Silvia Puiu

Ethics Management in Public Sector – Background and Tools

Abstract The article presents the conceptual background debated in the professional literature related to ethics management in general and also in particular, in the public sector. Works in this area present the concepts, the general theories, the problems and instruments we can use in a managerial activity. This paper tries to extrapolate these general data to the public sector in a country. The main purpose of the study is to identify those specific instruments that can be implemented successfully in public institutions, in correlation with specific ethical problems we find there. Sources of evidence include valuable works of specialists and studies conducted and focused on ethics in public sector. The main argument of our research is based on the fact that some theories, concepts or instruments are too general, needing a customization for the public sector, especially for those countries where corruption and unethical behaviors are at a high level. Conclusions of the paper refer to the applicability of various instruments of ethics management in the public sector, proving also a strong connection between ethics and competitiveness and in consequence, between ethics and investments. The results and conclusions are focused on the main areas of public sector from countries where corruption and lack of ethics is a real problem.

ISO 26000 Implementation: The Case of Top Romanian Companies

The aim of this paper is identifying the extent of ISO 26000 implementation in Romania and the means used by Romanian companies in this process. We used a descriptive and exploratory research, analyzing the data regarding ISO 26000 standard available on the websites of the first 25 companies in Romania in terms of their turnover (at the level of 2015) and also in their CSR reports if they were public. The result was quite surprising: only four companies make explicit references to the standard on their online channels addressed to the public. The lack of references in the CSR reports and on their websites does not implicitly mean that those companies do not implement the standard, but the fact they use other standards.

Corporate Social Responsibility in the Romanian Public Sector

The paper presents the Corporate Social Responsibility in the public sector of Romania, offering an image on the role of the public authorities, different than that of the private sector. There are a lot of differences between the two sectors and the state should focus on two aspects: the public sector as a responsible actor, involving itself in CSR projects and the relation between the private and the public sector, where the state should offer the background for a proper implementation of CSR projects by the private companies.

Ethics Management in Higher Education System of Romania

Abstract The article presents the problems of ethics management in higher education system of Romania and tries to identify the best solutions in order to improve the ethical climate in universities, with a proper implementation of ethics management instruments and procedures. The purpose of this study is to create a background for managers in these institutions in order for them to know and implement the adequate tools they can use in order to increase the ethical climate and scientifically apply an ethics management system. The research methodology is based on a questionnaire conducted during June 10 and July 20 on a number of 76 managers in higher education system from all over the country, from public and private institutions. The collected data were analyzed with SPSS program, using descriptive statistics and other indicators and correlations offered by the program, in order to verify the main hypothesis of the study. The results of the study reveal some important aspects in the ethical climate of Romanian universities, some lacks, but mainly reveal the perspective of managers on the ethics management and its implementation. Conclusions highlight a better perception of managers on the ethical climate, but in discordance with the general perception of the society. In our opinion, this may be a consequence of the fact that managers are not all familiar with the concept of ethics management, with its instruments and procedures. The main recommendations of the research refer to a better understanding of this area of management and focusing on a better integration in higher education system of Romania.