Code of Conduct Report for Retail Food Group (MBA402)

This report provides a detailed analysis of the Retail Food Group's (RFG) Code of Conduct, addressing key aspects of governance, ethics, and sustainability as required for an MBA402 assignment. The report examines the importance of a code of conduct in maintaining ethical standards within the organization, specifically focusing on RFG's practices. It covers crucial elements such as discrimination, exploitation, corruption, dishonest and fraudulent behavior, whistleblower protections, and enforcement mechanisms. The report emphasizes the significance of these elements in fostering a fair, transparent, and accountable work environment. The student has researched recent news articles and other information about Retail Food Group to draft a Code of Conduct that specifically addresses the aforementioned points, including a minimum of 15 references, with at least 5 from academic journals or textbooks. The report highlights how RFG aims to maintain integrity and accountability through its code of conduct and the measures taken to ensure employee welfare and ethical behavior, including policies, monitoring, and disciplinary actions. It underscores the role of supervisors, the protection of whistleblowers, and the overall enforcement of ethical standards to promote a sustainable and responsible business operation.

Running head: GOVERNANCE, ETHICS AND SUSTAINABILITY
Governance, Ethics and Sustainability
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author’s Note

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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................2
Discussion........................................................................................................................................2
Code of Conduct..........................................................................................................................2
Discrimination.............................................................................................................................3
Exploitation..................................................................................................................................4
Corruption....................................................................................................................................5
Dishonest and Fraudulent Behaviour...........................................................................................6
Whistleblower Protections...........................................................................................................6
Enforcement.................................................................................................................................7
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................8
Reference.........................................................................................................................................9

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Introduction
The main purpose of the assessment is to analyse the business of Retail Food Group
which has the main operation of providing different food products to the customers. The
company has made a name of itself in the market as one of the leading brands providing food and
beverages to the people of Australia. It is therefore for such reasons that the business has been
given the title of Australia’s largest multi-brand retail food franchise owner. The company
provides quality food products and services to its customers and for such reasons the business
has achieved growth in the operations of the company (Rfg.com.au. 2019). The assessment
would be reflecting on appropriate code of conduct practices which would help the management
of the company to maintain control and quality over the operational process of the business.
Code of conduct refers to a guideline which is established by the management of a company in
order to ensure that ethical standards are being followed and effici3ency in the work operations
is maintained. The code of conduct in this assessment would be designed for Retail food Group
ltd and the same would be prepared considering the major factors which are applicable to the
business in terms of ethics.
Discussion
Code of Conduct
Code of Conduct is the practice which is followed by a business for ensuring that the
employees are well behaved and manner in the workplace (Pearson, Seyfang and Jenkins 2013).
The code of conduct needs to be followed by employees in the operation process of the business
and in case of any breach of such conduct, disciplinary actions would be taken against the
individual. The assessment considers the business of Retail food Group ltd and the policies of the

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business towards ethical and sustainable development of the business (Sethi 2016). The
management of the company is dedicated towards promotion of sustainability and ensure that the
needs of the customers are considered. The business has its own guideline for maintaining ethical
standards in the business.
The annual reports of the business show that the new chairmen of the company is trying
to make amends for the past scandals and also wants to implement a strict code of conduct so
that the operations of the business are in compliance with ethical standards of the business. It is
to be noted that the primary focus of the business is to keep the bank and other stakeholders of
the business satisfied with the operations of the business (Shaw and Barry 2015). The ethical
code of conduct which is followed by the business would be including the following elements
which are essential for the operational process of the business.
Discrimination
The business of Retail food Group ltd is dedicated towards maintaining harmony and
good behaviour in the organization and every step is taken 6o ensure that such can be
established. The work environment of the business ensures that no discrimination of any sort
would be tolerated and it is also the policy of the business to provide equal opportunities to the
employees of the business so that they are satisfied and motivated to perform well. The
management of Retail food Group ltd realizes that in order to retain top employees in the
business, equality needs to be promoted and any act of discrimination needs to be punished
(Cavico, Muffler and Mujtaba 2013). The workers of the business would not be engaging any
kind of discrimination as the management aims to monitor such incidents and if found guilty
than disciplinary actions would be taken against the employee who was engaged in such
discrimination (Bell, Bryman and Harley 2018). Some of the practices which has been initiated

