Why care? What difference will it make? Well, we care – and we believe that everyone at Ericsson has a role to play to ensure we do business the right way.
The presence of global companies is pivotal for the social and economic development of all countries. It brings choices to people and opportunities to benefit from innovations, and thus raises living standards.
Corruption harms economic growth by eroding the trust that is needed for businesses to prosper and countries to develop. It destroys confidence in a country's government officials, its institutions and in the companies' intentions.
We strongly believe that we must only win business on merit, ability and fairness. Otherwise, the citizens of the country lose the opportunity to participate in economic growth.
As a global company operating in 180 countries committed to an all-inclusive sustainable growth, contributing to the global fight against corruption is a necessity for us. We in the ICT industry have an increasingly important role as enablers of sustainable economic development based on transparency and trust. Our innovations connect people and thereby enable citizens to communicate and find ways to fight corruption. The digital society that is based on new technologies such as block chain allows greater traceability of money spent than ever before. By technology and by actions we will make an impact.
We must act as a responsible and relevant driver of positive change within the communities, organizations and societies we work. This includes taking our responsibility to combat corruption seriously and defend our zero tolerance for corruption, promoting responsible business based on ethical conduct, refusing to participate in activities that are not legal and transparent, and be prepared to take action if standards slip and our Code of Business Ethics is not upheld.
Ericsson is proud to join the global fight against corruption marked by the world Anti-Corruption Day. We celebrate all the good achievements to date and are humble for the challenges that lie ahead. We believe that every employee of Ericsson has a responsibility to act with integrity at all times and we expect the same from our business partners. We need to be united if we want to win the game.
