Codes of Conduct and Supply Chain Transparency

• Is a code of conduct a successful way to address those concerns?
• How are businesses addressing concerns about ethical behaviour?
• How does a code of conduct encourage transparency in a company and its supply chains?
• If it isn’t legally required, what are the incentives for developing one? 

Starting the research

These questions and more, drove Ardea International and the University of Westminster Business School to team up to  undertake some research on what role corporate codes of conduct play in bringing  about transparency in supply chains. 

The outcome of the research will be the publication of a white paper and will also feed into new learning techniques at the University. This research will discuss the policy-driven history of business conduct and human rights, what a code of conduct is, and how your business can create a code of conduct that will demonstrate strong corporate social responsibility (CSR).  Using the airline industry as a case study, this project will examine the impact of codes of conduct to achieve supply chain transparency.  The team will also consider the role of leadership to influence and implement codes of conduct that result in genuine, ethical transparency in multinational corporations. The research project was started before the onset of COVID-19 so there will have to be some reference to this, particularly as we had decided to hone in on the airline industry.  

Potential outcomes

The team hopes that their findings will encourage businesses to adopt strong codes of conduct that will bring about transparency in multinational supply chains.  Codes of conduct are a straightforward way to address legal business obligations and demonstrate corporate social responsibility.  They also hope to educate the next generation of business owners on ethical and sustainable practices.  

The project will launch as both a white paper and an online training event.  Stay tuned for more details regarding dates, times, and registration information for the training event, hosted by Ardea International. If you are interested in taking part in a more detailed interview, please contact us at hello@ardeainternational.com. 

Code of conduct survey

 If you would like to offer feedback on your experience with codes of conduct in the workplace, please take our “Codes of Conduct Research Survey” at  https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdCyu0hWidbP7DUMo4KUWMXIB7R-ZFPdgtKgP0gaXrNBQMeEA/viewform?usp=sf_link 

“I have been dealing with codes of conduct in different ways over the past ten years- either drafting/ advising on them, reviewing them or incorporating them into broader training programmes. It has always concerned me that their impact has appeared to be limited in addressing forced labour and compliance issues in the  supply chain. I hope that this project will provide more insight into the use of Codes of Conduct and how to increase their effectiveness.”

Colleen Theron
Ardea International founder and project lead

“Codes of Conduct and their use in Business cover social, environmental and governance aspects of Sustainability and offer a relevant and practical way of developing skills, knowledge and understanding in our students that will be needed in their future careers.”

Rachel Lander
Senior Managing and Marketing lecturer at the University of Westminster and project lead 

Hannah Purdie
Graduate student at St. Mary’s University and research assistant

“We hope this project will encourage people to both identify their ethical approach to business and enforce responsible behavior in their corporation.  Research in this area has helped me understand who the authoritative voices on this issue are and how to take their guidance and practically implement it in the workplace. ”

Parker Roth
Graduate student at St. Mary’s University and research assistant