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by the management of the company in order to ensure the welfare of the employees are listed
below in details:
 The management of the company considers the welfare of the employees and therefore
has formulated appropriate strategies so that the employees are motivated in the business
(Coll et al. 2013).
 In order to ensure that equality is maintained the management of Retail Food Group has
introduced EEO and Anti-discrimination Policy and Workplace Bullying and Harassment
Policy.
 The management also has appointed supervisors and also takes feedbacks from the
employees whether they are facing any issues relating to workplace.
The discussion above shows that the management of the company is dedicated towards
maintenance of anti-discrimination policy in the business.
Exploitation
The welfare of the employees is the primary concern for the business and therefore
incidents which involves exploitation of the employee is highly discouraged in the organization.
One of the strict policies which has been introduced by the management of Retail food Group ltd
is related to any sort of harassment which is caused to the employee of the business. The
employees are the life force of any business and therefore the management of the company pays
proper considerations on the needs of the employees and also ensure that the employee of the
business is successful (Boda and Zsolnai 2016). The management of the company effectively
recognises the threats of violence, assault, and sexual harassment and have set appropriate
disciplinary actions for such cases, worst case scenario being termination of the contract. The

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management of Retail food Group ltd would be responsible for the following aspects towards an
employee of the business:
 The health and safety of the employee are the primary concern for the business and the
management would be taking all steps for ensuring a safe and sustainable working
environment is created for the business.
 The management of the company would be creating an efficient work environment so
that the employees are motivated to work effectively in the business.
 The management of the company is dedicated to equality practices in a business and
ensure that there is no discrimination or bullying of the employees. In addition to this, the
management of the company also believes that employees should be included in decision
making process of the business.
Corruption
The management of Retail Food Group are quite strict towards depletion of ethical
standards in a business and would be taking severe action against employees who are engaged in
such misconduct. The management of the company follows a model whereby the company can
maintain integrity, honesty and accountability in its approach. It has one of the practice of the
management of the company to cross reference any major decision taken with several individuals
such as the line manager, operational manager and even supervisors (Kumar and Steinmann
2015). This ensures that a participative environment is created whereby everyone follows ethical
standards in the operational process of the business (Stachowicz-Stanusch and Simha 2013).
Further more in order to ensure that there is no depletion of ethical standards in a business, the
management of the company monitors the activity of the business in order to ensure that proper
code of ethics is followed by the business.

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The code of conduct in the business is formulated with a view to ensure that such
misconducts are dealt with in appropriate manner (Ibietan 2013). The business has appointed
supervisors for monitoring the operational process of the business and also for ensuring that
ethical standards are followed when such activities are performed.
Dishonest and Fraudulent Behaviour
Any kind of misconduct in the operational process of the business have a severe impact
on the overall integrity and accountability of the business. The management of Retail Food
Group has formulated a code of conduct so that transparency and accountability can be
maintained. The code of conduct is formulated so that a health and ethical working environment
can be created for the welfare of the employees (Hess and Cottrell Jr 2016). The Company’s
commitment towards maintenance of the standards is taken very seriously and therefore any
breach of code of conduct would be meet with disciplinary actions. One of the major breach
which is recognised by the management of the company is fraud which can affect the operations
of the business and also have an impact on the integrity of the business (Slade and Prinsloo
2013). In such a case, the disciplinary action which can be taken by the business is very strict and
it can lead to termination of employment also with legal charges for fraud. It is the practice of the
business of Retail Food Group to provide a handbook to the employee relating to code of
conduct which is followed in the business and this also states what activities can be taken by the
employee and which are prohibited. In addition to this, the management of the company also
would be conducting a routine audit for identification of any suspicious activities in the
operational process of the business. Therefore, the analysis which is shown above reveals that the
business of Retail Food Group is dedicated towards ethical practices in a business.

