(Note the expiration date.)
[Begin update: And that date was optimistic. What a difference a few short months makes. From thisiszimbabwe.com:
End update.]
At the request of the German government, Giesecke and Devrient GmbH (motto: “Creating confidence”) has been supplying currency-quality paper to Zimbabwe. According to the AP’s (so sue me!) Matt Moore, G and D
said it would stop delivering bank note paper to the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe “with immediate effect.” It said the decision came in response to an official request from the German government and calls for international sanctions by the European Union and United Nations. “Our decision is a reaction to the political tension in Zimbabwe, which is mounting significantly rather than easing as expected, and takes account of the critical evaluation by the international community, German government and general public,” chief executive Karsten Ottenberg said in a statement.
Greatest hits from G and D’s corporate “Code of Conduct” include (ellipsis elided—rename then read the PDF for yourself):
1. “Statement of Principles”
1.1 Human Rights
We respect the personal dignity, privacy, and rights of every individual, regardless of their origin, nationality, culture, religion, or gender.
1.6 Responsibility to Society
With our products and services, we contribute to the social progress and technological advancement of society.
3. Commitment to Shareholders
To benefit ourselves and our shareholders, G&D conducts systematic strategic and operational risk management.
4. Commitment to Employees
We are a socially responsible employer and regard our employees as the basis of our commercial success.
We respect the individual and promote the open exchange of opinions, ideas, and criticism.
4.1 Right to Organize
We respect the rights of our employees to exercise their rights of codetermination pursuant to national laws and to organize themselves for that purpose.
4.2 Managerial Behavior
Our executives cultivate a cooperative leadership style characterized by trust, mutual respect, open information, and communication.
4.3 Health and Safety
We place high priority on the health and safety of all employees, neighbors, customers, business partners, and other persons affected by our business activities.
4.4 Fair and Equal Treatment
We offer all employees equal career opportunities and will not tolerate illegal discrimination or harassment of any kind.
5. Commitment to Suppliers and Business Partners
We treat every business partner in a sincere, equal, and fair manner.
Selection of suppliers and business partners takes place in an orderly procedure according to comprehensible and objective criteria. If a supplier or business partner has and follows a similar code of conduct, this fact is taken into consideration during the selection process.
We include our suppliers in the process of improving our value creation. We endeavor to enter into long-term collaboration characterized by mutual trust with our business partners.
7. Business Integrity
7.1 Compliance with Laws
We uphold laws as key factors in security, stability, and predictability that we need in order to achieve our company’s goals.
We will especially ensure adherence to anticorruption, antitrust, and subsidy laws; accounting and consolidation standards; as well as taxation, export, import, and customs regulations.
We will in no way tolerate individual employees committing offences or crimes in the misunderstood interest of the company. This interdiction shall also expressly apply to instances in which obeying the law may even lead to a loss of business or influence. The fact that a contract may be lost to a competitor is no excuse. We will not tolerate the use of confidential business information about the company, either directly or indirectly, for one’s personal benefit, the benefit of others, or to the detriment of G&D.
Risks are to be avoided and legal counsel must be obtained before any action is taken that may lead to a violation of applicable law. to G&D shareholdings and associated companies listed on the stock market, e.g., secunet
7.2 Conflicts of Interest
Competitors are not to be treated in a manner that can be considered unfair or, in particular, deemed illegal. Employees shall make no knowingly false or misleading statements con- cerning competitors and are not to publicly criticize competitors. Furthermore, we will make no comments on or disseminate negative reports about competitors.
We take a categorically neutral stance on social and political issues. G&D has no affiliation with any political party. G&D’s membership in or- ganizations or associations as well as donations by G&D to organizations or associations must be authorized case-by-case by the Management Board.
It reads like back-of-the-napkin ideas for the Cliff’s Notes version I, Robot—if it were written by a corporate flak:
1. A currency paper manufacturer may injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
2. A currency paper manufacturer must obey orders given to it by local governments, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
3. A currency paper manufacturer must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.
G and D’s corporate timeline states that in 2002, “A banknote paper mill is completed in the Middle East. Similar projects had formerly been carried out in Burma, China, Russia, Uzbekistan, Zimbabwe and other countries” (emphasis added).
See also “Promo currency.”
(PR@nettime)
