A

a. A code of ethics, or it might be called a statement of company values, should be written, given to all employees and posted on the company web site. We have all probably seen statements about ethics on websites and not thought very much about the purpose other than sales promotion. I just checked both Ebay and Yahoo, and at the bottom of the home page on both, there is a link to "copyright and "IP policies" and "policies", respectively. Both links contain value statements which could be part of a code of ethics.

b. A code of ethics is sometimes divided into two parts: "Many ethics codes have two components. First, an aspirational section, often in the preamble, that outlines what the organization aspires to, or the ideals it hopes to live up to. Second, an ethics code will typically list some rules or principles, which members of the organization will be expected to adhere to." http://www.ethicsweb.ca/codes/coe3.htm

c. The code of ethics can certainly amount to platitudes, and wouldn't it be interesting now to view the websites for Enron or WorldCom. Assuming they had a code of ethics, it didn't mean much to higher management. Changes, as a result of those disasters, have been implemented recently with the new buzz words: corporate governance. "The term corporate governance has come to mean the processes by which companies are directed and controlled." I read that to say that it is the method by which the Code of Ethics is monitored. To be effective, implementation of a code of ethics is a top-down task. It must begin at the highest levels, probably the CEO and endorsed by the Board of Directors.

d. A code of ethics could easily be incorporated into new employee training; in fact, it should be. Job training would give guidelines for acceptable behavior and therefore, I would say yes, the code does identify and relate to observable behaviors.

e. I doubt a code of ethics would identify enforcement consequences, but since it is not a totally standardized format, it probably could. Normally, a code of ethics is a positive document about how it should be done, not what happens if it isn't done.

f. Authority to enforce comes from up the ladder normally, but certainly the lowest supervisor in a company might release an employee for a violation of company policies (ie code of ethics).

g. 'Enforceable' is a strong word, and it would probably depend upon the details included in the code of ethics or statement of values. It could be that there might be nothing to enforce because the document may suggest how to be a good business person without specifics.

h. In my business career, I have found that standards of behavior, whether spoken, written or not, were adhered to if the right people were hired. The standard is set at the top and filters down to all the employees. Those who don't fit shouldn't be employed there, but the process of determining whether people fit is not always handled properly. We all know that we adhere to standards which we suspect will be enforced, whether stealing on the job, or speeding on the freeway. In this way, I suspect that the code of ethics is enforced by demonstration rather than by the words. If upper management is ethical, then employees under will more than likely tend to follow that lead. Of course, there is no 100% guarantee, but hopefully the majority of employees will follow a good lead.