BASKING RIDGE, NJ--(Marketwire - March 16, 2011) - Avaya, a global leader in enterprise communications systems, software and services, today announced it has been recognized by the Ethisphere Institute as one of the 2011 World's Most Ethical Companies. Out of a record number of nominations for the award, Avaya secured a hard-earned spot on the list by going the extra mile and implementing upright business practices and initiatives that are instrumental to the company's success, benefit the community, and raise the bar for ethical standards within the industry.
"Avaya places a strong value on ethical behavior, and being named to Ethisphere's 2011 World's Most Ethical Companies list is a testament to the solid foundation we have in place," said Kevin Kennedy, president and CEO, Avaya. "Having this distinction sets us apart from our competitors as an industry leader and employer of choice. We are committed to sharing an unwavering dedication to the highest ethical standards from employees at every level of our organization."
This is the fifth year Ethisphere, a think-tank dedicated to the creation, advancement and sharing of best practices in business ethics, corporate social responsibility, anti-corruption and sustainability, has published the WME rankings, which appear in Ethisphere Magazine's Q1 issue.
Ethisphere reviewed thousands of companies and evaluated a record number of applications utilizing its propriety methodology through in-depth research and multi-step analysis, naming 110 companies that surpassed their industry peers to this year's World's Most Ethical Companies list. The 2011 list features companies in 38 industries including 43 companies headquartered outside the United States.
A sampling of other winners includes American Express, eBay, Ford Motor Company, Adidas, Starbucks, PepsiCo and Xerox Corporation.
"As companies strive to maintain a competitive advantage, good ethics translate into better business, and better business means better bottom lines. Avaya recognizes the important role that principled practices play in brand reputation, which ultimately is the most valuable asset for a corporation," said Alex Brigham, Executive Director of the Ethisphere Institute. "Each year, the competition gets more intense for the World's Most Ethical Companies and this year was no exception with a record number of organizations vying for this distinguished honor. Ethisphere congratulates Avaya on being one of the World's Most Ethical Companies for 2011."
The methodology for the WME ranking includes reviewing codes of ethics, litigation and regulatory infraction histories; evaluating the investment in innovation and sustainable business practices; looking at activities designed to improve corporate citizenship; and studying nominations from senior executives, industry peers, suppliers and customers.
Read about the methodology and view the complete list of the 2011 World's Most Ethical Companies at http://ethisphere.com/worlds-most-ethical-companies-rankings/.
About Avaya
Avaya is a global leader in enterprise communications systems. The company provides unified communications, contact centers, data solutions, and related services directly and through its channel partners to leading businesses and organizations around the world. Enterprises of all sizes depend on Avaya for state-of-the-art communications that improve efficiency, collaboration, customer service and competitiveness. For more information please visit www.avaya.com.
About Ethisphere Institute
The research-based Ethisphere Institute is a leading international think-tank dedicated to the creation, advancement and sharing of best practices in business ethics, corporate social responsibility, anti-corruption and sustainability. The Institute's associated membership groups, the Ethisphere Council and Business Ethics Leadership Alliance, are forums for business ethics that includes over 200 leading corporations, universities and institutions. These groups are dedicated to the development and advancement of members through increased efficiency, innovation, tools, mentoring, advice, and unique career opportunities. Ethisphere Magazine, which publishes the globally recognized World's Most Ethical Companies Ranking™, is the quarterly publication of the Institute. Ethisphere provides the only third-party verifications of compliance programs and ethical cultures, Ethics Inside Certification®, Anti-Corruption Leader Verification and Compliance Program Verification. More information on the Ethisphere Institute, including ranking projects and membership, can be found at http://www.ethisphere.com.
Certain statements contained in this press release are forward-looking statements. These statements may be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "anticipate," "believe," "continue," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "might," "plan," "potential," "predict," "should" or "will" or other similar terminology. We have based these forward-looking statements on our current expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections. While we believe these expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections are reasonable, such forward-looking statements are only predictions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control. These and other important factors may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. For a list and description of such risks and uncertainties, please refer to Avaya's filings with the SEC that are available at www.sec.gov. Avaya disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Contact Information:
Media Inquiries:
Avaya Contact:
Jay Barta
972-745-5195
jbarta@avaya.com
Ethisphere Contact:
Emily Parker
(212) 446-1889
eparker@sloanepr.com