LRN Report Reveals 2 In 5 Codes of Conduct for the World’s Top Publicly Traded Companies Fall Short
The 2023 Code of Conduct Report released today by LRN Corporation, the leader in ethics and compliance solutions that enable organizations to inspire principled performance, reveals that a significant proportion (two in five) of the world’s top publicly traded companies have work to do to meet basic expectations for more effective codes of conduct.
Further, "speak up" culture appears deficient in most organizations, as less than two-thirds of all codes include a section on reporting misconduct and fewer than three in five have strong non-retaliation policies stated for those who do so.
The report reviewed the codes of conduct of nearly 200 of the top publicly traded companies in Asia, Europe, and North America—focusing on those listed on the major indices in Germany, France, the United Kingdom, the United States and, for the first time, Japan and Singapore.
Among the other key findings of the report include:
- Only 43% of their codes of conduct for some the world’s largest publicly traded companies were scored "effective", meaning they meet the minimum expectations, and 40% were rated as less effective, meaning they fell below the expectations of an effective code. Only 17% were found to be more effective, meaning that their codes exceeded the minimum expectations
- The codes of companies on the U.S. S&P 100 outperform those in other indexes overall, while companies listed on Singapore’s STI 30 generally have the lowest code effectiveness scores
- 64% of codes analyzed have a section on speaking up, but only 57% of codes have a strong non-retaliation policy for employees who speak up about misconduct and just 17% explain the procedure for investigation of misconduct
- Companies with more effective codes are 10x more likely to include hotline/helpline details
- Only 48% of codes extend applicability to contractors, agents, and other third parties working on behalf of the company
About LRN
LRN's mission and purpose is to inspire principled performance and help people around the world do the right thing. Since 1994, LRN has worked to propel organizations forward with the partnership, knowledge, and tools to build ethical culture. Learn more at https://lrn.com and follow on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230725088236/en/
Contact information
Scott Addison
LRN@infiniteglobal.com
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Verimatrix: Signing of an Agreement for the Sale of XTD Assets (Code and Application Protection) to Guardsquare8.12.2025 18:45:00 EET | Press release
Regulatory News: VERIMATRIX (Euronext Paris: VMX, FR0010291245), a leading provider of user security solutions for a safer connected world, announces the signing of an agreement with Belgium-based Guardsquare, the leading provider of mobile application security, for the sale of its Extended Threat Defense (XTD) assets. Guardsquare, the creators of the open-source optimization tool, ProGuard, offers the most complete mobile application security platform on the market spanning automated testing and multi-layered protection, real time threat monitoring, and app attestation. Guardsquare’s 975+ customers are located in more than 95 countries and represent all major industries. Launched in 2021, Verimatrix's Extended Threat Defence (XTD) business is composed of a group of cybersecurity experts specialised in protecting mobile, web and desktop applications. Using a range of innovative solutions, XTD solutions predict, detect and respond to threats before their targets are compromised. Over th
WNBA Champion Sabrina Ionescu Becomes Global Brand Ambassador for Ant International8.12.2025 18:00:00 EET | Press release
Four-time WNBA All-Star Sabrina Ionescu today becomes a new Global Brand Ambassador for Ant International, a leading global provider of digital payments, digitisation, and financial technology. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251208536426/en/ The partnership is built on a shared commitment to creating a more inclusive and sustainable world through empowering underserved communities and youth groups with sports and technology innovation. It marks an important step in Ant International’s journey to foster growth and expand access to financial tools through innovative technology. Ionescu serves as the first Ant International global brand ambassador from North America. “Sabrina embodies the spirit of perseverance and the passion for excellence that is driving young talents and small businesses around the world to uplift their communities,” said Douglas Feagin, President of Ant International. “As a legend in a spor
SABCS 2025: REVEAL GENOMICS Presents Major Advance in Predicting Brain Metastasis in HER2+ Breast Cancer8.12.2025 17:20:00 EET | Press release
REVEAL GENOMICS, S.L., a Barcelona-based biotechnology company focused on advancing precision oncology through biomarker innovation, announced today the presentation of seven studies at the upcoming San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS) 2025, held December 9–12 in San Antonio, Texas. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251208979141/en/ These abstracts showcase the growing clinical utility and innovation of the company’s proprietary RNA platform and underscore REVEAL GENOMICS’ commitment to improving outcomes for individuals with breast cancer. Across all studies, REVEAL GENOMICS and its collaborators analyzed more than 1,300 tumor samples from individuals with HER2-positive, ER-negative, and triple-negative breast cancer—one of the most extensive genomic contributions to SABCS 2025. Seven independent studies validate the performance and clinical impact of REVEAL GENOMICS’ precision oncology platform New HER2
NetApp Advances EMEA & LATAM Presence with Appointment of Willem Hendrickx as Customer Demand for AI Accelerates8.12.2025 17:15:00 EET | Press release
NetApp (NASDAQ: NTAP), the intelligent data infrastructure company, today announced the appointment of Willem Hendrickxas Senior Vice President and General Manager, EMEA & LATAM, effective January 5, 2026. Hendrickxwill lead NetApp’s business strategy, go-to-market execution, and partner engagement across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America. Reporting to NetApp President César Cernuda, Hendrickx brings a deep regional knowledge and track record of building high-performing teams, further enabling the acceleration of NetApp’s international footprint by helping global customers navigate the evolving demands of hybrid cloud and AI-driven data infrastructure. Hendrickx holds a Master’s degree in Applied Economics from KU Leuven and is based in Brussels, Belgium. “Willem joins NetApp at a pivotal time as customer demand surges for intelligent, AI-driven, cloud-enabled data infrastructure globally,” said César Cernuda, President, NetApp. “This appointment underscores our commit
MediaKind and Harmonic’s Video Business to Combine, Creating a Leading Streaming-Infrastructure Platform8.12.2025 16:37:00 EET | Press release
MediaKind, a global leader in cloud-based video streaming technology, today announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire the Video Business of Harmonic Inc. (NASDAQ: HLIT) for approximately $145 million. Following a French employee works council consultation process, the parties would immediately execute a purchase agreement, and the transaction would be expected to close in the first half of 2026, subject to customary regulatory approvals and closing conditions. The transaction creates a world-class independent SaaS streaming infrastructure provider by combining two established video technology organizations with complementary strengths in SaaS streaming, appliance platforms, and cloud AV workloads. The combined company will serve a blue-chip customer base, generate more than $100 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR), over $150 million in annual appliance revenue, and, as a business 100% focused on video, create an enhanced foundation for long-term growth. Additionally,
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom