Governance & EthicsAt The We are guided by our established standards of corporate governance and ethics. We review our systems to ensure we achieve international best practices in terms of transparency and accountability. The foundation of our approach to corporate governance is laid out in our Corporate Governance Guidelines and in the charters of our Board of Directors committees. Corporate Responsibility
The Code is administered by our Ethics & Compliance Committee. This cross-functional senior management team oversees all our ethics and compliance programs and determines Code violations and discipline. Our Ethics & Compliance Office has operational responsibility for education, consultation, monitoring and assessment related to the Code of Business Conduct and compliance issues. Associates worldwide receive a variety of ethics and compliance training courses administered by the Ethics & Compliance Office. We regularly monitor and audit our business to ensure compliance with the Code and the law. We also maintain a consistent set of best-in-class standards around the world that govern how we investigate and handle Code issues. In 2008, we revised the Code to further improve its effectiveness. Associates completed over 63,000 Ethics and Compliance training sessions from January 2006 to July 2007. We trained associates on the Code of Business Conduct, European Union competition law, Latin American competition law, financial integrity, intellectual property and competitive intelligence, drug-free workplace and preventing workplace violence. In 2006, we rolled out an updated global anti-bribery compliance program with supporting policies, training and audits. In addition, we expanded our compliance program around United States trade sanctions with supporting policies, training and audits. Our associates, bottling partners, suppliers, customers and consumers
can ask questions about our Code and other ethics and compliance issues,
or report potential violations, through EthicsLine,
a global Web and telephone information and reporting service. Telephone
calls are toll-free, and EthicsLine is available 24 hours a day, seven
days a week, with translators available. |
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