THE ROLE OF THE CODE OF ETHICS IN THE CONTEMPORARY FIRMS ACTIVITY

Nothing is eternal, except changes. This statement characterizes the contemporary world, as succinctly and correctly as possible. The field of economic affairs, strongly marked by the effects of the economic globalization process development, by the manifestation of the knowledge-based economy and by the moral, ecological and social consciousness of contemporary economic organizations, within the framework of the aggravation of some social and ecological problems, faces today the need for various fundamental changes, starting from the reconsideration of the validity of those principles that have governed it for the last decades. Respecting the ethical norms or principles in developing economic affairs does not represent a recent approach, but, as a result of the changes that marked the contemporary economy, tends to become an organic component of the process of adopting organizational decisions and an indissolubly respected principle in the process of planning the future of the organization. Moreover, the international organizations’ experience proclaimed the importance of respecting a unitary set of business ethics principles, disregarding the market or the geographical area where they develop their activity, leading thus to the enrichment of science and management functions with an ethical part.