Journal of Business Ethics 41 (1-2):27 - 43 (2002)
Abstract |
Are corporate codes of ethics necessarily ethical? To challenge this notion, an initial set of universal moral standards is proposed by which all corporate codes of ethics can be ethically evaluated. The set of universal moral standards includes: (1) trustworthiness; (2) respect; (3) responsibility; (4) fairness; (5) caring; and (6) citizenship. By applying the six moral standards to four different stages of code development (i.e., content, creation, implementation, administration), a code of ethics for corporate codes of ethics is constructed by which companies can be ethically audited for compliance. The newly proposed code of ethics for corporate codes of ethics was then applied to four large Canadian companies representing a variety of industries: telecommunications; banking, manufacturing, and high technology. The ethical audit of the four companies' ethics programs based on the proposed code indicates that all four companies have room to improve the ethical nature of their codes of ethics (i.e., content, creation, implementation, administration).
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Keywords | codes corporations ethical audit ethics |
Categories | (categorize this paper) |
Reprint years | 2004 |
ISBN(s) | |
DOI | 10.1023/A:1021393904930 |
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References found in this work BETA
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Citations of this work BETA
Business codes of multinational firms: What do they say?Muel Kaptein - 2004 - Journal of Business Ethics 50 (1):13-31.
Universal Moral Values for Corporate Codes of Ethics.Mark S. Schwartz - 2005 - Journal of Business Ethics 59 (1-2):27-44.
Tone at the Top: An Ethics Code for Directors?Mark S. Schwartz, Thomas W. Dunfee & Michael J. Kline - 2005 - Journal of Business Ethics 58 (1-3):79-100.
Individual Moral Development and Ethical Climate: The Influence of Person–Organization Fit on Job Attitudes. [REVIEW]Maureen L. Ambrose, Anke Arnaud & Marshall Schminke - 2008 - Journal of Business Ethics 77 (3):323 - 333.
Ethical Codes of Conduct in Irish Companies: A Survey of Code Content and Enforcement Procedures.Brendan O’Dwyer & Grainne Madden - 2006 - Journal of Business Ethics 63 (3):217-236.
View all 76 citations / Add more citations
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