Student ethics group helps local coffee shop in bid for Torch Award
Released: December 5, 2007
Each year, the Wisconsin Better Business Bureau accepts nominations from businesses and charities across the state for its Torch Awards for Business Ethics and Integrity. With the assistance from the Business Ethics Student Association (BESA), the Greenhouse Cafe of Whitewater has been named a runner-up in the 1-10 employee category.
"I'm very excited and honored that we were nominated and received the runner-up award," said Vicki Fiedler, co-owner of the Greenhouse Cafe. She gives a lot of credit to her employees. "Our students are the success."
The Greenhouse Cafe was approached by BESA students who are customers and wanted to see the cafe's strong ethics be rewarded by the Torch Award.
"The Greenhouse Cafe is a very environmentally responsible company, they treat their employees special and they interact with the community," said K. Praveen Parboteeah, associate professor of management and BESA advisor.
Fiedler said that being honest and fair has its rewards, but it doesn't come without work. If someone leaves their change on the counter on accident, employees will run out of the store after them to give it back. Lots of cell phones are often forgotten by their owners, and the Greenhouse Cafe makes sure those cell phones get back to the owner.
In order to be considered for the Torch Award, companies and charities must submit a portfolio based on four topics that explain many of the ethical parts of their business. BESA assisted the Greenhouse Cafe in putting the portfolio together.
"It was a lot of fun working with the BESA students," Fiedler said. "They were very dedicated, hardworking, responsible and open to ideas. This was beneficial to both BESA and us."
According to the Wisconsin Better Business Bureau Web site, the businesses and charities were judged on their demonstrated excellence in ethical practices, service excellence, reputation, honest advertising, peer recognition, management practices and employee training in ethical behavior.
"It was great to see a local business give back to the surrounding community in which I was living and I also gained some new perspectives on ways to give back," said Jenna Harris, a BESA member who played an integral part in the project. "Helping the Greenhouse Cafe win runner-up was rewarding in itself, but there were also a lot of things that were gained in the process."
Harris was glad she could contribute to an organization with such a meaningful mission. She said the Wisconsin Better Business Bureau and the Greenhouse Cafe taught her a lot about ethics. The best part about working on this project was the people she was able to meet.
"You always hear about bad things on the news; we want to promote the good and positive," Fiedler said. She and her husband have four children, and they want to teach their children about how to run a fair and honest business.
"It was great that BESA could assist the Greenhouse Cafe in applying for the Torch Award, because BESA was able to see what the criteria are to be considered an ethical company," Parboteeah said. "It helped on many levels; BESA was able to see the practical side of ethics."
For the second consecutive year, Parboteeah was one of nine business ethics experts who judged the businesses and charities in the 1,000 or more employees category. The winners were announced Nov. 15 at the awards ceremony at the Italian Conference Center in Milwaukee.
"Praveen Parboteeah and the entire BESA board made this possible and were great contributors to this process," Harris said. "This was a group effort and it was an excellent opportunity for a new organization to make an impact and start off."
- Abby Clark,clarkae12@uww.edu
