Describe key areas of the selected company's code of conduct that are of significant importance to the business, and explain why.
There are several areas of the Cheesecake Factory’s code of conduct that are of significant important to the business. Initially, I would like to bring your attention to the protection of the company’s confidential information. This is in consideration that mishandling such information could place the company’s objectives at risk. This particular section also points out that it is each individual employee’s responsibility to help in preventing the innovations and ideas generated within the company from falling in to the hands of our competitors. Next, I would like to point out the Compliance with Company Policies and Procedures. The importance of this section is based upon the foundation that everyone within in the organization, as I mentioned above, is responsible for and expected to foster a collaborative environment that is driven by mutual respect for one another. The other important section I would like to discuss is that of the Cheesecake Factory’s Standards within the code of conduct. I find this to be of the upmost importance because it sets forth the legal expectations for the entire company and its members. In detail it provides guidance on how the company’s officers, directors, and each individual employee interact within the organization. This portion of the code helps establish the core element that we want everyone to walk away with a mutual understanding that honesty is an ethical standard within the organization. This helps clients feel confident that they are receiving the highest quality of services from our entire company.

Explain the key steps that the company should take to ensure that employees follow the code of conduct.
The most important step to ensure that employees follow the code of conduct is making sure that each team member of the organization contributes in its preparation (Sullivan, Smith, & Esposito, 2012). This helps to make everyone feel included in the acceptance and compliance with the rules that are set forth in the code of conduct handbook. It is important to take in to consideration employee suggestions for improvement of the code of conduct for such inclusion to feel real. A handbook with a detailed description of the consequences for not following the code of conduct should be prepared for all employees. The handbook should be written in a clear and concise format that leaves no room for error, if any of the statements leave room for questions the handbook is not fulfilling its purpose. A distinguishing feature of codes of conduct is that they are voluntary in nature rather than legally binding, and this not legally enforceable. (Helen Keller, n.d.) I think it is also important to constantly review the code of conduct. At an individual store level I think that managers should be holding a monthly meeting to ensure that at the present time there are no questions regarding the code of conduct, and finding out what obstacles employees are encountering on a daily basis that need to be addressed within the code of conduct itself. Compliance with company policies needs to be a trickle-down effect. As the old saying goes, “do as I say, not as I do.”

Suggest three (3) ways in which the restaurant can engage in socially responsive activities in the community within which it operates. Three ways in which the Cheesecake Factory can engage in socially responsive activities in the community within which it operates starts with the company’s willingness to become environmental awareness. This would help form part of its corporate social responsibilities. This action could include contributing to researches aimed at producing eco-friendly solutions. This would allow the company to be viewed in a positive light by each local community in which it participates in these types of programs. Secondly, having some sort of established education foundation would be a positive initiative that the Cheesecake Factory could adopt. The foundation can be geared towards supporting bright students who are in need of scholarship help in order to partake in the next level of education that they are pursuing. Scholarship opportunities are a twofold initiative, they raise community awareness, but additionally they create marketing opportunities to present to markets they may not already be in. Lastly, the restaurant can also engage groups of the community that are in need of help. For example, such groups could include limited healthcare, limited life, limited resources, trouble teens, and rehab facilities. Through targeting such disadvantaged groups within the local communities which it operates, the Cheesecake Factory would certainly improve the overall community outlook of the company’s social responsibility.

References
Helen Keller, U. o. (n.d.). Yale University. Retrieved from Corporate Codes of Conduct and their Implementation: The Question of Legitimacy: http://www.yale.edu/macmillan/Heken_Keller_Paper.pdf
Sullivan, P., Smith, M., & Esposito, M. (2012). Business Ethics a Critical Approach: Integrating Ethics Across the Business World. Hoboken, NJ: Taylor and Francis.