Message from the President and CEO
Dear Employees of AEROSTAR S.A. Romania:
AEROSTAR S.A. Romania is dedicated to conducting its business consistent with the highest standards of business ethics. We have an obligation to our employees, investors, customers, suppliers, community representatives and other business contacts to be honest, fair and forthright in all of our business activities.
As an employee of the company, you are faced every day with a number of business decisions. It is your personal responsibility to uphold the Company's high standards of business ethics in each and every one of these situations. It is not possible for our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics (the "Code") to address every situation that you may face. If you use your good business judgement and experience, your business decisions are not likely to raise ethical issues. When you are faced with an ethical issue, we hope that this Code will serve as a guide to help you make the right choice.
We encourage you to take this opportunity to review our policies and to discuss any questions you may have with your supervisors or with the Human Resources Department directly. The guidelines set out in this Code are to be followed at all levels of this organization by our directors, officers and employees. We rely on you to uphold our core values and conduct our business honestly, fairly and with integrity.
Sincerely,
Grigore FILIP
President & General Director
Introduction
Purpose
This Code of Business Conduct and Ethics contains general guidelines for conducting the business of the company consistent with the highest standards of business ethics. To the extent this Code requires a higher standard than required by commercial practice or applicable laws, rules or regulations, we adhere to these higher standards. Employees are required to familiarize themselves with Company policies that relate to their work.
This Code applies to all of our directors, heads of compartments and employees. We refer to all persons covered by this Code as "Company employees" or simply "employees." We also refer to our general director and our financial director as our "directors".
The Company has a simple and straightforward policy on the rules of conduct and behavior that are expected from employees and agents when they are conducting Company business. It is a commitment to do what is right, obey all laws, behave with integrity and honesty, treat people fairly, respect diversity, accept accountability, communicate openly and always behave in a way that is above reproach. Generally, these requirements are referred to as ethics. Each employee is required to maintain these high ethical standards at all times even though doing so may result in the loss of business to the Company. No employee of the Company should feel that a compromising or unethical situation is justified by any possible business result. Anyone who violates these rules of conduct and behavior could be subject to criminal or civil penalties and/or be subject to corrective action up to and including discharge from the Company.
All employees and agents are expected to apply the highest ethical standards and observe all laws and regulations applicable to the Company's business. No employee or agent has the authority to require or approve any action that would break the law or violate ethical standards. Employees or agents should avoid situations where anyone engages in activities that would accomplish indirectly for the Company what the Company could not legally or ethically do directly.
Requesting Help and Information
This Code is not intended to be a comprehensive rulebook and cannot address every situation that our employees may face. In the event any employee feels uncomfortable about a situation or has any doubts about whether it is consistent with the Company's ethical standards, he or she should seek help. We encourage our employees to contact their supervisors for help first. If a supervisor cannot answer a particular question or if an employee does not feel comfortable contacting his or her supervisor, such employee should contact the Human Resources Department.
Reporting Violations of the Code
All employees have a duty to report any known or suspected violation of this Code, including any violation of the laws, rules, regulations or policies that apply to the Company. If an employee knows of or suspects a violation of this Code, he or she should immediately report the conduct to his or her supervisor. The supervisor will contact the Human Resources Department, which will work with the employee and the supervisor to investigate the matter. If the employee does not feel comfortable reporting the conduct to a supervisor or does not get a satisfactory response, the employee may contact the Human Resources Department directly.
All reports of known or suspected violations involving the accuracy of the Company's financial reports and related matters should be reported either directly to the internal Audit Committee or Human Resources Department.
All reports of known or suspected violations of the law or this Code will be handled sensitively and with discretion. Each supervisor, the Human Resources Department, the internal Audit Committee and the Company will protect each employee's confidentiality to the extent possible, consistent with law and the Company's need to investigate the matter.
It is Company policy that any employee who violates this Code will be subject to appropriate discipline, which may include termination of employment. This determination will be based upon the facts and circumstances of each particular situation. An employee accused of violating this Code will be given an opportunity to present his or her version of the events at issue prior to any determination of appropriate discipline. Employees who violate the law or this Code may expose themselves to substantial civil damages, criminal fines and prison terms. The Company may also face substantial fines and penalties and many incur damage to its reputation and standing in the community. The conduct of each employee, as a representative of the Company, if it does not comply with the law or with this Code, can result in serious consequences for both the employee and the Company.
