Author(s): Evangelia Pappa, John Filos, Alexandros Garefalakis, Panagiotis Kyriakogkonas, Ioannis Selimis
A transparent framework for effective management and responsible business conduct serves as a benchmark for sound governance in the public administration. Finding that calls for transparency, morals, professional ethics, principles, and values on the one hand, and social good, environmental preservation, and charitable acts on the other. The research aim is to capture the crucial dimensions of Responsible Management Excellence in local government units and more specific at the Greek municipalities. The EBEN Responsible Management Excellence Model is the basic methodological tool which is based on the critical pillars of the Code of Ethics, Social Responsibility and Good Governance. The primary field research is conducted with the use of the EBEN self-assessment questionnaire that is structured into fifty (50) short closed type questions divided into (eight) sections. Responses are based on a five-point Likert scale. The results, obtained through cluster analysis, indicate that the vast majority of municipalities are on the path of Excellent Management. In fact, municipalities fall under four distinct levels of Excellence that also characterize their respective operating environment: The 'Platinum environment of Ethical Excellence', the 'Golden environment of Ethical Responsibility', the 'Silver environment of Ethical Support' and finally the 'Bronze environment of Ethical Concern'.