The Aerospace Corporation Among 2009 "World's Most Ethical Companies"

The Aerospace Corporation has been named one of the World's Most Ethical Companies in 2009 by the Ethisphere Institute. Aerospace earned a coveted place on the list by going beyond legal minimums, introducing innovative ideas to benefit the public, and forcing its competitors to follow suit by consistently upping the ante for what it takes to be an ethical leader.

"The Aerospace Corporation is honored to be named one of the World's Most Ethical Companies, validating our commitment to our core values of integrity and objectivity," said Dr. Wanda Austin, president and CEO of The Aerospace Corporation. "Through our ethics program, we strive for every employee to understand our high standards and how their actions help us deliver on our promise to deliver 100 percent mission success."

This is the third year Ethisphere, a think-tank dedicated to the creation, advancement, and sharing of best practices in business ethics, corporate social responsibility, anticorruption, and sustainability, has published the WME rankings, which appear in Ethisphere Magazine's Q1 issue.

Through a rigorous, multistep evaluation process, Ethisphere's researchers and analysts reviewed more than 10,000 companies in order to determine the finalists.

"The Aerospace Corporation has proven to be one of the world leaders in upholding high ethical standards, making it a true standout in its industry, especially as unethical business actions and decisions grab headlines each day," said Alex Brigham, executive director of the Ethisphere Institute. "The competition for this year's World's Most Ethical Companies was very strong and we applaud Aerospace for rising to the top."

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; studying nominations from senior executives, industry peers, suppliers, and customers; and working with consumer action groups for feedback. The 2009 World's Most Ethical Companies methodology committee, comprised of leading attorneys, government officials, professors, and organization leaders, were consulted early on in the 2009 WME process and had the opportunity to review and comment on the methodology used to rate this year's nominees. Ethisphere researchers further analyze information provided by the companies through questionnaires.

Contact mediaqueries@aero.org.