A Code of Conduct, A Sample

Our company Code of Conduct describes a high level of commitment to patients, communities, suppliers, volunteers, and shareholders, all based on values such as fairness, quality, respect and overall the improvement of human life (Code of Conduct, 2015). One of the reasons I enjoy my job is the close similarities between what HCA values and what I value in my personal life.

We as business owners, management and or in a role of authority must set, address and comply with a solid foundation of ethics. “A code of conduct is the single most important element of your ethics and compliance program. It sets the tone and direction for the entire function. Often, the code is a standalone document, ideally only a few pages in length. It introduces the concept of ethics and compliance and provides an overview of what you mean when you talk about ethical business conduct.”

At Company X, it is our upmost desire to comply with rules and laws pertaining to our business, and to hold our values at a spectacular level. Our company values include responsibility, equality, honesty, confidentiality, respect, and integrity. These values are the building block of our company, and should be followed by all employees, management, and any persons associated with our business. By adhering to the code of conduct, our work environment will be comfortable and reliable, and will help avoid unethical behavior.

Company Q is looking out for its interests, it will build loyalty which will help prevent loss and theft

A code of conduct and a statement of formal statements describe and explain what an organization expects from its employees and a code of ethics generally consists of statements that serve as principles and basis for rules of conduct. Leaders and managers must be role models for organizational success. If employees see leaders and management demonstrating the organizational values then it adds to the commitment and credibility of leadership and reinforces the importance of the organization’s values which leads to employees who are more engaged and committed to the organization. Also turnover among employees tends to be lower and productivity tends to be high. On the other hand, if leadership demonstrates behavior that is inconsistent with the code of conduct then a negative message is sent to the employees. Therefore, employees may disengage and compromise company standards as seen in the

The code will direct all officers and employees while conducting company business to: obey all rules, regulations and laws, conduct themselves with honesty and integrity and to avoid all conflicts of interests with the company business, report to work in condition to work and be free from the influence of alcohol or drugs, respect the rights and deal fairly with all clients, keep honest and accurate records and reports of company information, respect the diversity of all and not engage in discrimination or harassment, preserve the confidentiality of all company information entrusted to them, maintain

1. To appoint a special committee of individuals hand-selected by the CEO and Board of Directors to research and compose an official Code of Ethics to be approved by the CEO and Board of Directors and to be implemented into our corporate culture at all levels of the hierarchy.

This key area is important to the Company because it provides a general overview of the level of respect that is expected to be upheld by all staff members. It clearly explains that staff is responsible and will be held accountable for complying with the rules and regulations set forth in the Code of Conduct as it pertains to this Company. The General Standards of Conduct holds both management and hourly staff to a universal level of standards ensuring that everyone be treated fairly.

The company I work for, Eversource Energy which was formally known as Northeast Utilities up until a few years ago does not have a document labeled “code of ethics”, but they do have a document that is called “Code of Business Conduct” which at its core is the company’s ethics policy for employees. (Eversource Energy, n.d.) A link can be found on the reference page to view a copy of the code. The codes front cover has a bold statement “Of all the things that contribute to the company, none are as essential as the integrity of our actions.” I feel that the company did a good job with the cover page and the use of the word integrity. Integrity is defined as “adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty” (Dictionary.com

When you own and operate your own business your code of conduct is going to be one of the most important things that you will ever create. This is going to set an ethical standard for how your business will be run and how the employees should act well at work.

The code of ethics and conduct is a written set of rules and regulations that provides guidance to employees of an organization on how to conduct themselves and carry out their duties in line with the organization’s principles. The code of ethics and conduct is also be backed up by suitable disciplinary actions. A code of ethics and conducts helps employees deal with ethical issues and other gray areas that they face as they execute their daily activities. An effective code of ethics and conduct is required for an organization to run smoothly and maintain a positive image. Having an ineffective code of ethics and conduct is almost like having none.

For the most part the topics discussed in their code of conduct are fairly standard of the codes of conduct I have seen in the past and the section titles do a fairly good job of summarizing their content on their own. In short, their code of conduct instructs there employees to follow the laws/rules, avoid conflict of interest, do not commit insider trading, do not use company assets or information for you own personal benefit, don’t compete with the company, do not except bribes or inappropriate gifts, perform your work in a fair and honest fashion, don’t discriminate or harass, work safe and report accidents/hazards, don’t use or be under the influence of drugs at work, keep accurate records, don’t violate confidentiality, don’t steal company property, be careful to no damage company property, report violations, a guideline for making ethical decisions, and technical details concerning waivers and guidelines specifically for the CEO and senior financial officers.

The 7-Eleven family prides itself in providing customers with consistently reliable and high quality service, an aim that has helped our brand expand to providing convenience to 18 countries in the world. The vision of 7-Eleven Australia is to become an excellent Australian company that upholds the values of FAIR (Fairness, Accountability, Integrity and Respect) and we won't be able to achieve our goal without the help of franchisees and employees like yourself. This Code of Conduct has been devised to help our staff better understand their responsibilities as representatives of 7-Eleven and provide guidance on how to uphold the FAIR values with our everyday behaviour at work.

The AICPA Code of Professional Conduct, regardless of its numerous strengths, the Code of Professional Conduct has some serious weaknesses. The accounting profession is constantly changing and making improvements. The first weakness in the Code of Professional Conduct deals with conflictions within the code due to the code being constantly updated (Dienhart, 1995). Dienhart, Lunday, and Tavani have all criticized professional codes because the directives cause conflictions with one another, whether it is direct or indirect. Rule 301 and SAS No. 99 are examples when the code is having conflicting standards. Rule 301, Client Confidential Information, states that professionals shall not

Codes of conduct are policies including rules such as maintaining honesty, attitude, and respect (Traveler, 2009) for co-workers, the organization and customers. Only by separation of personal ethical choices in the work place, will an organization succeed and flourish. It is never appropriate for any employee, management or otherwise, to conduct business for personal gain. The people who become harmed lose trust, confidence, and the expectation of themselves and of the people who chose to put their personal ethical choice before the needs of the customer and business.