Survey: Aramark among world's most ethical companies

Philadelphia-based foodservice operator Aramark is one of 144 firms named as the World's Most Ethical Companies in the eighth annual survey conducted by The Ethisphere Institute, a New York-based management consulting firm.

Ethisphere uses a "series of multiple choice questions that capture a company's performance in an objective, consistent and standardized way," according to its web site. The aim is to quantify and promote best practices in corporate ethics with the hope of encouraging other firms to behave ethically.

Among the dozen members of a an advisory panel for the survey was Thomas Donaldson, a professor of legal studies and business ethics at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business.

This isn't Aramark's first time winning the accolade. The company, which has its national headquarters in a 32-story tower at 12th and Market streets, was similarly applauded by the survey in 2010, 2012 and 2013.

"As a global leader committed to enriching and nourishing lives, we take great pride in the way we conduct our business," said Eric Foss, president and CEO of Aramark. "This honor reflects our commitment to service excellence by all of our teams globally, who hold themselves accountable to operating in accordance with the highest ethical standards each and every day."

Other national and international firms with Philly-area offices but based elsewhere were named to this year's list, including Accenture, CBRE, Paychex, The Nature Conservancy and Waste Management.

"Company honorees not only promote ethical business standards and practices internally, they embed the theory of 'conscious capitalism' into everything they do, every employee they hire, and every partner they bring into their network to ensure they deliver long-term value to key stakeholders including customers, suppliers, regulators, and investors," according to a statement from Ethisphere.

Here's the complete list: