong academic partnerships – how do you hope this will evolve in the future?
We will continue our annual student essay award, which for the last three years has had an Olympics theme of Ethics, Business and Sport, co-sponsored by the Pierre de Coubertin Committee.
We are also doing research into the Teaching of Business Ethics, an initiative co-led with the Institute of Global Ethics, to encourage the standard setters to include a larger element of teaching business ethics in their criteria for evaluation.
Thirdly, we are encouraging higher education institutions to establish codes of ethics, following up from a publication we did with the Council for Industry and Higher Education a while back. This was picked up on again by Lord Woolf in his recent report on the LSE where he concluded that such institutions should have a code of ethics.
For further info about the IBE visit www.ibe.org.uk
