CSR and Anti-Corruption policies

BITCI News - Jul 27, 2015

As part of companies’ CSR policies, there are a growing number of businesses who are prioritising the integration of rigorous corruption prevention into their overall business plan. Common features of such programmes include:

  • Detailed policies on company-specific bribery issues
  • Policies on conflicts of interest
  • Guides on political and charitable contributions
  • Management procedures outlining frameworks for risk assessment, training, whistle-blowing and reporting

The implementation of these policies has been shown to reduce the cost of doing business, improve public trust and attract investment. Companies who fail to take steps to introduce responsible business and anti-corruption polices often find themselves exposed to risks which could not only damage their reputation and brand, but also leave them open to potential fines and in some cases criminal prosecution.

In order to help mitigate these risks, Chambers Ireland has made a number of tools, developed in association with the International Chamber of Commerce, freely available on its website for companies who are interested in developing anti-corruption policies and developing responsible business policies. These tools include:

  • An “Anti-cCorruption Clause” for contracts

The Anti-corruption Clause is a tool which will preserve trust between parties, deter corruption in the negotiation and performance of a contract, and preserve the sanctity of contracts.

  • Guidelines on Gifts and Hospitality

This document provides guidance for companies on how to establish and maintain a policy relating to Gifts and Hospitality, based on the most recent international, regional and national rules, as well as on commercial best practice.

  • A copy of International Chamber of Commerce Rules on Combating Corruption

The Rules assist enterprises to comply with their legal obligations and with the numerous anti-corruption initiatives at the international level.

These simple templates and tools allow a company to develop internal processes to ethically meet the challenges of international commerce at little or no cost.

For more information on these tools and on Chambers Ireland’s CR-related policies, please visit Chambers Ireland website or contact emma.kerins@chambers.ie.