IBE recognises writing excellence

Gavin Hinks, a freelance financial journalist (pictured right) and Michelle Spiteri Bailey, a PhD student (pictured far right) at the University of Leicester, have recently won top spots at the Joint Professions for Good and Institute for Business Ethics Writing Awards.

The awards run by Professions for Good, a collaboration of many of the UK’s largest professional bodies and the Institute for Business Ethics (IBE), celebrate the best academic and journalist writing on ethics and professional standards in business and public life.

Hinks won ‘Best journalist article or blog post’ for his opinion piece published in Financial Director magazine in November 2013 entitled ‘Corporate wrongdoing is all connected’ which explores the crucial role that management team dynamics plays in determining whether unethical or criminal behaviour occurs in businesses.

Spiteri Bailey won ‘Best academic essay’ for her paper on how to put ethics and the ‘public good’ back at the heart of the financial auditing process in light of recent scandals and regulatory reform.

The judges were so impressed with the overall calibre of entries that they also chose to award ‘Highly Commended’ status to: Rebecca Doodson (Senior Conduct & Compliance Office for AAT); Dina Medland (Freelance journalist and blogger for the Financial Times); Duncan Minty (blogger and consultant on ethics in the insurance industry); RaghavMunjal (Final year student at Sheffield University) and Jonathan Rosenthal (Banking Correspondent at The Economist).

Louis Armstrong CBE, Chairman of Professions for Good and of the judging panel, commented: “Professional bodies govern the standards and conduct of approximately 11 million qualified professionals in the UK and, thanks to the robust standards they enforce, we are largely able to take the integrity and expertise of these professionals for granted. Nonetheless, it is crucial that we do not become complacent, as new ethical dilemmas emerge every day, and I hope that these awards will continue to encourage debate about this vital social and business issue at the highest levels.”

Philippa Foster Back CBE OBE, director of the Institute of Business Ethics added: ”The winning entries exemplify how important upholding high ethical standards should be for all professions, as we work together to regain public trust.”