The prize

Creating the New Normal

The aim of the Profit Through Ethics project is to create a safe and profitable means for any company to transition from business as usual to a new normal where they can demonstrate an unequivocal commitment to transparency, accountability and public dialogue on all important responsibility issues. This is a prize that benefits everyone.

 

Business as usual New normal
"We are responsible but we don't need to prove it. Take our word for it, you can trust us." "We are happy to prove our responsibility credentials, you do not need to rely on our claims alone"
Cited examples of good corporate citizenship often viewed with suspicion Cited examples of good corporate citizenship can be assessed on their merits
Spinning the positives and glossing over the negatives destroys trust and reputation Communicating plainly on a broad range of issues enhances trust and reputation
Selective, partial reporting becomes increasingly expensive and increasingly ineffective Funds can be transferred out of PR and invested in further improving practices
Businesses compete on image manipulation and presentation skills Businesses compete on the ambition and impact of their social and environmental innovations
Problems and complex challenges must be solved without recourse to dialogue with those affected Problems and complex challenges are solved through dialogue, sharing problems with stakeholders, collaborating and building consensus
"We think it is unreasonable to expect full openness and honesty in business" "We want to raise public expectations that all businesses are entirely open and honest"
"While we may have got this wrong in the past, you should trust us to balance our own interests with yours and those of society and the environment from now on" "Help us to better balance our own interests with yours and those of society and the environment"