Mark Schwartz, a professor at the School of Administrative Studies in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, has received the 2013 “Best Article Award” from the management journal Business Horizons, sponsored by Elsevier, for his paper titled, “Developing and Sustaining an Ethical Corporate Culture: The Core Elements”, which appeared in the January-February issue. Nominations were solicited from the Editorial Review Board members, with all articles published in 2013 eligible for consideration.
The paper argues that three key elements must exist if illegal or unethical activity within and on behalf of organizations is to be minimized through developing and sustaining an ethical corporate culture. The three elements include: the existence of a set of core ethical values infused throughout the organization in its policies, processes, and practices; the establishment of a formal ethics program including a code of ethics, ethics training, an ethics hotline, and an ethics officer; and the continuous presence of ethical leadership – that is, an appropriate “tone at the top” as reflected by the board of directors, senior executives and managers.
According to Marc Dollinger, editor in chief of Business Horizons, “The article is an excellent exemplar of the best of Business Horizons in that it addresses an important and timely topic while offering practical lessons for managers. Professor Schwartz takes on a very relevant and timely topic, when long horizon investors are taking note of the corruption among boards. The paper describes three core pillars of an ethical culture: core ethical values, a formal ethics program, and the continuous presence of ethical leadership. The paper concludes with examples and recommendations for action.”
Despite its recent publication, the article is now one of the top 20 papers downloaded from Business Horizons.