To date, corporate response to arising ethical issues and community activism has been reactive, evasive, and resistant at worst - or sporadic and uncoordinated at best. A plethora of entirely new, expensive and ungainly compliance regimes and departments have emerged. The cost has been staggering; but, since future issues are unpredictable and volatile, the effect is mixed (e.g. the global financial crisis occurred despite Sarbanes Oxley implementation).
Enterprise Ethics can integrate these initiatives into a comprehensive, recognized, and cogent programs for the explicit identification and proactive management of ethical matters at every level. These programs should focus on fostering and monitoring a healthy enterprise culture through the core anticipatory, evaluation, and action processes and controls; leading to the discovery and correction of any gaps in the overall practice.
Currently, organizations have little information available on the state of ethics practice in Canada as a tool to benchmark or develop their own practices. Efforts are needed to develop training and capacity building in applied Enterprise Ethics that incorporate benchmarking, emerging and revised management approaches, trends, and ethical issues. Coordinated research facilities and adaptive curriculum reflecting the living and changing discipline should be developed for both post-secondary institutions and professional and industry associations.
CELF has adopted the following working principles for ethical enterprises:
1. Ethics are founded in community values.
Corporate entities interact with many communities, trade with them and depend upon them for resources. To ensure long-term sustainability, corporate leaders must not only comply with laws but also must consider and respect the ethics of the communities in which their entity operates.
2. The effectiveness of ethical leadership is judged against shared expectations.
Communities and corporate entities both have important needs and values. Leaders will take account of these in making strategic and operational decisions. The effectiveness of ethical leadership will be assessed against shared values and criteria.
3. Ethically responsible commerce depends upon pragmatic application.
While ethical principles are derived from philosophy, beliefs and tradition, operational management requires practical applicability of those concepts and principles.
4. Willing transparency and accountability are the hallmarks of ethical practice.
Effective commerce, trade and government are founded on trust. Trust can only be earned through open and honest disclosure, empathy, interaction and consistent response. These are precursors to effective and ethical leadership.
5. It is the nature of ethics to expand and transform over time and experience.
Ethics are a living part of any society, an ongoing venture of discovery for both institution and community. As new circumstances and opportunities emerge, ethics evolve to encompass them.
6. Responsibility for ethical development is mutual.
Both communities and corporate entities can learn from each other and therefore are responsible, each to the other, for providing the media and conditions for effective discovery. Mutual respect, sharing and growth are sustaining factors for a timely evolution.
