acceptance of the code. Codes may be updated on a regular basis and in some cases
such as investment companies this may be at least once a year.
In the public sector, the Local Government Act 2000 specifies the following princi-
ples to govern the conduct of members of relevant English authorities and Welsh
police authorities: selflessness, honesty and integrity, objectivity, accountability, open-
ness, personal judgement, respect for others, duty to uphold the law, stewardship and
leadership. These principles are intended to underpin the mandatory provisions of the
model codes of conduct for English local authorities.
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Tam poses the basic question, ‘Can we live with an idea of “good” management which
cannot be ultimately reconciled with what is good for society?’ and maintains that:
... the time has come for us to recognise that the only sustainable form of good management is that
which takes into account the full range of responsibilities that underpin organisational success.
59
It should, however, be recognised that the distinction is blurred between the exercise of
a genuine social responsibility, on the one hand, and actions taken in pursuit of good
business practice and the search for organisational efficiency on the other. One
approach is that attention to social responsibilities arises out of a moral or ethical moti-
vation and the dictates of conscience – that is, out of genuine philanthropic objectives.
An alternative approach is that the motivation is through no more than enlightened
self-interest and the belief that, in the long term, attention to social responsibilities is
simply good business sense. In practice, it is a matter of degree and balance, of com-
bining sound economic management with an appropriate concern for broader
responsibilities to society.
Altman et al. point to a revolution going on which is changing the way we live and
work, and question whether the leaders of giant companies are in tune with the social
problems that surround them, affecting both employees and customers.
We believe there is more than a hint that many business leaders lack a strong moral underpinning
awareness and concern for the proliferation of social problems, that business is increasing behav-
ing in an amoral fashion. Recent comment has tended to suggest that there is a general lack of
concern for the spread of social problems for which industry must take a share of responsibility.
There is a strong suspicion that business leaders are primarily focused on short-term issues, such
as shareholder value, rather than seeking to balance the shareholder/stakeholder equation.
60
Allen, however, questions whether the emphasis on the caring sharing company of the
new millennium and social responsibility is all going a bit far. There is scarcely a com-
pany without a loftily worded mission statement and high-minded references to
shareholders. There are now numerous codes and standards and any company wishing
to keep up to date with latest developments in social responsibility needs to look in
many directions at once, and companies are talking of ‘codemania’. While many codes
offer voluntary guidelines, companies that fail to meet these can see themselves receiv-
ing a bad press or disinvestments. Nevertheless, the burden of social responsibilities
can be seen as part of the response to ever-changing social conditions.
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And, accord-
ing to Cook, although it is easy to be cynical following the fall of big companies there
are many organisations who are ‘putting something back’. There is evidence about
reversing the decline in public trusts and that in response to stakeholder and customer
attitudes, corporate values are changing.
62
We have seen that social responsibilities are often viewed in terms of organisational
stakeholders – that is, those individuals or groups who have an interest in and/or are
affected by the goals, operations or activities of the organisation or the behaviour of its
CHAPTER 5 ORGANISATIONAL GOALS, STRATEGY AND RESPONSIBILITIES
163
A matter of
degree and
balance
ORGANISATIONAL STAKEHOLDERS