Page 133 - Global Compact | International Yearbook
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133
Good Practice
Anti-Corruption
Global Compact International Yearbook 2013
Zero tolerance
Corruption represents a major risk for
multinational corporations, particularly
for those that bid on public contracts.
The practices of solicitation, extortion,
and passive corruption are still very fre-
quent in countries withweak governance.
This type of practice can expose a com-
pany and its officers to civil and criminal
penalties and, in addition, be extremely
damaging in terms of reputation.
At the end of the 1990s, in order to miti-
gate these risks, Thales established a
policy to prevent corruption that has
since been incorporated into a process
for continuous improvement.
The Group’s compliance and integrity
program is regularly evaluated and ad-
justed on the basis of changes in internal
and external risks and the Group’s com-
mercial strategy.
This global compliance and integrity
program is based on:
•
international organization and dedi-
cated resources that are responsible
for ensuring the implementation of
systems and procedures to prevent
corruption;
•
the integration of procedures to prevent
the risk of corruption within the com-
pany’s operational processes, particu-
larly during commercial transactions
involving third parties;
•
internal alert channels available to the
employees;
•
a robust internal control and audit
process;
•
programs to increase awareness and to
inform and train Group employees –
programs that are primarily intended
for those with the greatest potential
exposure (marketing, sales, projects,
and purchasing).
The policy of “zero tolerance” for any
act of corruption is fully supported by
the Group corporate management and
Board of Directors.
The participation of the Group within
professional, intergovernmental, and
nongovernmental organizations is also
one of the key factors of its policy to
prevent corruption and to share and
disseminate best practices. Thales has
contributed to the establishment of direc-
tives and common standards for all busi-
ness sectors, such as the “Best Practice
Guidance on Internal Controls, Ethics,
and Compliance” of the OECD and –
more specifically for the aerospace and
defense sector – the Common Industry
Standards in Europe, and the Global
Principles of Business Ethics, published
by the International Forum on Business
Ethical Conduct
), which
is a joint structure of the AeroSpace and
Defence Industries Association of Europe
and the Aerospace Industries Associa-
tion of America and of which Thales is
a founding member.
In 2012, Thales was ranked as one of the
top 10 companies in the defense sector
by Transparency International, an NGO
working to fight corruption worldwide.
Transparency International’s Defence
Companies Anti-Corruption Index 2012
report (
org/report) presents an analysis of the
corruption prevention programs of the
world’s 129 biggest companies in the
defense sector.
GC aDVANCED LEVEL
Since 2003, Thales has been a
proud participant in and supporter
of the United Nations Global
Compact and has adopted its
Ten Principles.
Reflecting the relevance of its
actions in CR, Thales saw its
UN Global Compact performance
rating be raised from “active” to
“
advanced” in 2012. Among the
7,300
companies that are partici-
pants of the Global Compact, to
date only 386 have been awarded
“
Global Compact Advanced” sta-
tus, 18 of them being French and
only one being in the aerospace
and defense sector.
A GLOBAL LEADER IN THE QUEST FOR SECURITY
With operations in 56 countries and 66,000 employees – of whom 22,500 are
high-level researchers and engineers – Thales is a world leader in critical infor-
mation systems for the defense, security, aerospace, and transportation markets.
Building on its expertise in the most sophisticated technologies and large-scale
software systems, Thales is stepping up to the security challenges of its custom-
ers in an increasingly complex world. The Group has earned particular recogni-
tion for its ability to develop and deploy dual civil and military technologies.
Leveraging its international operations and spanning the entire value chain – from
equipment to systems and services – Thales plays a pivotal role in making the
world a safer place.
