PepsiCo's Code of Conduct Research Assignment Paper

Code of Conduct
Student’s Name
Institution
Code of Conduct
Introduction
A company’s code of conduct plays a central role in shaping its culture for the achievement of set goals. It covers ethical and legal risk areas to guide members of an organization to make choices that are consistent with its set values. According to Mowen, Hansen, & Heitger (2015), companies establish codes of conduct to promote ethical behaviors among employees and managers. The author also notes that all employees in an organization have to understand the code and seek guidance and clarification regarding related procedures. The parts of the code of conduct that are important include compliance with the law, performance of duties, and integrity (Mowen, Hansen, & Heitger, 2015). Major organizations around the world have in place codes of conduct to guide the behaviors of their employees. An organization that has in place a detailed code of conduct is PepsiCo. Other examples of companies that have codes of conduct that have been instrumental in their successes are Intel, Google, and Starbucks. This paper assesses in how the code of conduct of PepsiCo applies in its operations. The codes of conduct of Intel, Google, and Starbucks are also examined.
PepsiCo’s Code of Conduct
PepsiCo has developed a detailed code of conduct for its globalized operations. One of the factors that characterize operations of businesses today is an environment that is constantly changing. It is thus important for a company to regularly revise its code of conduct to meet the changing needs of the internal environment. For PepsiCo, the code of conduct that is in operations was last updated in October 2012. According to the website of the company, the code is its compass and roadmap for doing business the right way. Therefore, it is evident that it provides directions for the operations of the business.
One factor that distinguishes the company’s code of conduct from others is its comprehensiveness. The code provides a detailed explanation of what is required of its employees. The employees of the company thus have a guideline that is helpful in almost every scenario. The code is divided into seven sections with each covering specific topic. The sections include the purpose behind the performance, personal responsibilities, integrity, respect in workplace, ethics, responsibility to shareholders, and code administration (PepsiCo, 2012). Given these details, it is deducible that the company values code of conduct to a great extent and consider it essential for business success.
Every member of the organization has to follow the firm’s code, the law, as well as policies. As mentioned earlier, the company operates in over 200 countries globally. Therefore, its members have to comply with the laws in each of the specific countries. The code also requires that the members of the company lead by example. They have to act with integrity in order to inspire trust with people they interact with. The managers of the company have to embrace the code through rewarding integrity, promoting ethical decision-making, and encouraging employees to speak up. The managers are also encouraged to promote non-retaliation against members that report issues. It is evident that PepsiCo relies on its managers to reinforce the code. The code provides information about ways through which members can make reports or seek guidance. For example, in the case an employee has been asked by his or her manager to carry out a task that violates the code, guidance on what to do is provided. As such, with the comprehensive code of conduct, employees know exactly what to do when faced with difficult situations. In addition, they are allowed to seek guidance through the channels provided.
Respect in the workplace and e...