• Posted on October 26, 2023
• Libin

Assignment Sample on 7BSP1303 International and Comp HRM

1. Introduction

The following report will shed light on the evaluation of anti-corruption policies and also provide information about various practices in the “Unilever” company. The company has implemented several policies for corruption and bribery in the company which in turn define ethical behaviours of the employees to demonstrate and evaluate while working for “Unilever” company. This report will also deliver knowledge about corporate transparency in the company which in turn improves the sustainability of the organization. Various codes of anti-bribery policies have also been implemented by “Unilever” which defines their ethical statement and also delivers information about their operation process. This report will also evaluate the advantages of implementing anti-corruption policies and also deliver knowledge that how “Unilever” runs its business with the advantages of transparency.

2. Evaluation of Policy

Various countries have generally raised enforcement efforts against subornation and all the domestic authorities have also improved their efforts for fighting against corruption and bribery. “Unilever” has been identified as one of the companies that supported all the global efforts to fight against corruption and prohibit bribery. The company has implemented various rules to encourage all the employees to develop an anti-bribery and anti-corruption compliance system. It has been stated that a contravention or violation of those laws resulted in fines for the company and also individual penalties for each person. As per the view of Bu (2018), penalties and fines have been mitigated for multinational companies like “Unilever” with an effectual compliance system.

The “Unilever” company has updated anti-corruption policies to prevent corruption and bribery inside the company. The company has provided several guidelines for the employees to establish a corruption-free ambiance and maintain transparency (Hess, 2017). It has also been observed that dealing with various public officials of the company was at high risk as any illegal conduct can damage the reputation of this company. Employees of the company must be clear and concise while dealing with other organizations as “Unilever” company has a zero-tolerance attitude towards corruption and bribery. The employees will not be able to pay or offer or accept any gifts and payments that can improperly influence the outcome of the business. All the workers should have to report to their business officer or cluster council if they get to know about any illegal transaction that can violate the anti-corruption policy (Bu, 2021).

The company has implemented various principles in the workplace to check the integrity of any third-party organization as it will help them to provide transparency during the progression of the business (Hock, 2017). This helped the company to identify probable outcomes and also delivered a clear idea about third-party organizations whether to do business with them or not. The zero-tolerance of “Unilever” company towards corruption and bribery has been applied to all the operations of the company and also to the domestic business practices. Therefore, it can be said that this policy of anti-corruption has covered all the company requirements and developed transparency in business. It has also been observed in the company that if any employee has offered any gifts or payments to physical harm they must report to cluster counsel to ensure that this incident can be fully investigated (Unilever.com, 2021).

Employees of the company need to ensure, any gifts or payments received or offered that exceeded the monetary limits can breach the anti-corruption policies and codes. The employees need to keep a record of the gifts or payments for further inspection as it violated the company’s policy or not. Therefore, the employees need to consult with their business officer or line manager if any violation of the anti-corruption policies happened (Sartor and Beamish, 2020). The employee of “Unilever” company must ensure that hospitality should be accepted or offered if any legitimate business plans are going on otherwise it will be termed as a contravention of the policy.

The financial report and other business information have been kept securely in the company as it promotes the overall lucidity of the business (Marchenko, 2021). These records will provide information about the decisions, actions, and obligations of the process which in turn delivers transparency to the business. The company has also promoted anti-money laundering as they requested the suppliers to pay funds directly to the company’s account. Therefore, it can be said that all such policies will help the company to promote anti-corruption and anti-bribery workplace inside the organization (Unilever.com, 2021).

3. Compliance of employees

Unilever originated with the motive to perform business activities with integrity and follow ethical ways to manage the company. Bribery is a serious issue that affects the company’s reputation as well as breaches security (Januarsyah et al. 2021). The anti-bribery policy of the organization focuses on committing to operate without charges of corruption and involvement in any ill practices through their operations. Their employees are expected to meet certain requirements mentioned in the policies that are published by the company ensuring their transparency.

Musts:

The company advises all its employees to refrain from being included in any form of offering or favoring other businesses as a means of personal gain. This is an integral policy that the company practices when involving a third party in their business deals. Any business dealings internally done between an employee and other businesses without the company’s knowledge will be penalized with bribery charges. Indirectly being involved in activities of paying or receiving advantages in the forms of gifts or payments will not be tolerated by the firm. According to Fugate and Soenen (2018), a company with clear ethical and operational policies has a direct impact on an employee’s morale. The policy set out by Unilever helps the employees to refrain from unknowingly being involved in the act of bribery.

