Deciphering Codes of Corporate Conduct: A Review of their Contents

Evidence of public concerns about globalisation is pervasive -- in the newspapers, on the Internet and more formal discussions of public policy. The business community has been attempting to position itself with respect to these concerns. Indeed, voluntary efforts to define and implement appropriate standards for business conduct constitute one of the more prominent managerial developments in recent years. These efforts have also often involved significant contributions from NGOs, governments and intergovernmental organisations. The issuance of voluntary codes of conduct has been an important facet of these developments. Such codes are voluntary expressions of commitment made by an organisation to influence or control behaviour for the benefit of the organisation itself and for the communities in which it operates. Private companies and associations of companies have issued such codes, calling them codes of conduct, ethics statements or guidelines, in response to both internal and ...