ABSTRACT
Culture is a pretty vague term. Put simply, it's 'the way people do things here', the dominant ethos. It is the shared habits, accepted attitudes and collective actions that result from the values people and their colleagues hold. And it's a vital ingredient for corporate success. At the outset, culture is a product of a company's founding values, its so-called heritage. Ethical cultures are ones where principles like trust, fairness, integrity and respect are baked into company mission. 'The Johnson & Johnson Credo is the granddaddy of values statements', says Kirk Hanson, Executive Director of the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University. The 2013 Corporate Citizenship Report of US insurer Aflac is entitled 'What It Means to Act Like a Duck'. The title refers to the iconic white duck that is the company's marketing face and voice.
