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Vodafone led the UK mobile industry in ensuring that proper Commercial content: Content provided by commercial
restrictions and controls are in place for its customers to prevent content providers to their mobile customers – including
pictures, video clips, mobile games, music, gambling.
access to adult content by under 18s.
Content control: Methods of preventing unrestricted
While working on the Code of Practice, which is self-regulatory, access to content, including barring.
Vodafone had the opportunity to consider what its ethical stance
should be. It could interpret the requirement to block access as
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Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR): An approach
having either an where businesses recognise they have a duty to the wider
• opt in policy - i.e. everyone would be barred from accessing over community.
18 material and would have to make a conscious choice to receive
this content or Ethics: Moral principles or rules of conduct and behaviour
• opt out policy – everyone could access the material and request accepted by members of society.
to have the bar applied to 18 rated content.
Goals: What a company wants to achieve.
Vodafone, through its work with the children’s charities Moderators: Someone who ensures that users abide by the
determined that an opt in policy was the more appropriate and chat rooms’ rules/codes of conduct.
responsible position to take in the UK.
Pressure groups: Individuals who come together to
Vodafone seeks to reduce spam text messages by locating their campaign for a cause e.g. Greenpeace.
source. Its customers can help by sending these messages to
Regulation: The creation of rules and codes of conduct for
Vodafone on the company’s VSpam service. Vodafone also individuals and organisations imposed generally by regulators
watches network traffic for the sources of unwanted messages. The or governments.
efforts in this area have led to a very significant fall in customer
complaints. Regulators: Independent organisations that seek to control
or change what companies do on behalf of consumers or
In the UK Vodafone works in partnership with the government, government.
police and others in the industry to help combat mobile phone crime.
It also advises customers and the broader community on how to Self-regulation: the process by which a company or more
often industry implements rules from within rather than
protect their phones and prevent fraudulent use. Actions taken
having them imposed by others e.g. government.
include setting up a register of equipment to block stolen phones.
Stakeholders: Groups of people with an interest in a
For a number of years, prior to the ban on holding a phone while company.
driving, Vodafone UK has strongly discouraged this practice. The
company devised practical actions to help its customers, which Strategic: Long term important issues fundamental to a
included discounts on car kits to allow them to use their phones legally company meeting its goals – compared with tactical, which
and clear advice on the research relating to the use of mobile phones refers to shorter terms actions.
in cars. Strategies: Actions implemented by a company to meet its
goals.
06_Conclusion
The mobile telecommunication industry is relatively young,
compared to industries such as oil and manufacturing. Vodafone is
For more information about Vodafone
a leading player in this sector and has grown quickly, like the please browse:
industry itself. Such a growth presents challenges and the
company’s approach to ethics guides its continued growth. Ethics www.vodafone.co.uk
are central to the company’s development. They guide staff
through change.