At Rockwell Collins, we are committed to conducting our business with the highest standards of ethics and in accordance with the laws and regulations of the countries in which we do business. Ethics is a cornerstone of our company's heritage and remains an important part of our culture and the way we do business.

Clay Jones, Chairman, President and CEO of Rockwell Collins, expands on the importance of upholding our high standards and our ethics philosophy at Rockwell Collins in a video message.

Our ethics expectations

To ensure our commitment to ethics is effectively communicated throughout our company, our employees, officers, and directors are provided with a copy of our Code of Ethics, referred to as our Standards of Business Conduct. This document includes an overview of our policies and procedures as well as guidelines for making ethical decisions. All amendments or waivers to this document are posted on this Web site in accordance with applicable rules and regulations.

Everyone in our company is expected to be familiar with these standards and apply them in the performance of their responsibilities. Additionally, all employees and members of our Board of Directors are required to complete an annual certification regarding compliance with our standards of business conduct.

Our agents, representatives, and suppliers are also expected to act in accordance with the ethical standards of Rockwell Collins and all applicable laws. To effectively communicate our expectations for business conduct with suppliers, the Rockwell Collins Supplier Code of Ethics and Business Conduct is available on the Rockwell Collins Supplier Portal.

Communication and education

Our commitment to ethics is communicated to our employees through educational tools provided on our internal Web site, newsletters and other employee publications, and regular messages from our leaders. You can read more about our culture of ethics in a Horizons magazine article that features three of our employees and their perspectives on how ethics contributes to building trust.

To learn more about the ethical expectations for working at Rockwell Collins, our employees from around the globe participate in ethics training upon hire and on an annual basis thereafter. A video message from our senior leaders included in our ethics training exemplifies our leadership's commitment to the training.

Raising concerns and reporting violations

The Rockwell Collins Ombudsman Program upholds the integrity of our Standards of Business Conduct by providing an avenue for our employees, customers, suppliers and shareowners to report suspected violations of law or our Standards of Business Conduct, and to ask questions when faced with an ethical decision.

A comprehensive plan to communicate the Ombudsman's contact information ensures our employees and other stakeholders can easily access the Ombudsman if they have questions or concerns. (See links at right to view examples of our Ombudsman communications.) All contacts to the Ombudsman may be made anonymously and are kept confidential. Retaliation against those who report concerns or violations in good faith will not be tolerated at Rockwell Collins and is strictly prohibited by our retaliation policy.

Promoting ethics in our industry

Rockwell Collins maintains an active role in shaping and promoting ethics within our industry. One example is our role as a Signatory Company of the Defense Industry Initiative (DII). The DII is a voluntary, private, non-partisan, and non-profit organization comprised of U.S. defense companies committed to conducting business with the highest standards of ethical conduct and in compliance with the law. At Rockwell Collins, our commitment to the fundamental principles of the DII is demonstrated through our submission of the DII Annual Public Accountability Questionnaire as well as leadership and active participation at conferences and best practice forums.