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Topic of the Month - Code of Conduct |
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Written by NOW Committee
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Sunday, 16 April 2006 |
 A “Code-of-Conduct” is commonly referred to as a set of conventional principles and expectations that are considered binding on any person who is a member of a particular group. It establishes an organization’s values and spells out essential practices, behaviour, ethics and standards for all individuals who are represented by a particular group or organisation.
Once established and agreed upon, it should be implemented through an effective awareness and training program, compliancy must continuously be monitored and enforced.
What is expected from the Off-Road Industry?
One of the first tasks of the National Off-Road Workgroup (NOW) is to formulate an interim Code of Conduct/Best Practice for Off-roading activities in South Africa, drawing from similar codes used elsewhere in the world. The development and dissemination of this Code of Conduct would constitute a significant demonstration of good faith on the part of the Industry to DEAT, of its determination to tackle the issues referred to by the Minister in a determined and methodical way. In this way the door would be left open for future revision of the code as the Industry representative settles into its role and opportunities for development of an integrated strategy in conjunction with existing or new legal structures and mechanisms, present themselves.
It is therefore expected from the Off-Road Industry to develop, agree upon, implement and enforce a code of conduct relevant to a specific sector that is aligned to its Vision, Mission and Value system. This is the first step towards self-regulation.
The NOW committee (entity) cannot be prescriptive in this regard – other than to require that all “Codes of Conduct” should be aligned with the overall philosophy of “Barely There!” Take everything out
Help restore damage
Educate and learn
Reduce your impact
Ensure conservation
In addition to the above, the industry’s specific social-, economical- and environmental impact and responsibilities should be addressed.
Topic of the Month!
Representative organisations affiliated with NOW have been requested to submit and publish their own Code of Conduct on this website. It must be noted that some of these organisations are still busy developing this and it will be published (even in draft format) as soon as it is available. Using these examples and focusing on your own organisation, you are requested to engage in discussions and to debate the following questions: In principle, what are the core aspects that a code of conduct should address? Is it a finite list of do’s and don’ts? Is it even possible to compile such a list? In order to be effective, it must be enforceable! How can this be done and by whom should it be done? What would you require / expect from the various role-players and organisations within our industry? What should be included in their respective Code of Conducts?
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