The SGH Ethics Club

A UNIQUE SGH AND CIMA INITIATIVE IN THE POLISH ACADEMIC ENVIRONMENT

The establishment of the SGH Ethics Club is tangible evidence that the SGH academic community wants to actively and variously participate in shaping socially desirable attitudes, including primarily the ones in business - said prof. dr hab. Anna Karmańska. - The problem of ethics is raised, publicised and discussed by the SGH employees on many fronts. In times like the ones we live in nowadays, when one can be distinguished only by one’s attitude (and not by the brand of a mobile phone, a car, clothing or foreign journeys), an ethical attitude has great, though immeasurable value. We want the SGH Ethics Club, people who are already gathering around it and those who, as we hope, will expand the group of supporters of the planned activities, to be perceived as an expression of the collective will to adopt a ‘course on ethics.’

Next prof. Karmańska expressed her joy at the cooperation between the SGH and CIMA: - I am glad that a few years after the idea of the SGH Ethics Club was born, it is possible to say nowadays that the platform for conversations, exchange of best practices, as well as research in the field of business ethics has taken real shape. It results from the cooperation with CIMA, which equipped the club room well and plans further activities related to its functioning.

The initiator of the SGH Ethics Club revealed that her desire was for the SGH Ethics Club to help all those who would develop initiatives favourable to business ethics and every other sphere of human activity. Finally, she addressed people involved in developing the club's idea.

- As ‘there would be no end without a beginning’, I would like to express my thanks to the two chancellors of the SGH: dr. Marcin Dąbrowski, who helped finalise the SGH Ethics Club initiative, and dr. Bartosz Grucza, who as the Chancellor of the Warsaw School of Economics in the last term of office helped him to start working in this direction. Special thanks go to Mr. Jakub Bejnarowicz, who with his commitment recognised the special value of the SGH Ethics Club initiative, participated in its implementation and saw the multifaceted benefits of joint action.

The club's initiative is one step further in the build-up towards intensifying a good cooperation between the SGH and CIMA, ongoing since 2012. CIMA's commitment to the establishment of the club stems from the CIMA's desire to promote the highest standards of responsible business.

- The CIMA members are obliged to comply with high ethical standards and acting in accordance with the Global Principles of Management Accountants - explained Jakub Bejnarowicz, head of CIMA in continental Europe. - It is a kind of guide for financiers, supporting them and company managements in their strategic decision-making and creating added value for their organisations. The key elements of the indicated principles are trust and credibility as well as broadly understood ethics, which as never before should play a fundamental role in the activities undertaken by companies.

Further, Jakub Bejnarowicz said that the CIMA Institute is satisfied with the development of a strategic partnership with the SGH, and declared: - Currently, in addition to joint training of hundreds of future business leaders and experts in management accounting, promoting Global Management Accounting Principles, the time has come to join forces and pave the way to promote business ethics for a fairer and healthier economy, society and a better world.

The head of CIMA thanked all those involved on the SGH and the CIMA side in the establishment of the SGH Ethics Club: - Thanks to the academics’ and coordinators’ efforts to date, in the first instance Professor Anna Karmańska and students’ intellectual effort, I can proudly confirm that SGH Warsaw School of Economics is counted among the world leaders in terms of passing examinations standardised by CIMA from all universities accredited by us in the world - summed up Bejnarowicz.

The SGH Ethics Club opening ceremony was attended by people particularly involved in business ethics at the Warsaw School of Economics, be it through teaching, scientific publications and creating ethical standards, or even by supporting initiatives such as the newly opened club. Thank you all for being involved. On the other hand, we encourage the entire SGH community to take initiatives and activities convergent with the idea of the club.

On April 12, 2018, The Rector of SGH Warsaw School of Economics, dr hab. Marek Rocki, prof. SGH, Jakub Bejnarowicz, head of CIMA in Continental Europe and prof. dr hab. Anna Karmańska, director of the Accounting Institute, officially opened the SGH Ethics Club.

Established in 1919, the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) is a leading and at the same time the largest organisation of specialists in the field of management accounting, with over 232,000 members and students in 177 countries.