Application Process – Ethics Quotient Survey
What is the Ethics Quotient (EQ) survey?
Ethisphere’s proprietary Ethics Quotient®, the World’s Most Ethical Companies assessment process includes more than 240 multiple-choice and free-form questions on ethical culture, environmental and social practices, ethics and compliance activities, governance, leadership, diversity, and initiatives to support a strong value chain.
Applicants are able to download the questionnaire in advance of entering details into the survey platform so that they can prepare responses and gather information from other sources within the organization.
Who develops the Ethics Quotient (EQ) questionnaire? Who determines what’s important to measure?
The EQ questionnaire is jointly developed by our internal team of legal and compliance professionals, feedback provided by previous applicants, and our Methodology Advisory Panel. Advisory Panel members include leading experts from the fields of law, corporate reputation, corporate ethics, governance, and anti-corruption.
We review the questionnaire annually to ensure that it aligns with the ever-changing expectations of employees, managers, shareholders, regulators, and the public at large.
Does each question carry the same weight?
Why does Ethisphere use a questionnaire as part of its process?
The first step is for an organization to complete the Ethics Quotient (EQ) questionnaire. This results in an objective self-reported EQ score. Companies then submit documentation that allows us to qualitatively evaluate aspects of an organization’s programs and processes.
Lastly, Ethisphere’s team of analysts researches each organization’s history of litigation, reputation, and ethical track record to inform the score for the organization’s Leadership and Reputation. The self-reported scores are combined with the qualitative assessment of an applicant organization’s supplemental documentation and independent research to produce a final EQ score.
