Can any organization participate?
Public or private, for-profit or not-for-profit, U.S. or foreign based organizations generally are eligible to participate in the process and be considered for designation as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies.
The Ethics Quotient questionnaire and peer group is generally designed for those organizations with over $250 million in revenue. That said, smaller organizations can still benefit from the process and be designated as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies if they have the type of programs in place typically seen at larger organizations.
Please note that while our process has broad eligibility requirements, non-profit colleges and universities, governments, governmental agencies, government majority owned organizations, self-regulatory organizations (SROs), and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) generally are not eligible. If you have a question regarding eligibility, please contact Ethisphere at [email protected].
We encourage wide participation, regardless of whether an organization thinks that it will be honored. All organizations that submit a survey will receive an Analytical Scorecard that provides their overall Ethics Quotient and evaluates how their score in each of the five categories compares to those of honorees. The value in participating is not only in learning how one’s organization compares to the honorees, but also in better understanding what’s trending in leading organizations and more about their best practices.
Are there different criteria for organizations of different industries or sizes?
A company’s industry, size, geographic location are all taken into consideration during the review process. A company’s final Ethics Quotient (EQ) score is evaluated relative to those of its peers, within the context of its structure, size and operating environment.
While we evaluate applicants within the context of their peers, we have we have a high level of expectations for all companies, regardless of size or industry when designating the World’s Most Ethical Companies.
The Ethics Quotient questionnaire and peer group is generally designed for those companies with over $250 million in revenue. Smaller companies can still benefit from the process and be designated as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies if they have the type of programs in place typically seen at larger companies. Accordingly, regardless of size, companies will be compared to others with at least $250 million (USD) in revenue.
Are there different criteria for private organizations and non-profits?
We understand that practices can be different for public, private, and non-profit organizations. Private organizations and non-profits are not penalized for failing to follow certain guidelines that are expected for public companies. However, all organizations must demonstrate that their policies, procedures, and practices are best in class for their specific organization type.