Policy Against Retaliation
The Company strictly prohibits retaliation against an employee who, in good faith, seeks help or reports known or suspected violations. Any reprisal or retaliation against an employee because the employee, in good faith, sought help or filed a report will be subject to disciplinary action, including potential termination of employment.
Waivers of the Code
Waivers of this Code will be granted only in extraordinary circumstances. Waivers of this Code for employees may be made only by the general director or the financial director. Any waiver of this Code for our directors, general director or the financial director may be made only by our Board of Directors. Any waivers of this code will be disclosed to the internal Audit Committee.
Conflicts of interest
Identifying Potential Conflicts of Interest
A conflict of interest can occur when an employee's private interest interferes, or appears to interfere, with the interests of the Company as a whole. Employees should avoid any private interest that influences their ability to act in the interests of the Company or that makes it difficult to perform their work objectively and effectively.
Identifying potential conflicts of interest may not always be clear-cut. The following situations are examples of conflicts of interest:
Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest
The Company requires that employees disclose any situations that reasonably would be expected to give rise to a conflict of interest. If an employee suspects that he or she has a conflict of interest, or something that others could reasonably perceive as a conflict of interest, the employee must report it to his or her supervisor or the Human Resources Department. The supervisor together with the Human Resources Department will discuss with the employee to determine whether they have a conflict of interest and, if so, how best to address it. Although conflicts of interest are not automatically prohibited, they are not desirable and may only be waived as described in "Waivers of the Code" above.
Company Records
Accurate and reliable records are crucial to our business. Our records are the basis of our revenues statements, financial reports and guide our business decision-making and strategic planning. Company records include: payroll, travel and expenses reports, e-mails, accounting and financial data, performance evaluation records, electronic data files and all other records maintained in the ordinary course of our business, including those related to production or commercial.
All Company records must be complete, accurate and reliable in all significant respects. Undisclosed or unrecorded funds, payments or receipts are inconsistent with our business practices and are prohibited. Our employees are responsible for understanding and complying with our policy for keeping our records. Each employee should ask his or her direct supervisor if they have any questions in this respect.
Accuracy of Financial Reports and other Public Communications
Both applicable law and our policies require the disclosure of accurate and complete information regarding the Company's business, financial condition and results of operations. Inaccurate, incomplete or untimely reporting will not be tolerated and can severely damage the Company and result in legal liability.
The general director and the financial director of the Company and other employees working in the Accounting Department have a special responsibility to ensure that all of our financial disclosures are full, compliant with applicable regulations, correct accurate, timely and understandable. These employees must understand and strictly comply with generally accepted accounting principles and all standards, laws and regulations for accounting and financial reporting of transactions, estimates and forecasts.
Compliance with Laws and Regulations
Each employee has the obligation to comply with all laws, rules and regulations applicable to the Company's operations. These include, without limitation, laws covering bribery and illegal commissions/fees, copyrights, trademarks and trade secrets, non-disclosure of information, illegal political contributions, antitrust prohibitions, foreign corrupt practices, offering or receiving gratuities, environmental hazards, employment discrimination or harassment, occupational health and safety, false or misleading financial information or abusive misuse of corporate assets. Each employee must understand and comply with all laws, rules and regulations that apply to his or her job position. If any doubt exists about whether a course of action is lawful, each employee should request advice from his or her supervisor or the Human Resources Department.
Obligations of the employees and agents related to business conduct and ethics
Each employee and/or agent has at least the following obligations related to business conduct and ethics:
Such obligations as listed above is not limitative, such list to be completed naturally with any other obligations arising from the present code of business conduct and ethics, as well as from any regulations applicable to the company on these lines.
Conclusion
This Code of Business Conduct and Ethics contains general guidelines for conducting the business of the Company consistent with the highest standards of business ethics. If any employee has any questions about these guidelines, they should please contact their direct superior or the Human Resources Department.
All Company's employees shall adhere to these standards.
