Business Ethics

Role and Responsibility of the Leader

The leader must perform a key role in ensuring the competitiveness of the company by preventing and eradicating unethical conduct through ethical compliance.

  1. Decision-making: The leader has the obligation to make decisions with ethics being the top priority whenever the company’s benefits conflict with ethics.
  2. Operational accountability:
    The leader possesses unlimited liability in unethical conduct, and must take supervisory responsibility in cases of unethical conduct by his or her subordinates.
  3. Job performance: The leader strictly abides by the law and company regulations, and does not pursue private interests, is devoted to creating corporate values, and does not deal with corrupt stakeholders.
  4. Elimination of favors and solicitations: The leader aims to eliminate all forms of favors and solicitations, and to eliminate business influence in relation to outsiders.
  5. Respect for humans: The leader strives to eliminate conduct that negatively impacts respect for fellow humans, such as sexual harassment and verbal abuse in the organization.
  6. Preventing Conflicts of Interest: I will prevent conflicts of interest with any private interested party who is working for a trading partner and make an effort to eradicate unfair business practices of providing business favors for my private interests.
  7. Practical activities: I will make my utmost effort to play a role in raising the level of ethical practice to the highest level in the world by fulfilling the above roles and responsibilities.

The leader must prevent unethical conduct among members of the team and take the following measures in case of such conduct.

  1. Training and counseling on ethics:
    – The leader must provide training and counseling on ethics for relevant staff.
    – The leader must have relevant staff understand the importance of compliance with the code of conduct and practice of ethical conduct.
  2. Precautions for unethical conduct
    – In cases where unethical conduct occurs habitually, the leader must isolate the cause, improve the process, and fundamentally take preventive measures.
    – The leader must report to or consult with the Righteous Management Office immediately after receiving a report that a member has violated the code of ethics.

Penalty for Violation of the Code of Ethics

Employees violating the code of ethics may receive certain penalties, including dismissal according to related regulations. In particular, the zero tolerance policy is applied to unethical conduct such as accepting bribes*, embezzlement*, fabrication of information*, and violation of sexual ethics*.

Conduct Subject to Penalty

If one has violated the code of ethics or demanded others to do so
If one has not immediately reported a violation of the code of ethics that he or she is aware of or is skeptical about
If one does not cooperate with the investigation of the Righteous Management Office regarding matters that may have violated the code of ethics
If one takes retaliatory action against other employees who reported an issue regarding ethical management

  1. *Accepting bribes : Receiving money or valuables beyond social norms from stakeholders
  2. *Embezzlement : Misappropriating corporate funds or assets illegally
  3. *Fabrication of information : Falsification, concealment and dissemination of business information
  4. *Violation of sexual ethics : Committing acts of sexual humiliation via sexual harassment or sexual assaults