An ethics program consists, at the very least, of: 1) a shared understanding of what is definitely acceptable and what is definitely unacceptable (e.g. accepti

An ethics program consists, at the very least, of: 1) a shared understanding of what is definitely acceptable and what is definitely unacceptable (e.g. accepting a $1000 dinner from a vendor in a location with plenty of $100 or $50 dinner arrangements is unacceptable in many industries). Courses and training will at least define the lines for the industry in question. In finance, for example, ethics training includes issues like soft-dollar arrangements. 2) a set of procedures for inquiring about and responding to ethical quandaries. Many companies in the post Sarbanes-Oxley era have a chief ethics officer and a clear reporting chain specifically to define and standardize company ethics and to ensure that lower-level employees can make informed decisions.