Simon Reich Talks Codes of Conduct
New York – November 3, 2009 – Division of Global Affairs Director, Simon Reich spoke on the culture of organizational codes of conduct for labor rights and the environment in different regions of the world. Reich was invited by DiversityInc. to address a gathering of 120 people representing 64 companies and several government agencies at the Marriott Marquis in Manhattan. Reich broached the issue of conduct mirroring risk averse practices in the American workplace. He surmised that this effect is a reflection of American legal values more so than any social agenda. Reich also offered observations on the character of codes of conduct in Europe and Asia and the behavior of subsidiaries. He believes that unlike the U.S., European codes utilize global and regional legislation, processes and initiatives as their reference point. While Asian codes are shorter and less substantial, they are more likely to have significant enforcement mechanisms. With regard to multi-national companies, Reich found limited evidence of arbitraging of codes across regions by subsidiaries and little evidence of convergence of code, form, structure or content.
