University to launch business ethics awards

By Macharia Kamau

Local organisations that have incorporated ethical practices in their operations will be recognised following a planned launch of an ethics award scheme.

The awards, an initiative of KCA University, will recognise employees and firms that uphold and promote ethics for the benefit of the marketplace, environment and the community.

The scheme will be launched during the upcoming Pan African Conference on the ethical dilemma of the global economic conference that will take place in Nairobi between September 22 and 25.

The awards are expected to bring about responsibility among companies in the country, often criticised for lack of ethical practices.

The University says scheme is intended to ensure that ethical values are well balanced to address the requirements of stakeholders.

Flexible approaches

"The selected categories used to measure ethics are non-prescriptive and adaptable as they focus on results and not procedures, tools or organisational structure.

Companies are encouraged to develop and demonstrate creative, adaptive and flexible approaches for meeting their ethical objectives," said KCA University in a statement.

The scheme will award companies employing ethics in two categories – individual and corporate – and is open to both private and public sector organisation.

"Ethical organisational culture is achieved by an organisation when it maintains high levels of moral standard and continual improvement in three key areas— code of ethics, executive commitments and integration of ethical values in all organisational strategic operations.

We are positive, many companies will be challenged to embrace ethical issues in their corporate policies," the university said.