Ethics Issues and Programs: The Role of the Board

Starting with its first business ethics report in 1987, The Conference Board has issued several reports that have noted the steady increase of board involvement in ethics issues. During this period, boards have had to deal with the increasing complexity of compliance systems and new pressures to demonstrate ethical leadership.

This report, which is the first released by The Conference Board since 2004 on the subject of director engagement with ethics issues, documents board efforts to deal with the broadening scope of their ethics responsibilities.

In addition to a discussion of changes in the regulatory and enforcement environment, the report offers the results of a survey of corporate secretaries, legal staff, ethics and compliance professionals, chairmen, CEOs, and presidents about their procedures and experiences.