The employees are advised to inform the company beforehand of any suggestions or payments being offered. The Business Integrity Officer as well as the Counsel Cluster General is to be informed immediately in this case. The organization will penalize and terminate employment immediately in case any employees are discovered to be aware of the issue yet did not report. This is a very important point in the organization’s anti-bribery policy as it emphasizes the loyalty of the employee. In the views of D’Arcy and Lowry (2019), improved policies of a firm, towards security acts as a driver contributing to their cognitive effectiveness. Thus the company can protect its assets through the inclusion of these rights and exclusive policies.

The policy mentions rules and regulations to be followed in case of third-party involvement. Unilever emphasizes that authentication of the integrity of the third party before entering into a business deal is necessary. Diligently checking the authenticity of the terms given by the involving party and chances of any prior cases of misconduct is advised. The Business Integrity officer should be informed of such collaborative approaches before the finalization of any plan by an employee. The outcomes of the verifications will be deciding the third party’s association with the company externally. Charges of breach of contract or termination of employment will be done in case an employee is discovered to be involved with an unethical operating third party to gain advantages.

This policy of Unilever was created to ensure that business can be performed with fairness and securely. As stated by Huang et al. (2017), an employee’s conscientiousness and agreeableness depend on the supervisor’s role in monitoring the workforce. Information through hierarchy enables the company to handle issues efficiently by segregating the security system into managerial sections. This allows the company as well as its employees to improve the security of rights and avoid being involved in unethical practices.

Exceptional situations faced by the employees where they are threatened with physical harm or demanded payments to protect their employment rights are allowed payment by the company under certain conditions. The employees have to inform the business integrity official of the payment is made, as soon as possible. The cluster head should be informed of the details of the threat- the country and the clause on which the employee was demanded of the bribe.

The company will then proceed with an investigation of the case and make necessary changes in the financial records. In case an employee is being discovered to have falsely created a scenario will be legally charged and employment will be terminated. A company like Unilever with a wide reach and multinational status is subjected to involvement in fraudulent cases. Employees at the company are assured of security by the firm through these policy terms. According to Subramaniama et al. (2017), the firm is responsible for diligently investigating issues faced at the workplace to ensure all the employees feel safe within the work environment.

Must not:

Unilever emphasizes on terms that an employee should not follow to ensure their absence from any corruption-related cases

The employee must remember to never receive advantages or pay bribes or facilitate payments to any officials within or outside the company. This is regulated to protect the company’s rights and authenticity in its undertakings. Any offerings made in the name of the company can negatively affect their reputation and the involvement of public officials can further complicate the case. Employees often involve themselves in illegal activities that might have a long-term impact on their employment. The company will be held responsible for any form of misconduct practiced by its employees. There will be a chance of facing a loss in market shares and customer loyalty in such cases. As stated by Gutterman (2017), political involvement in cases of bribery can be detrimental for an organization working on a multinational level.

The company mentions that an employee must never be directly associated with a third party. Any form of bribes or undue advantages received by the employee using the company name can be forwarded for legal prosecution. Unilever strictly advocates this term and investigates the authenticity as well as the integrity of any third party before involving it in business. This allows the company to have control over its operation and secure its employees from acts of corruption (Fugate and Soenen, 2018).

An employee who has unknowingly involved himself in a bribery case is advised to inform the authority of the issue immediately. Authorities involved with the investigation and managing funds will be able to take necessary measures to handle the situation. This term is essential for the company to secure its rights and manage any form of illegal activities under its name.

4. Conclusion

Based on the above report it can be stated that the implementation of anti-corruption policies in “Unilever” delivered transparency and also entrench the anti-corruption stance. These major acts and policies of the company showed that the organization was responsible for corporate citizens and also cared about sustainability. The anti-corruption and bribery policy has also ensured that all the employees have been fully uneducated about bribery and how such offenses can be described. The anti-corruption policies have also helped the company to minimize harmful events and increase the sustainability of the company. A higher and stronger level of anti-bribery stance will help the company to prevent financial fines and debarment from criminal liability.

The anti-corruption policies of the company will help to reduce the cost of capital and establish transparency. It has also been observed that the market delivered a higher-level value to such companies those who showed transparency in their business process.

From the above report, it has also been observed that such anti-corruption policies will also help the companies reduce various operational costs and improve different internal processes. Anti-corruption policies of “Unilever” company provide an economic benefit as it displays customers the best deals and also shows that the employees in this organization are clean. These anti-corruption policies will also help the companies to attract customers as they can display their clean financial performance to the customers. The anti-corruption image of the company will also help to improve their brand value and promotes transparency. Corportate transparency of this company will also attract a talented workforce and motivate workers to develop a higher reputation and stronger integrity of the company.

