Ethics and Responsibility Issues at GoPro Company
GoPro Code of Ethics
The GoPro Code of Ethics is called Code of Honor with a major slogan “Be a HERO”. As mentioned in the message of the company’s founder and CEO “the Code exists to help team members realize what’s expected from them” (3). The Code of Honor contains three parts which cover the company’s commitments to integrity, the standards of business conduct as well as questions and concerns. The Code gives detailed explanations and clear guidance how to act in arguable situations concerning the application of confidential, trading and insider information, in case of conflicts of interest, as well as how to deal with company’s assets provided to the employees. This document also clarifies what are the official corporate procedures for bribery and corruption cases, how to process the customer information and to deal with financial records, what are the employment principles and which penalties are foreseen for the violation of the Code.
Approach to Social Responsibility
The GoPro company is considered to apply an accommodative approach to social responsibility as it tends to support sustainable development helping the outside organizations approaching it to get sponsorship for their events. For example, through its GoPro for a Cause platform the company promotes several valuable prizes for its own customers encouraging them to donate for an International Fund for Animal Welfare program dealing with raptors rescuing in Beijing (Gopro.com). Therefore, the company supports a nonprofit group turning for help and develop strategies for attracting its customers offering prizes which is an important feature of an accommodative approach to social responsibility.
GoPro Social Responsibility Program
In 2015 the company launched a corporate responsibility platform GoPro for a Cause aiming to enhance awareness of social causes that align with GoPro brand. Through this platform the company provides financing, equipment and production expertise to targeted nonprofit groups. GoPro supports up to 10 nonprofit organizations in creating short videos that capture essence of their cause and compels people to take actions. It also promotes this content through its own social channels in order to reach the attention of a wider audience to the definite social causes (Gopro.com).
Company’s legal problems
Recently the company was informed about the class action lawsuit brought up by several law firms on behalf of its investors and purchasers. The lawsuit was caused by the company’s recall over Karma drones after some units lost power during the flight (Parsons). The company was accused of making a series of misleading statements that made purchasers believe in Karma’s huge success. Besides, the law firms consider that GoPro failed to disclose in time the drone problems. Law company estimates that GoPro investors may have lost over $100,000 through their investments in the company stock before the company announced the existing problem (Russell).
Laws and Regulations
GoPro follows the U.S. Privacy Shields Framework and U.S. Swiss Safe/Harbor Framework and Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998. It also reminds its customers about the necessity to follow flight regulations and restrictions for their flying area. For example, …
