Governance
2008 Objective
- Train 80% of staff on RE Code of Ethics and Business Conduct
The Reed Elsevier Code of Ethics and Business Conduct (Code), disseminated to every employee, is a guide to our corporate and individual behaviour. Encompassing topics like human rights, anti-bribery, and fair competition, it encourages open and principled behaviour.
70% of current employees have received online training on the Code. Our goal to launch the course in the Netherlands, where we have the third highest concentration of employees, was delayed until January 2009, as approval from the Dutch Data Protection Authority was not forthcoming until late in the year. In 2008, Code training was rolled out to employees in the UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, India, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Thailand, in addition to ongoing implementation for new US employees. Staff also received training on anti-harassment, data privacy and security, competition law, and doing business with government.
Furthering the rule of law is a priority for Reed Elsevier. In 2008, we actively promoted the United Nations Global Compact to which we are a signatory, developing a presentation to help fellow signatories communicate about the Compact, and served on the steering group for the United Kingdom.
LexisNexis launched the Rule of Law Resource Center, the largest collection of Rule of Law resources on the internet, providing global visitors with up-to-date laws, news, and expert analysis. LexisNexis also supports the Southern African Litigation Centre, providing access to its entire South African law content, along with legislation and law reports for other African countries including Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, and Nigeria.
2009 Objective
- 80% trained in Code of Ethics, with 70% of US employees completing second round online training