How World’s Most Ethical Companies are awarded

The World's Most Ethical Company assessment is based upon the Ethisphere Institute’s Ethics Quotient (EQ) framework developed over years of research and vetted and refined by the expert advice from Ethisphere’s Advisory Panel. The EQ offers a quantitative way to assess a company’s performance in an objective, consistent and standardized way. Questions included in the Ethics Quotient are periodically reviewed and updated based on changing regulations, expectations and best practices.  Supporting documentation is required for consideration as a World’s Most Ethical Company.

The information collected provides a comprehensive sampling of definitive criteria of core competencies, rather than all aspects of corporate governance, risk, sustainability, compliance and ethics. Scores are generated in five key categories: ethics and compliance program (35%), corporate citizenship and responsibility (20%), culture of ethics (20%), governance (15%) and leadership, innovation and reputation (10%) and provided to all companies who participate in the process.

Ethisphere’s Ethics Quotient is a proprietary rating system that collects and objectively scores self-reported data in five weighted categories. Questions included in the Ethics Quotient are periodically reviewed and updated based on changing regulations, expectations and best practices. Supporting documentation is required for consideration as a World’s Most Ethical Company.

In 2016, 131 honorees were named spanning 21 countries and five continents and representing over 45 industries. In its 10th year, the list includes 14 ten-time honorees and 13 first-time honorees. Some of the honorees include: Xerox, Dell Inc., Microsoft, Schneider Electric, Symantec, T-Mobile US, Intel Corporation, Wipro Ltd.