Codes of Ethics
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
ETHICS REVIEW
A PUBLICATION OF THE INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS ETHICS INSTITUTE
Creating an Effective Electronic
Code of Conduct
By Roland Riebl
Companies increasingly distribute their codes of conduct to their stakeholders online to make the document more accessible and, perhaps, to overcome the traditional complexities associated with print codes. Additionally, the Sarbanes-Oxley act of 2002 requires publicly traded companies to make their codes available to the public. This article will examine electronic versions of code documents (e-codes) as useful tools in the larger context of organizational ethics programs. In addition, the challenges of implementing e-codes will be analyzed and recommendations made to enhance the effectiveness of a code of conduct distributed via the
Internet.
While the main examples used in this article will refer to corporate e-codes, the recommendations apply equally to such non-corporate entities as government agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The fact that NGOs are not used as illustrations merely reflects the lack of codes of conduct in general, and e-codes in particular, in these organizations.
(continued on page 2)
Implementing an Organizational
Code of Ethics
By William Miller
More and more organizations, particularly multinational corporations, have gone through the process of developing codes of conduct or codes of ethics over the past ten years. Simply writing and distributing a code document to employees is, however, insufficient to reap the many potential benefits an organization can gain by rolling out a code document in a thoughtful and effective way. By dropping a legal-based code on the desks of employees, organizations likely do little more than waste precious time and resources.
This article seeks to identify considerations vital to effective code implementation within an organization. First, it will explore some important considerations with respect to developing a functional code
ETHICS REVIEW
A PUBLICATION OF THE INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS ETHICS INSTITUTE
Creating an Effective Electronic
Code of Conduct
By Roland Riebl
Companies increasingly distribute their codes of conduct to their stakeholders online to make the document more accessible and, perhaps, to overcome the traditional complexities associated with print codes. Additionally, the Sarbanes-Oxley act of 2002 requires publicly traded companies to make their codes available to the public. This article will examine electronic versions of code documents (e-codes) as useful tools in the larger context of organizational ethics programs. In addition, the challenges of implementing e-codes will be analyzed and recommendations made to enhance the effectiveness of a code of conduct distributed via the
Internet.
While the main examples used in this article will refer to corporate e-codes, the recommendations apply equally to such non-corporate entities as government agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The fact that NGOs are not used as illustrations merely reflects the lack of codes of conduct in general, and e-codes in particular, in these organizations.
(continued on page 2)
Implementing an Organizational
Code of Ethics
By William Miller
More and more organizations, particularly multinational corporations, have gone through the process of developing codes of conduct or codes of ethics over the past ten years. Simply writing and distributing a code document to employees is, however, insufficient to reap the many potential benefits an organization can gain by rolling out a code document in a thoughtful and effective way. By dropping a legal-based code on the desks of employees, organizations likely do little more than waste precious time and resources.
This article seeks to identify considerations vital to effective code implementation within an organization. First, it will explore some important considerations with respect to developing a functional code