On March 9 and 10, 2016, more than four hundred executives from the world’s leading companies gathered in New York City for Ethisphere’s Global Ethics Summit. Thinking that this presented a great opportunity to gather insight about a few leading topics in corporate integrity, we asked the group to respond to a few questions. We’re happy to share these results with the broad community. (Note that a qualifying question excluded those in government, academia, and representatives from sponsors.)
Methodology: This survey was conducted by the Ethisphere at the 8th annual Global Ethics Summit® in New York, New York, on March 9-10, 2016. Ethisphere polled 120 ethics & compliance, C-suite and other top-level executives across industries and regions during the event.
1. Which of the following primarily drives ethics-related change within your company?
Results based on 120 responses to this question
| 53.33% | (64) | C-level executives | |
| 21.67% | (26) | The board of directors | |
| 15.83% | (19) | Middle management | |
| 5.83% | (7) | Shareholders or investors | |
| 2.50% | (3) | Human Resources | |
| 0.83% | (1) | Lower level employees |
2. What has been the most effective method of promoting ethical behavior at your company?
Results based on 120 responses to this question
| 43.33% | (52) | Training programs and workshops | |
| 16.67% | (20) | Encouraging employees to report unethical behavior | |
| 16.67% | (20) | Integrating ethical behavior into employee assessments | |
| 15.00% | (18) | Internal communications or marketing campaigns highlighting ethical behavior | |
| 8.33% | (10) | Providing a straightforward incentive/reward program for ethical behavior |
3. In which of the following does your company have the most room to improve?
Results based on 120 responses to this question
| 36.67% | (44) | Employee recruitment, retention and reward | |
| 21.67% | (26) | Sustainability initiatives | |
| 17.50% | (21) | Financial transparency | |
| 12.50% | (15) | Deals with third parties or how we approach product sourcing and supply chain | |
| 11.67% | (14) | None |
4. Is your company addressing the pay gap between executives and other employees?
Results based on 120 responses to this question
| 44.17% | (53) | We do not believe that it is a major issue | |
| 23.33% | (28) | We have/are planning on taking steps to close the pay gap | |
| 21.67% | (26) | We have/are planning on addressing it with transparency | |
| 10.83% | (13) | We do not have a significant pay gap between executives and other employees |
5. How much do you think the immediacy of social media impacts companies’ accountability—especially for their behaviors?
Results based on 120 responses to this question
| 49.17% | (59) | It has an extreme impact | |
| 45.00% | (54) | It is somewhat impactful | |
| 5.83% | (7) | It has no impact |
6. When selecting a financial services company, how important is it that they are recognized as a good corporate citizen?
Results based on 120 responses to this question
| 53.33% | (64) | Very important | |
| 37.50% | (45) | Somewhat important | |
| 9.17% | (11) | Not important |
7. Do you think Millennials would be willing to pay more for goods and services from a company that is recognized as a good corporate citizen?
Results based on 120 responses to this question
| 84.17% | (101) | Yes | |
| 15.83% | (19) | No |
