Ethisphere’s annual world’s ‘most ethical’ companies list published
The annual World’s Most Ethical (WME) companies list has been published by the Ethisphere Institutethinktank. The WME list recognises companies that go beyond making statements about doing business ethically and translate those words into action. This year, 144 companies made it on to the list, up from the 138 businesses honoured in 2013, representing 41 industries across 21 countries including a contrasting selection of companies such as Ford Motor, Kellogg and Google in the USA, a Saudi hospital construction company calledIHCC, PKN Orlen , a Polish oil refiner and All Good Organics, a food company in New Zealand. UK firmsPremier Farnell, The Ethical Fruit Company, Marks & Spencer and the Northumbria Water Group were also recognised. In response to the list, Tim Erblich, CEO of the Ethisphere Institute said “global economic and social challenges from anti-corruption to security and privacy are accelerating the need for companies and organisations to embrace ethics and governance as critical business imperatives.” (Blue and Green Tomorrow,Forbes)
Health & Wellbeing
World TB day: medicines against drug-resistant TB are the main focus for Big Pharma
World Tuberculosis (TB) Day 2014, which falls today, aims to raise awareness of the nine million people suffering from TB, and three million TB patients with no access to treatment, worldwide. To mark the day, the Access to Medicines Index (ATMI) has released analysis into research and development into TB drugs by leading pharmaceutical companies, showing that significant progress is being made into developing new diagnostics and vaccines, with Sanofi, Johnson & Johnson and GlaxoSmithKline all currently trialling vaccines. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), there is slow progress in tackling multi-drug resistant TB. ATMI says that there are reasons for “cautious optimism”, with a number of innovative new antibiotic drugs in development, such as Johnson & Johnson’s bedaquiline. However, an article in today’s Financial Times argues that pharma companies do not put enough resources into TB research and development because, unlike diseases such as HIV,TB does not affect significant numbers of people in rich countries. Astra Zeneca, which recently shut a laboratory in India where it was researching TB, malaria and other tropical diseases, is quoted as blaming “limited R&D budgets”. (Access to Medicines Index, Financial Times*)
Supply Chain
China: supply chain progress made, but major problems still exist
China faces fresh criticism over its lack of progress on ending corruption, tackling pollution and improving poor working conditions. The claims come from a briefing by Sedex, a membership organisation that aims to bring buyers and suppliers together in order to reduce and mitigate risks within the supply chain. Sedex worked with risk analysts from Maplecroft to identify areas of concern in China, which include health and safety issues, chemical and machinery management, wages and working hours. The briefing also found that China was in an ideal situation to improve, due to its high levels of production and delivery turnaround. Carmel Giblin, chief executive of Sedex, said, “It is important that companies operating in the country understand the changing environment, with a growing middle class and changes in the availability of previously plentiful suppliers of cheap labour.” (Blue and Green Tomorrow)
Diversity
Female chief executive numbers increase
The proportion of female chief executives around the world is growing but women’s overall share of senior business roles has stalled, research has found. Slow progress in increasing diversity on company boards is leading to a groundswell of support for quotas to get more women in senior management roles, according to a study of 6,700 executives in 45 countries by Grant Thornton. The study found that women are running 12 per cent of mid-market companies globally, up from 10 percent in 2013 and just 5 percent in 2012. But the overall proportion of senior business roles filled by women across the world was 24 percent, the same as in 2013, 2009 and 2007, and only slightly above the 19 percent recorded by Grant Thornton’s survey in 2004. “It suggests we are at a stage when something needs to change to enable us to make the next step forward,” said Francesca Lagerberg, the company’s global head of tax. (Financial Times)*
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