As a part of its business plan, developing and maintaining corporate ethics starts with and ends with a company's Board of Directors and its Chief Executive Officer.
The following is presented for the small to medium entity's absentee owner or the shareholders of a larger corporation seeking both profit and social responsibility.
Write a strategic business plan for compliance and a corporate code of ethics.
In addition to the usual business plan, sales guide, and benefits manual, the Board and CEO should mandate that the company have a strategic business plan and compliance manual that ensures a social, legal and moral code of business ethics.
The Board and the CEO should mandate that education and training be ongoing through a compliance officer. An annual internal audit of the compliance area should be implemented.
Hire a Chief Executive with a conscientious disposition as a part of the business strategy and strategic plan.
While the Board may be the conscience of the corporation, the CEO is the front line general. What the CEO does, the managers and employees will emulate. If the CEO demands honesty and integrity of themselves, the staff will know that is expected of them, as well.
A conscientious CEO will expect hard work and ethical conduct. If mistakes are made, that same CEO will recognize that the system failed.
A conscientious CEO will look first to themselves for responsibility of the failure. A conscientious CEO will not "look for a fall guy" and then forget the problem. That CEO will "make right" the mistake, and ensure that all related training and compliance issues are reviewed and updated accordingly. At times, personnel changes will be necessary. But changes will be a last, as opposed to a first resort.
If a conscientious CEO finds themselves to be at moral odds with the Board, the CEO will resign, rather than jeopardize their integrity and code of conduct.
Elect a morally superior Board of Directors.
As a part of the business plan, each Board member has been elected based on their business acumen, public relations potential and their ability to work as a group to guide the corporation to growth and profit. The collective Board is the conscience of the company.
The owner or shareholder group should ensure that each Board prospect has business ethics, an adherence to a personal code of conduct and the desire for the corporation to be a role model in its industry and community.
评论