Proceedings of 8th European Assembly on telework (Telework2001)

96Ethics in Business – VIP ProjectVIP- Voluntary Industrial Code <strong>of</strong> Practice for IST–enabled Cross-border Work ArrangementsWalter Paavonen, Director, Paavonen Consulting Ltd, Sweden1. Developing a code to facilitate the improvement <strong>of</strong> business ethicsInformation Society Technologies (IST) change very rapidly the map <strong>of</strong> business activities andwork. Enterprises and work can be organised in new ways. Company entities and workplaces canbe located independently <strong>of</strong> time zones and distances - implying access to new markets and a newplatform for economic growth, but also work across national borders and confrontation betweendifferent value systems and conflicting interestsInformation technology can be used for unfair exploitation <strong>of</strong> global resources, but it facilitates alsothe shaping <strong>of</strong> the ‘new world’ towards more sustainable solutions, to combat unfair competitionand to distribute the potential benefits <strong>of</strong> the Information Society to many recipients. The challengefor the Information Society is to take advantage <strong>of</strong> the potentials, but avoid threatening risks.In principle, there are three main methods to build a common platform for the development <strong>of</strong>Global Trade and Global work division towards a fair and balanced Global Information Society:• Multilateral legislation• Multilateral agreements• Voluntary industrial commitments - a code <strong>of</strong> practice based on ethical considerationsMultilateral legislation and agreements are complicated and take normally very long time toestablish, if at all possible. In contrast to legislation and formal agreements, voluntary agreementshave several major advantages; they are speedier, more flexible and allow the trial <strong>of</strong> a widervariety <strong>of</strong> options. Voluntary codes <strong>of</strong> practice, which are articulated and approved by the industrialactors themselves, could therefore be efficient alternatives and complements to existing agreementsand multilateral regulations.According to recent research, new information technology, especially the Internet, will narrowthe gap between highly-industrialized countries and developing countries. The technology enablesfaster flows <strong>of</strong> information and wider exchange <strong>of</strong> knowledge than ever before. It tempts tointroduce transparency to business and work life conditions, implying increased awareness <strong>of</strong>differences and increasing demand on equalization.