Siemens and Microsoft Lead Campaign to Save UK Business Advocacy Group
With a key confidence vote scheduled for the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) on Tuesday, Siemens and Microsoft are leading a last-minute campaign to restore corporate support for the beleaguered organisation. Having suspended almost all activity in April amid serious allegations of misconduct, the CBI is facing the loss of major members and financial instability. A letter circulated by Siemens has encouraged the CBI extension developed to acknowledge past failures, and it likewise calls for members to support the organisation as it adopts measures designed to improve its governance and culture, change its leadership and reduce lobbying efforts that overlap with those of sector-specific trade groups.
Engaging Additional Piece: The Challenges of Ensuring Corporate Transparency and Ethical Leadership
The scandals that have recently engulfed the CBI highlight the significant challenges faced by corporations seeking to maintain ethical cultures and improve transparency. According to the International Business Ethics Institute (IBei), nine in ten corporations recognise the importance of corporate social responsibility and ethical leadership and adherence to global standards of transparency and accountability. However, many companies struggle to attain or maintain these goals. Precipitating factors include insufficient whistle-blower protection, overly complex business models, poor corporate governance and a lack of communication between senior executives and regulatory compliance divisions.
The IBei’s recommendations for avoiding ethical failures within corporations include conducting regular independent audits to review organisational practices and processes, promoting a culture of communication that empowers employees to report violations and initiating a process for addressing and resolving ethical failures. A compliance risk management plan is also instrumental to ensure that all employees are aware of the standards expected of them and the consequences of failing to meet expectations. Finally, ensuring that the tone from the top of an organisation regarding transparency and ethical standards is genuine and leveraged effectively in communications with all employees can act as a cornerstone of effective corporate governance.
Summary:
As the CBI prepares for a confidence vote on Tuesday, Siemens and Microsoft are leading a campaign to encourage companies to support the group’s efforts to reform and eradicate previous sexual misconduct. Several firms, ranging from start-ups to multinationals, have expressed support for the CBI extension strategy, which seeks to improve governance, culture and sector-specific advocacy efforts. Concerns remain that the reforms have not gone far enough and that the CBI will require more extensive dialogue with national governments to recover fully. Meanwhile, companies and non-profit groups worldwide continue to grapple with the challenges of maintaining ethical leadership and corporate culture. Key measures to enhance adherence to high ethical standards include compliance risk management plans and whistle-blower protection. Honest communication between executives and employees is also essential.
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Siemens and Microsoft are running a last-minute campaign to bolster corporate backing for the CBI ahead of a key confidence vote on Tuesday after allegations of serious misconduct threw the UK business advocacy group into a tailspin.
The German industrial conglomerate, which has a significant presence in the UK, is coordinating a letter urging other members of the lobby group to back the organisation. Microsoft, the US tech giant whose UK boss Clare Barclay is currently on the board of directors of the CBI, said it signed it.
Several other companies, from start-ups to large corporations, have shown interest, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The letter said the CBI extension it had “acknowledged its failures and has a solid action plan in place that needs to be delivered by new leadership,” according to Sky News, which first reported the Siemens initiative.
He added that it was “essential that a refocused and effective CBI re-establish its ties to government and provide the voice Britain’s business needs”. Siemens did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The CBI suspended virtually all activity in April as high-profile members exempted the lobbying group over allegations of serious misconduct, including two allegations of rape reported by the Guardian newspaper which have led to a police investigation.
On Tuesday, members will vote on whether to support the organization after it unveils a plan to change its leadership, improve its culture and governance and reduce some of its lobbying to reduce duplication with specialist trade associations. Some critics interrogated whether the reforms have gone far enough.
The CBI’s new director general, Rain Newton-Smith, told the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg on Sunday that the revelations were “absolutely devastating”.
She added: “It’s a really nerve-wracking time for us as an organization, and I’m absolutely determined to lead this agenda for change so I can be that collective voice,” she said.
The departure of members such as Aviva, NatWest, John Lewis and Vodafone has put the CBI in financial jeopardy, and bosses told its nearly 300 employees on Thursday they plan to cut the group payroll bill by a third as part of a wider cost reduction.
Members said winning a vote of confidence alone would not be enough to save the CBI, which relies on access to government to influence policy on behalf of its members. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said in April that there was “no point in engaging with the CBI when its own members have abandoned them in droves.”
A person from a large member who has suspended his association with the CBI said: “The key is government advocacy: they will have to reopen the dialogue or the members will go adrift. They have the key. Hunt probably holds her future in his hands.
Speaking to the BBC on Sunday, Labour’s Jonathan Reynolds, the shadow affairs secretary, held the door open to re-engage with the CBI: ‘I think this country needs a meaningful national business voice encompassing all the different parts of the economy. .”
Members will be asked to vote on the motion: “Do the changes we have made – and the commitments we have made – to reform our governance, our culture and our purpose give you the confidence you need to support the CBI? “
People close to the CBI said the group had “positive conversations” with many members in private over the past week. “Our members are vital to everything we do and we welcome their support,” she said in response to the Siemens initiative.
https://www.ft.com/content/6396feff-dea9-4cf8-a330-65742ef678ce
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