Newsletter | Volume 1

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Issue V
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Issue VII
Issue VIII
Issue IX
Issue X
Issue XI
Issue XII
Issue XIII
Issue XIV
Issue XV
Issue XVI
Issue XVII
Issue XVIII
Issue XIX
Issue XX
Issue XXI
Issue XXII
Issue XXIII
Issue XXIV
Issue XXV
Issue XXVI
Issue XXVII

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The Copenhagen Compliance® framework for ethical behavior and decisions


The Copenhagen Compliance® framework for ethical behavior and decision is a tool for making practical and ethical decisions.

It can be difficult to scan the entire corporate code of conduct or policies and procedures when an ethics decision has to be made on the spur of the moment on an ethical dilemma or a conflict based on corporate values.

The ethical dilemma arises when there is an opportunity to take the wrong moral course due to external pressures. The rationalisation then is to reason with opinions that fit the situation.

To make a decision, based on the corporate ethics the first step is to define the situation and collect as much information that is available on the why and the how of the situation. It is vital not to conceal any bearings on the ethical dilemma.

Based on the facts and the merits of the situation it is possible to define the values so that the wrong/right, good/bad aspect is evident.

Personal professional, moral & logical values
Values must help explain or defending the ethical behavior. When you reach a conclusion, your decision should not go against your values. In addition to etc. which sometimes you have to keep in mind.

Principles & reasoning
The other side of the values coin is principles that go hand in hand with values. Corporate principles that take into consideration the corporate code that covers the element of the greatest good in the current situation.

The golden rule of zero tolerance
To determine the correctness of the decision a component of measure, accountability and manner are included to control if extremes or excesses is an issue.
  • The final component is consequences, happiness, and the benefit that the decision has for all stakeholders.
  • Tempted by a deliberate deception designed for gain by hurting another company or person's interests, and incurs civil and criminal liability
  • Power creates the possibility of abuse, (dis)trust or dishonest gain
    • We intuitively think of bad behavior as immoral & erratic with material & spiritual well-being
    • Open disdain for wealth in Oriental & Islamic scholars with belief in the role of fate/kismet
    • Ancient philosophers often blamed gross greed & materialism
    • Good Governance discourages cheating or a tendency to achieve unlawful gains
    • Bible; 'easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man in heaven.'