Business integrity as B2B, B2C and B2G trend
On May 14, 2018 Mykhailo Merkulov, CEO of Arricano Real Estate Plc, took part in the discussion dedicated to the integrity in the state and in business at “Business Integrity Week-2018”. The event was organized by All-Ukrainian Network of Integrity and Compliance (UNIC). The round table conference was attended by the business ombudsmеn, international experts, representatives of the state authorities, NGO and the business community. The aim of the round table discussion was to develop a common policy of business integrity in Ukraine in the fight against corruption and to attract foreign investments.
“There was no definite business movement when companies supported each other in implementing the idea of compliance in Ukraine before. Today I am happy to announce that 55 companies from 46 Ukrainian cities have joined the UNIC network. We are trying to unite all the members by a single ethical principle: integrity is a new fashion-trend of doing business in Ukraine,” with these words Algirdas Shemet, business ombudsman, greeted the participants.
To develop ethical and well-doing B2B, B2C, B2G relationship in Ukraine it is important to unite the efforts of the market players, to study world practices, to build trust and to fight against all kinds of corruption. This is the mission of UNIC which member Arricano company is. After all, all the principles declared by All-Ukrainian network are already being implemented by Arricano company which is ready to share its best practices.
In his speech Mykhailo Merkulov told about Arricano's corporate principles: “Today the business environment is being changed quickly and the role of good business reputation increasingly influences the development of relations with potential investors, partners and even consumers. The participation in the UNIC network is an opportunity to strengthen this trend. Companies are ready to do more for their customers. In the competitive struggle between the companies with the same “cost/quality ratio” the company with a better business reputation and trust wins. At the State Business 2 Government level the availability of “good business stories” will allow creating a guaranteed platform for a sustainable economy in Ukraine and attracting foreign investors. Unfortunately, the situation is still unstable today - for example, “Sky Mall” has not been returned to the legal owner yet.”
Oleksandr Danyliuk, the Minister of Finance of Ukraine, noted that many ways of business integrity are available for Ukraine: “We have a lot of things to do to create a trust to the state and to work in a partnership format.”
Marcus Brand, a director and portfolio manager of Democratic Governance, who represented during the roundtable the international expertise added: “The business climate is not an abstract substance; it is a space for successful solutions, key drivers and plans for the future. Integration of business is important to create a new level of society with new transparent relationships.”
Among the issues discussed within the framework of the agenda was the development of the model of interaction between business and the state:
- how the state can encourage the development of business integrity;
- how business can promote the integrity of the state;
- how implementation of the policy of integrity in the private sector affects the rating of “Ease of doing business" and the Index of perceptions of corruption in Ukraine”;
All the participants of the discussion noted that business compliance is a promising platform for the promotion of the brand “Ukraine” for the international business community and investment attraction. For Ukrainian companies it is a comfortable environment for work in the legal field.
“The Week of Business Integrity-2018” of All-Ukrainian Network of Integrity and Compliance - UNIC is held in Kyiv, Lviv and Odesa.