Writing Unwritten Rules
Whilst China has one off the world’s most dynamic economies, there is still a deficit when it comes to experience and knowledge of corporate responsibility best practices. That is why DLA Piper founded the Beijing Ethics Network (BEN).
For the past three years we have been co-hosting a monthly event with Boeing, where we invite companies to discuss ethics related topics which impact on their business in Asia. This discussion may revolve around the outcome of a recent case and what it means for Government relations or corporate governance. Other issues that invite debate include employee relations, benefits and diversity issues that arise within a multi-cultural workforce.
The benefit of BEN is the multi-stakeholder participation. There are companies representing all industry sectors, mixed with Government officials from China and other jurisdictions. Recently we were invited to send a BEN representative to the OECD debates in Shanghai.
To be effective, the meeting depends on openness and needs to be strictly confidential. Lawyers at DLA Piper’s Beijing office drafted the non-disclosure agreements that every BEN participant signs, enabling this important work to proceed.