Codes of Conduct in the Ugandan Coffee Industry: Do They Affect Ethical Behavior?
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Date
2016
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
AGRI-QUEST
Abstract
The adoption and implementation of codes of
conduct is an instrument to demonstrate
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). The
incorporation of these codes is often
associated with less perceived wrongdoing in
organizations. The research objective is to
answer: “how does the adoption and
implementation of codes of conduct affect
ethical behavior in the Ugandan coffee
industry, and which tensions occur during this
implementation?” To answer this question,
thirteen semi-structured interviews have been
conducted in the country of origin. The
interviewees are different players in the
Ugandan coffee industry and value chain (VC),
amongst which are members of development
organizations, coffee researchers, coffee
association members, and rural coffee
farmers. Data gathered in this study suggests
that adoption and implementation of codes of
conduct are positively affected by high levels
of VC-integration, civil society pressure,
empowerment of VC-players, and when the
VC-player was a member of an association or
a cooperative. However, the study found that
VC-players also experienced tensions which
arose from unethical behavior and transaction
costs and which had a negative effect on code
adoption and implementation. Nevertheless,
this study also found evidence that VC-players
who incorporated codes of conduct are
perceived to behave more ethically. The
relationship between code of conduct adoption
and ethical behavior is amplified by principles
of execution, which are the communication of
codes, training and education and the
presence of enforcing mechanisms.
Furthermore, the role of trust and commitment
is not to be underestimated in reinforcing this
relationship. Additionally, ethical behavior
appears to have a positive effect on
productivity and ultimately competitiveness.
Based on these findings, a conceptual model
is presented.
Description
Keywords
Ugandan Coffee Industry, Ethical Behavior, Codes of Conduct
Citation
Lekkerkerker, F., Wickert, C., Katamba, D., & Seruma, A. (2016). AGRI-QUEST.