Month: June 2013

New York, NY –  June 13, 2012 –  Ethisphere announced today that Bristol-Myers Squibb Company has earned the Institute’s coveted Compliance Leader Verification™ Ethisphere^® Institute is a leading international think-tank dedicated to the research and promotion of best practices in corporate ethics and compliance.

Ethisphere, the provider of independent verification of corporate ethics and compliance programs, provides independent Compliance Leader Verification^™ for companies with best-in-industry ethics and compliance programs – those organizations that have made the decision to proactively invest resources in compliance, sending a clear signal to key stakeholders that compliance and ethics are an absolute organizational priority.

“We found that Bristol-Myers Squibb’s strong commitment to ethics has led to the creation and maintenance of an effective global compliance program,” said Erica Salmon Byrne, Senior Vice President, Compliance Advisory Services for Corpedia, one of Ethisphere’s licensed credentialing partners. “We are particularly impressed that Bristol-Myers Squibb has an active and involved board of directors, appropriately uses resources both globally and at the  business unit level, and engages its employees through innovative communications and  and extensive training  programs conducted according to risk and job function.”

Ethisphere’s licensed credentialing partners conduct a detailed review of the organization’s current compliance and ethics-related initiatives, and benchmark them against the “hallmarks” of an effective compliance program, as defined by the U.S. Federal Sentencing Guidelines (FSG) and corporate and industry best practices, including standards (code and policies), board of director oversight, program structure and responsibility, training and communications, due care, monitoring and auditing, and enforcement and discipline. Ethisphere then provides companies with a detailed report as to how their program measures up to industry benchmarks, including recommendations for improvement. Additional information about Compliance Leader Verification is available at https://ethisphere.com/ethisphere-compliance-leader-verification/

About Ethisphere

The research-based Ethisphere® Institute is a leading international think tank dedicated to the creation, advancement, and sharing of best practices in business ethics, corporate social responsibility, anti-corruption, and sustainability. Ethisphere provides the only third-party verifications of compliance programs and ethical corporate cultures, including Ethics Inside® Certification, Compliance Leader Verification™, and Anti-Corruption Program Verification™. On a quarterly basis, the Institute produces Ethisphere Magazine, which publishes the globally-recognized World’s Most Ethical Companies® ranking. Ethisphere also maintains a premier membership group, the Business Ethics Leadership Alliance™, a business ethics forum that includes more than 100 leading corporations, universities, and institutions that collectively leverage their experience, expertise, and innovative ways to address emerging compliance challenges. More information on Ethisphere, including ranking projects and membership, can be found at www.ethisphere.com.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — January 15, 2013 — Hitachi Data Systems Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE: 6501), today announced that it has earned both the coveted Ethics Inside™ Certification and the Anti-Corruption Program Verification from Ethisphere, a leading international think tank dedicated to the research and promotion of best practices in corporate ethics and compliance.

“It is an honor to be recognized with this distinction by Ethisphere,” said David Karas, vice president, Ethics and Business Conduct, Hitachi Data Systems. “At Hitachi Data Systems, the great task of delivering best-in-class IT solutions is built on the commitment of our people to our core company values. Those values drive Hitachi Data Systems employees to be accountable for their actions and to operate with the highest ethical standards at every level of our organization. This latest recognition adds to the naming of Hitachi Data Systems as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies by Ethisphere in 2011 and 2012.”

“Obtaining Ethics Inside Certification is a uniquely exhaustive process and is accomplished by a select group of organizations that truly embrace the important correlation between ethics and performance,” said Alex Brigham, executive director, Ethisphere. “Ethisphere is pleased to recognize Hitachi Data Systems as an Ethics Inside Certified organization and we applaud the company for displaying ethical leadership within its industry and clearly communicating to its various stakeholders that ethics plays a key role in its culture and strategy.”

Ethisphere is the leading independent verifier of corporate ethics and compliance programs. The organization awards Ethics Inside Certification exclusively to companies and nonprofit organizations according to two criteria. The first criterion is to implement adequate standards, systems and programs to reasonably prevent compliance failures and ethical breakdowns. The second criterion is to demonstrate a superior employee and leadership culture that promotes ethical business practices.

Ethisphere’s Anti-Corruption Program Verification offers objective, independent verification of a company’s anti-corruption program and initiatives, including a comprehensive review of policies, procedures, training, communication, controls and enforcement. Anti-Corruption Program Verification can be earned only by companies that prove they have designed, implemented, and enforced a robust, best-in-class anti-corruption program that is capable of reasonably detecting and preventing bribery and corruption.

Web Resources
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About Hitachi Data Systems
Hitachi Data Systems provides best-in-class information technologies, services and solutions that deliver compelling customer ROI, unmatched return on assets (ROA) and demonstrable business impact. With a vision that IT must be virtualized, automated, cloud-ready and sustainable, Hitachi Data Systems offers solutions that improve IT costs and agility. With approximately 5,900 employees worldwide, Hitachi Data Systems does business in more than 100 countries and regions. Hitachi Data Systems products, services and solutions are trusted by the world’s leading enterprises, including more than 70 percent of the Fortune 100 and more than 80 percent of the Fortune Global 100. Hitachi Data Systems believes that data drives our world – and information is the new currency. To learn more, visit: http://www.hds.com.

About Hitachi, Ltd.
Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE: 6501), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a leading global electronics company with approximately 320,000 employees worldwide. Fiscal 2011 (ended March 31, 2012) consolidated revenues totaled 9,665 billion yen ($117.8 billion). Hitachi is focusing more than ever on the Social Innovation Business, which includes information and telecommunication systems, power systems, industrial, transportation and urban development systems, as well as the sophisticated materials and key devices that support them. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company’s website at http://www.hitachi.com.

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© Hitachi Data Systems Corporation 2013. All rights reserved. HITACHI is a trademark or registered trademark of Hitachi, Ltd. All other trademarks, service marks, and company names are properties of their respective owners.

Ethisphere, which annually selects the World’s Most Ethical (WME) Companies, is proud to announce the release of the Ethics Communications Best Practices Report.

The report, which can be accessed by clicking on the image to the left, delves into how to leverage ethics as a key driver of corporate reputation, reflects key takeaways from a one-day workshop organized by Ethisphere, in cooperation with AECOM Technology Corp. and General Electric, in 2012.

The Ethics Communications Best Practices Report features insights and perspectives from several recognized leaders in corporate communications and public relations, including Richard Edelman, president and CEO of Edelman, the world’s largest public relations firm; Roger Bolton, president of the Arthur W. Page Society, the leading global professional association for senior public relations and corporate communications executives; and Dr. Edward Queen, director of the Ethics and Servant Leadership Program, The Center for Ethics, Emory University.

Best practices that have enabled companies to attain WME recognition are included in the report, with highlights from AECOM, Aflac, Fluor, General Electric, the Panama Canal Authority and Realogy. The case studies highlight internal communications strategies to create an ethical business culture and engage staff as well as external communications programs that emphasize ethics as a differentiating brand attribute.

“We are delighted to publish this report as part of our ongoing efforts to leverage communications in raising the bar for ethical business performance expectations,” said Alex Brigham, executive director of Ethisphere. “Our research tells us that robust communications programs that emphasize ethics are key enablers of an ethical business culture.”

The report also includes key takeaways from panel discussions that included Brigham; Jack Martin, global chairman and CEO, Hill+Knowlton Strategies; Rear Admiral Dennis Moynihan, U.S. Navy Chief of Information (at the time of the workshop); Mike Paul, president and senior counselor, MGP & Associates PR; Dana Perino, Fox News correspondent and former White House press secretary; Jennifer Prosek, CEO and founder, Prosek Partners; and Gary Sheffer, vice president of communications and public affairs for General Electric.

According to Stefan Linssen, chief editor of Ethisphere, the report is the first example of thought leadership pieces that Ethisphere will be publishing with input from its recently established Communications Advisory Board, which comprises recognized leaders in the corporate communications profession – with WME company communications executives as well as expert perspectives from academia, the leading professional association for communications executives and the world’s largest public relations firm.

“This report, along with the upcoming communications-themed issue of Ethisphere magazine, should serve to elevate and advance the dialogue around ethics communications in a way that benefits WME companies and the business community as a whole,” Linssen said.

Ethics communications will also be highlighted at Ethisphere’s fifth annual Global Ethics Summit, in New York City on March 5 and 6, and the second annual Best Practices in Ethics Communications Workshop, planned for May in New York City.

To download the report, either click on the image at the top of this article, or click on this link.