Commonality in Codes of Ethics
27 Pages
Posted: 27 Aug 2008
Last revised: 14 May 2014
University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame - Mendoza College of Business - Department of Finance
Date Written: January 30, 2009
Abstract
We create a database of company codes of ethics from firms listed on the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index and, separately, a sample of small firms. The SEC believes that “ethics codes do, and should, vary from company to company.” Using textual analysis techniques, we measure the extent of commonality across the documents. We find substantial levels of common sentences used by the firms, including a few cases where the codes of ethics are essentially identical. We consider these results in the context of legal statements versus value statements. While legal writing often mandates duplication, we argue that value-based statements should be held to a higher standard of originality. Our evidence is consistent with isomorphic pressures on smaller firms to conform.
Keywords: Code of Ethics, Textual Analysis, Plagiarism, Regulation
Suggested Citation:
Suggested Citation
Forster, Margaret and Loughran, Tim and McDonald, Bill, Commonality in Codes of Ethics (January 30, 2009). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1251482 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1251482
