Bangkok--1 Nov--IOD
Seven members of Thai Marketing Research Society jointly signed declaration of intents to participate in Thailand's Private Sector Collective Action Coalition against Corruption (CAC) at the society's recent annual general meeting.
"The group sign-up by TMRS members is considered a positive sign that the business sector takes anti-corruption seriously. Should other business associations also promote their members to sign up with CAC like the TMRS, the clean and corruption-free business network in Thailand will rapidly expand and become a mainstream in Thai business community," said Dr. Bandid Nijathaworn, CAC Secretary General.
A total of 748 private firms have signed up with CAC, 200 of which have been certified for putting in place anti-corruption policies and high compliance standards in accordance with the CAC criteria. Companies signed up with CAC are required to get certification within 18 months.
"During its annual meeting, TMRS members have confirmed their support for the anti-corruption movement initiated by Thai CAC. Seven members, including some of the largest agencies, have signed the declaration of intent, committing to assess any corruption risk in our companies and also to reach out to peers, suppliers and clients to expand the coalition network," TMRS President Jerome Hervio said and added that "Integrity is one of the core value we want to maintain in marketing research as it leads to trust, credibility of results and ultimately to the development of our industry."
Private companies join the CAC voluntarily. The CAC only certifies that companies have put in place anti-corruption policy and compliance standard but does not certify behaviors of corporate personals.
The CAC was founded in 2010 to bring effective anti-corruption policies and mechanisms into implementation by business entities. It focuses specifically on the private sector and works closely with the National Anti-Corruption Commission and the Anti-Corruption Organization of Thailand.
List of seven TMRS members that have signed up with CAC:
1) Ipsos Limited
2) CSN Research Co., Ltd.
3) Intage (Thailand) Co., Ltd.
4) TNS (Thailand) Co., Ltd.
5) ACORN Marketing & Research Consultants Co. Ltd.
6) Infosearch Co., Ltd.
7) GfK Marketwise Co., Ltd.