Effective Corporate Codes of Ethics: Perceptions of Code Users

Journal of Business Ethics 55 (4):321-341 (2004)
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Abstract

The study examines employee, managerial, and ethics officer perceptions regarding their companies codes of ethics. The study moves beyond examining the mere existence of a code of ethics to consider the role that code content and code process (i.e. creation, implementation, and administration) might play with respect to the effectiveness of codes in influencing behavior. Fifty-seven in-depth, semi-structured interviews of employees, managers, and ethics officers were conducted at four large Canadian companies. The factors viewed by respondents to be important with respect to code effectiveness include: provisions of examples; readability; tone; relevance; realism; senior management support; training; reinforcement; living up to standards; reporting requirement; anonymous phone line; communicating violations; and enforcement. The factors found to be potentially important include: justification for provisions; employee involvement; and sign-off requirements. Factors found not to be important include: objectives for the code; prior distribution; testing; and relating ones performance review to compliance with the code.

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References found in this work

Business ethics: ethical decision making and cases.O. C. Ferrell - 2012 - Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co. Edited by John Fraedrich & Linda Ferrell.
The ethics of management.LaRue Tone Hosmer - 1987 - Homewood, Ill.: Irwin.
Business codes of multinational firms: What do they say?Muel Kaptein - 2004 - Journal of Business Ethics 50 (1):13-31.

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