Dr Fourali has a wealth of experience covering Business, Psychology and Education. He worked for several years in research and published in most areas he was associated with. He helped set up a UK-wide national body recognised and supported by Government and ran it for several years. Dr. Fourali is also a member of the board Polish National Sales Awards.
- How has the approach to ethics changed over the years?
While in the past the view was ‘profit before everything’, nowadays it is not only acceptable but expected that respectable companies recognise that profit is only one dimension of the triple bottom-line (Social and environmental responsibility in addition to economic success). Part of the evaluation of brands include such social and environmental responsibilities and can really affect the success of an organisation overall. This is not just about making superficial, tokenistic statements. Rather, claims have to be backed up by evidence. The spread of social media also makes it very difficult for companies to uphold claims if not backed up by action on the ground.
- How do ethical actions reflect in sales?
Research shows that ‘brand value’ associated with ethical and moral responsibility is reflected in the profit and sustainability of that company. Nowadays there is a growing expectation by investors to choose companies that show commitment to social responsibility as, for example, reflected in CSR.
- How do ethical standards affect the industry?
They make organisations more responsible in researching, presenting, producing and selling their products. Ethics is a 360% process affecting everything a company does and beyond. For example it is not enough for companies nowadays to claim that they are doing everything responsible within the company, it is also expected that the whole supply chain they make use of is ‘clean’ from things like corruption, deceit, destroying the environment and even supporting corrupt regimes. Eventually, any good that comes from ethical and moral responsibility should serve everybody in the long run
- How do good practices affect the good of the team?
Good practice is about ability to do the right thing competently. Teams need to work as a unit because they all represent the company and a company is only as good as its weakest link in a chain of activities. It takes just one thing to go wrong to affect the work and success of the whole company. Hence all staff (including management) have to make sure that the performance of the organisation is as good as can be. This means selecting the right people and training them according to the standards of best practice and supporting them all along to minimise error and maximise success.
- How do good practices affect the success of a team?
As stated above, the success of the company depends on the work of everybody. If a client is not well looked after by one member of staff, this will affect the perception of the whole company. Clients perceive the company’s effectiveness as a whole. They focus on whether their need was addressed, irrespective of how many members of staff they dealt with. This means that good practice should filter through the whole company. Companies that are not integrated and use a silo approach, with departments insulated from each other, will not be as effective or efficient in achieving their aims.