Resumo: Corporate ethic codes are increasingly important, as strategic management nowadays needs more and more business ethics in order to compete in the global market. The main purpose of this paper is to show how ethic codes are one of the most usual procedures to implement ethical behaviour on business. An overall view is presented, describing the pertinent concepts, the evolution and the functions of ethic codes, as well as its developing and implementation in the corporate environment. Finally, we argue the usual formal ethic codes, pointing to the advantages and disadvantages referred by some researchers.