5. Reflection

This project was a fun experience as it allowed me to associate with my teammates. Each of us had a different view of a particular topic or policy which has facilitated a better understanding of the sturdy. Through this project, I was able to understand the importance of the cross-cultural approach to research and the beneficial aspects of a group with variations in thought processes. The recent times have restricted us to our homes and the scope of having a group involved in activities has been constricted to an online medium. As stated by Kumi-Yeboah (2018), it is essential to have a cross-cultural approach to studies in online learning that enables students to interact and improve their cognitive abilities. My involvement in a cross-cultural group study has allowed me to understand some of its strengths and weaknesses.

The strength of a group study is that it allows a natural flow of ideas and thoughts through discussions. A cultural variation to this group study facilitates culture appreciation within the members as well as improves acceptance of differences in opinions. A group discussion also improves the personal effectiveness of the participating individuals and understanding how a culture practices generalized concepts in a very unique way (Koponen, 2019). The weaknesses of this cross-cultural group studies however are the frequent conflicts that occur owing to differences in opinions. There is always a possibility to unknowingly hurt sentiments regarding a cultural belief in the case of a group discussion. These are some positive and negative aspects of a cross-cultural group discussion that I faced while developing this report.

The study has helped me to understand that all cultures have a different approach towards resolving an issue. It is necessary to acknowledge differences in opinions and be tolerant towards beliefs in other cultures. According to Mittelmeier et al. (2018), a cross-cultural conflict in group activities needs to be resolved through effective communication. I was facing issues with understanding certain topics and my teammates actively participated in addressing my doubts and clarifying me with their personal understandings of the topic. Technology has contributed to the betterment of cross-cultural appreciation through improved understanding and learning (Bauman and Shcherbina, 2018)

Our difference in efficiently using technology has helped us to divide into groups to conduct the study. This has positively affected our teamwork skills and helped us to complete the study successfully. I was able to gain knowledge on different beliefs and perceptions on prevalent political issues through discussions with my teammates.  It also allowed me to improve my patience and leadership skills to efficiently lead any teamwork activities in the future. In the views of Maliki et al. (2019), conflicts facilitate discussions enhancing acknowledgment of cross-cultural variations. There were conflicts on various occasions but it offered us ways to find solutions to resolve them efficiently. I think that was the success of this whole group study. The cross-cultural approach to the study helped us develop ourselves in a very unique way.

 

 

References

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Bu, Q., 2021. The Viability of Deferred Prosecution Agreements (DPAs) in the UK: The Impact on Global Anti-Bribery Compliance. European Business Organization Law Review, 22(1), pp.173-201.

D’Arcy, J. and Lowry, P.B., 2019. Cognitive‐affective drivers of employees’ daily compliance with information security policies: A multilevel, longitudinal study. Information Systems Journal, 29(1), pp.43-69.

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Fugate, M. and Soenen, G., 2018. Predictors and processes related to employees’ change‐related compliance and championing. Personnel Psychology, 71(1), pp.109-132.

Gutterman, E., 2017. Poverty, corruption, trade, or terrorism? Strategic framing in the politics of UK anti-bribery compliance. The British Journal of Politics and International Relations, 19(1), pp.152-171.

Hess, D., 2017. Corruption and the Multinational Corporation. Forthcoming in: Denis G. Arnold, 5(2),pp. 45-59.

Hock, B., 2017. Transnational bribery: When is extraterritoriality appropriate. Charleston L. Rev., 11(6), pp.30-42.

Huang, J.L., Cropanzano, R., Li, A., Shao, P., Zhang, X.A. and Li, Y., 2017. Employee conscientiousness, agreeableness, and supervisor justice rule compliance: A three-study investigation. Journal of Applied Psychology, 102(11), p.1564.

Januarsyah, M.P.Z., Pratama, M.R., Pujiyono, P. and Gultom, E., 2021. The Implementation of the Deferred Prosecution Agreement Concept to Corruption by Corporations with the Anti-Bribery Management System (SNI ISO 37001: 2016). Padjadjaran Journal of Law, 8(2), pp.230-252.

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Unilever.com, 2021 Code of Business Principles and Code Policies, Available at: https://assets.unilever.com/files/92ui5egz/production/72da58840f4aa0d7b13422b11ac4dfa2516c34a3.pdf/4394-cobp-code-policies-booklet-external.v12.pdf [Accessed on: 28th December, 2021]