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Ethics in the global market
For many companies, increased competition, stricter government controls and emerging global markets have raised ethical questions that they were unprepared to deal with. Finding the right answer isn't often easy – one has to balance local customs and laws with U.S. laws.
As an international company with almost 30,000 employees operating in more than 30 countries, TI is global in scope and culture, with a time-honored tradition of conducting business in an ethical and legal manner. But that is an increasingly difficult challenge fueled by the changing times, relationships and situations facing companies today.
Our company is competing to win at a global level – entering into strategic partnerships, alliances and joint ventures in every corner of the globe. The success of these relationships depends greatly on company's representatives understanding the ethical standards and expectations of others. Consider these examples of cultural differences from the Ethics Office files:
- In the U.S., telephone help lines or "hotlines," as some companies refer to them, are considered a normal part of business. In some parts of the world, however, hotlines may be greatly mistrusted or even viewed as personally offensive and dangerous.
- U.S. companies and citizens are subject to certain laws wherever they are. Other countries also have a global reach.
- Workers in some parts of the world consider the concept of ethics to be very personal, and they may not fully understand that it is also a global or company-wide issue to be discussed or even questioned. In many places, the contract negotiation process can be very long and drawn out – and somewhat informal. There may be very good intentions on all parts, but unless everyone clearly understands the process, it may seem that something unethical is happening.
Today, many organizations are under enormous pressure to succeed in a very competitive and challenging global economy. It has created enormous opportunities as well as risks. The challenge in this dynamic environment is to provide tools to our employees so that they can make tough but correct decisions quickly. To do this, employees need both a clear understanding of the organization's values, principles and ethical expectations as well as sound personal judgment and appropriate choices.
To meet these challenges, TI has adopted a three-level approach to assessing ethical integrity on a global level:
- Are we complying with all legal requirements on a local level?
- Are there business practices or requirements at the local level which impact how we interact with co-workers in other parts of the world?
- Do some of our practices need to be adapted based on the local laws and customs of a specific locale? On what basis do we define our universal standards that apply to TI employees everywhere?
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