Abstract
The article substantiates the necessity of development and implementation of ethical rules of doing business into the business practices of small and medium enterprises. Particular attention is paid to business entities in Ukraine as a country with one of the highest levels of shadow economy. The two-level structure of SMEs’ Code of Ethics designed by the author is being presented, which is based on the following key concepts: transparency of business entities activity, partnership integrity, environmental and social responsibility, which are interrelated and reflected in the individual modules of the Code.The article presents the results of approbation of the author’s Code of Ethics for SMEs. The approbation is based on a personal and interactive questionnaire about the readiness of Ukrainian SMEs representatives to introduce ethical norms into their activities. The authors determined that Ukrainian SMEs are not well-informed about possible positive effects from following norms and rules in business, in particular, in terms of improving the business climate in the country, increasing the investment attractiveness of the economy as a whole and economic entities in particular, simplifying the access to financial and credit instruments.The survey and questionnaire of Ukrainian SMEs confirmed the need for the development and implementation of the business Code of Ethics norms, as well as potential demand for it. The respondents recognize the importance of certain international ethical rules in conducting business, which may contribute to attracting investment in Ukraine; however, this is not the only factor affecting the investment attractiveness of domestic business. It is substantiated that the business climate improvement is a complex issue, and the Code of Ethics, in this context, creates the opportunities of guiding and encouraging participants to the active influence on the business environment: to declare zero tolerance to corruption and to form and to maintain clear position in interactions with the public authorities.
Highlights
Small and medium-sized businesses are the most numerous category of business entities of any country and, at the same time, the most mobile, efficient and innovative part of it
The authors determined that Ukrainian SMEs are not well-informed about possible positive effects from following norms and rules in business, in particular, in terms of improving the business climate in the country, increasing the investment attractiveness of the economy as a whole and economic entities in particular, simplifying the access to financial and credit instruments
The elaboration of the Code of Ethics for small and medium-sized enterprises based on the social and corporate responsibility provided for a series of successive stages
Summary
Small and medium-sized businesses are the most numerous category of business entities of any country and, at the same time, the most mobile, efficient and innovative part of it. Despite the considerable efforts of scientists in this atives of SMEs) to electronic mailboxes (received direction, there is still a need to study the appro- through their own contacts, appeals to business priateness and readiness for the implementation associations), or information with a request for of the Code of Ethics of small and medium-sized an online application form that was created using enterprises based on the corporate and social re- Google Forms); formal personalized Ferences, symposiums, seminars held from June to December 2017) with the same, well-prepared list
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