Commitment to business ethics in UK organizations

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to determine the commitment to business ethics in UK corporations. This study reports on the responses of those organizations that participated in the survey and possessed a code of ethics.

Design/methodology/approach – An unsolicited questionnaire was sent to the top 500 private sector organizations by market capitalization in the UK. A total of 92 companies responded, of which 56 possessed a code of ethics.

Findings – The empirical findings indicate that the processes involved in developing business ethics commitment have begun to be recognized and acted upon at an organizational level. The supporting measures of business ethics commitment appear to be under-utilized by many of these UK organizations. This suggests that many organizations have not so far developed a strong organizational commitment to embedding their codes of ethics into organizational practices.

Research limitations/implications – While the responses provided a rich picture of organizational actions, further research exploring internal culture and attitudes would add to an understanding of organizational commitment.

Practical implications – It is found that in order to influence practice, it is not enough to have the artefacts of an ethical culture, such as codes, without ensuring that all employees are assisted in understanding what is required of them.

Originality/value – Despite a history of business ethics research, there are a limited number of studies seeking to understand UK companies' commitment to ethical codes. The paper provides guidance on steps that organizations can take to develop a higher level of commitment.

Capacity-building in nonprofit organizations : Is there a blended learning paradigm for the sector?

Blended learning models are widely-used, successful training vehicles for e-learning and workplace training, in corporate as well as higher education environments. Increasingly, Web 2.0 applications, imbedded within blended learning models, are being recognized for their utility in these settings. Concern for the sustainability and relevance of nonprofit organizations has sharpened the interest in building effective capacity-building models for the sector. Can Web 2.0 technologies enhance capacity-building models in the Third Sector? Because blended learning is a remarkably adaptable and fluid model, its potential for transforming capacity-building models in the nonprofit sector is thought to be significant. This paper introduces the concept of transformational approaches to capacity-building and asks if blended learning paradigms that incorporate interactive next-generation technologies might strike a responsive chord in the sector. The authors present research to date on blended learning and capacity-building to lay the foundation for the introduction of one blended learning model for training and education in the nonprofit sector. While the authors suggest that blended learning, as it is evolving, is the key to driving innovation in capacity-building models, they recognize that tailoring blended learning to the audience is critical in achieving success. It is suggested that for optimal results, capacity-building efforts should be built on holistic approaches to the integration of individual self-actualization goals with mechanisms for organizational and sector empowerment, using the technologies imbedded with blended learning. © 2011 Springer-Verlag.

Capacity-building in nonprofit organizations using blended learning as a gateway to practitioner education

Experience to date in for-profit as well as in educational settings has demonstrated that blended learning models are effective training vehicles for online instruction and workplace training. Increasingly, technology is playing a critical role in how e-learning is being delivered. Concern for the sustainability and relevance of nonprofit organizations has heightened interest in building effective capacity-building models for the sector. Because blended learning is a remarkably adaptable and fluid model, its potential for transforming capacity-building models in the nonprofit sector can be significant. Are web-based technologies enhancing capacity-building models in the Third Sector? This chapter explores the use of blended learning models within different educational environments to provide the context for asking the question: can blended learning paradigms that incorporate interactive next-generation technologies be widely accepted and implemented in the Third Sector? To establish a baseline for future studies, researchers surveyed nonprofit practitioners in Western Pennsylvania, US and Victoria, Australia. Results from three surveys conducted in 2011 reflect an awareness of the value of web-based training and education for nonprofit practitioners, but do not provide evidence of widespread usage. © 2013 Nova Science Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.

Sharing questions and initiatives, the professional organizations' point of view

The Book Designer: Careers and Professionalisation features contrubutions from 62 International design educators and professionals.  These leaders in their field provide analysis and expert commontary on the skill and epertise now required for sucessful career in design.

Indicators for evaluating cancer organizations' support services: performance and associations with empowerment

Community-based cancer organizations provide services to support patients. An anticipated benefit of these services is patient empowerment. However, this outcome has not been evaluated because of the lack of validated health-related empowerment questionnaires in the cancer context. In this validation study, the authors assessed the extent to which 16 indicators used by the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) and the Cancer Council Victoria, Australia (CCV) to evaluate their services were associated with health-related empowerment.

Understanding faith-based organizations: how FBOs are contrasted with NGOs in international development literature

Organizations with a faith basis play a prominent, sometimes dominant, role within the development sector. In the latter half of the twentieth century, many faith-based organizations (FBOs) – motivated by their religious faith and beliefs – began to work beyond their own borders to improve the material well-being of the world’s poor. However, despite the significant presence of FBOs within the arena of aid and development, little agreement exists within the development literature as to the similarity or distinction between aid agencies that are faith based and secular non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Drawing on approximately 50 studies, this article reviews the existing literature on FBOs in order to analyze how FBOs are understood in relation to NGOs. This article then suggests a number of different typologies that captures these diverse range of views of how FBOs are understood.