Corporate Codes of Ethics in Large UK Companies: An Empirical Investigation of Use, Content and Attitudes

Abstract

Based on a survey of the Times Top 200 companies, the use, content and attitudes of formal corporate codes of ethics in some of the largest British enterprises are empirically analysed. Looking at the rationale for and against the introduction of codes of ethics, a large number of industry comments are examined. Other processes available to deal with ethical issues are discussed and comparisons are made between companies with formal codes of ethics and those without. The findings are related to the primarily US‐based literature on business ethics, and directions for future research are suggested.