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Whistleblower Protections
The whistleblower are individuals who report to the authorities regarding any breach of
ethical code of conduct. A whistleblower may be an employee, manager or even staff member
and they can report to the authorities regarding any malpractices in the business (Dixon 2016). It
is therefore important for the business to protect the interest of such individuals. Some of the
steps which are taken by the management of Retail Food Group for supporting the
Whistleblower of the business are listed below in details:
 The management of the company assures the Whistleblowers that there name would not
come up if they have reported against any breach of code of conduct (Armstrong and
Francis 2015). This shows that the company assures security to the individual.
 In case the top executives of a business are involved in unethical conduct than the
Whistleblowers would have the option to contact the independent directors in order to
report breach of ethical standards in the business.
 The management of the company has opened has helpline number which contacts directly
to the senior manager so that the Whistleblowers can report to the management regarding
any breach of ethical standards in the business while at the same time maintain his
secrecy.
Therefore, the management of the company is dedicated towards appropriate protection of
the whistle-blower and also provides assurance regarding the safety and security of the
employees of the business.
Enforcement
The code of conduct which is formulated by the management of the company are to
ensure that the employees of the business follows an ethical code of conduct in the operations of

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the business (Fortin and Richardson 2013). It is important for the management of the company to
enforce the code of conduct in the business and the supervisors are to pay attention whether the
practices are being followed or not in the operational process of the business (Lawrence and
Weber 2014). The implementation process of the code of conduct would be done by the senior
management and proper control and supervision would be implemented so that every employee
follows the ethical code of conduct. These practices would allow the management of the
company to appropriately set up an environment which follows all relevant ethical standards in
the business.
Conclusion
The above discussion shows the importance of code of conduct in the operational process
of the business and how the same helps the management of the company to set up appropriate
ethical practices in the business. It is to be noted that the code of conduct is considered to be an
important part of the business policies as the same provides guidance to the employees regarding
ethical code of conduct of a business. The above discussion provides an idea regarding the code
of conduct of the business of Retail Food Group and what actions would be taken by the
management of the company in case there is a breach in the ethical standards of the business.

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Reference
Armstrong, A. and Francis, R.D., 2015. Protecting the whistleblower. In Research Handbook on
International Financial Crime. Edward Elgar Publishing.
Bell, E., Bryman, A. and Harley, B., 2018. Business research methods. Oxford university press.
Boda, Z. and Zsolnai, L., 2016. The failure of business ethics. Society and Business
Review, 11(1), pp.93-104.
Cavico, F.J., Muffler, S.C. and Mujtaba, B.G., 2013. Appearance discrimination in
employment. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal.
Coll, M., Libralato, S., Pitcher, T.J., Solidoro, C. and Tudela, S., 2013. Sustainability
implications of honouring the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries. Global Environmental
Change, 23(1), pp.157-166.
Dixon, O., 2016. Honesty without Fear-Whistleblower Anti-Retaliation Protections in Corporate
Codes of Conduct. Melb. UL Rev., 40, p.168.
Fortin, E. and Richardson, B., 2013. Certification schemes and the governance of land: enforcing
standards or enabling scrutiny?. Globalizations, 10(1), pp.141-159.

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Hess, M.F. and Cottrell Jr, J.H., 2016. Fraud risk management: A small business
perspective. Business Horizons, 59(1), pp.13-18.
Ibietan, J., 2013. Corruption and public accountability in the Nigerian public sector:
Interrogating the omission. European Journal of Business and Management, 5(15), pp.41-48.
Kumar, B.N. and Steinmann, H. eds., 2015. Ethics in international management (Vol. 84).
Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG.
Lawrence, A.T. and Weber, J., 2014. Business and society: Stakeholders, ethics, public policy.
Tata McGraw-Hill Education.
Pearson, R., Seyfang, G. and Jenkins, R., 2013. Corporate responsibility and labour rights:
Codes of conduct in the global economy. Routledge.
Rfg.com.au. (2019). [online] Available at:
https://www.rfg.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/CodeofConduct.pdf [Accessed 22 Aug.
2019].
Sethi, S., 2016. Globalization and self-regulation: The crucial role that corporate codes of
conduct play in global business. Springer.
Shaw, W.H. and Barry, V., 2015. Moral issues in business. Cengage Learning.
Slade, S. and Prinsloo, P., 2013. Learning analytics: Ethical issues and dilemmas. American
Behavioral Scientist, 57(10), pp.1510-1529.
Stachowicz-Stanusch, A. and Simha, A., 2013. An empirical investigation of the effects of
ethical climates on organizational corruption. Journal of Business Economics and
Management, 14(sup1), pp.S433-S446.

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