BATTLE CREEK, MI
-- If you ever wondered whether Kellogg Co. is fair and above-board in its business practices, at least one source says it is.
Ethisphere Institute, an independent research center that works to promote best practices in corporate ethics and governance, recognized the breakfast foods and snacks maker as a World's Most Ethical Company.
Companies honored "understand the correlation between ethics, reputation and daily interactions with their brand," according to information provided by Phoenix, Ariz.-based Ethisphere.
It is the sixth time that Kellogg, the maker of maker of Corn Flakes, Pop-Tarts and Mini-Wheats has been so designated since Ethisphere began honoring companies in 2007.
The World’s Most Ethical Company designation recognizes "companies that truly go beyond making statements about doing business ethically and translate those words into action," according to a statement by Ethisphere. The companies "not only promote ethical business standards and practices internally, they embed the theory of 'conscious capitalism' into everything they do, every employee they hire, and every partner they bring into their network to ensure they deliver long-term value to key stakeholders including customers, suppliers, regulators, and investors."
"We at Ethisphere believe that customers, employees, investors and regulators place a high premium on trust and that ethics and good governance are key in earning it," said Ethisphere's Chief Executive Officer,
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In a press release, Kellogg Co. President and CEO John Bryant said, "Our century-old legacy of integrity lives on in the way we run our business, serve our customers and consumers, create value for our investors, and make a difference in our communities. This honor means a great deal to all of us at Kellogg. We see it as a reflection of our collective commitment to our K Values, which guide how we pursue our goals, tackle challenges and find innovative solutions."
To determine its World's Most Ethical list, Ethisphere said it scored hundreds companies in five categories: ethics and compliance program (25 percent), reputation, leadership and innovation (20 percent), governance (10 percent), corporate citizenship and responsibility (25 percent) and culture of ethics (20 percent).
One hundred-forty-four companies were honored representing 41 industries. They include 21 first-time honorees and 38 organizations that are based outside the U.S.
The list of the 2014 World's Most Ethical Companies is available at http://ethisphere.com/worlds-most-ethical/wme-honorees/