PPTVISION中国代表处
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公司介绍 |
PPT VISION, INC.
CODE OF ETHICS & BUSINESS CONDUCT
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INTRODUCTION
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Our
Commitment
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PPT VISION places
the highest value on the integrity of each of its employees
and representatives. We are committed to conducting
our business lawfully and ethically.
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The
Code
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It is not possible
to develop a detailed set of rules, policies or procedures
that cover all circumstances. The best guidelines
are individual integrity, common sense and compliance with
law. This Code of Ethics & Business Conduct (the
“Code”) provides a basic guide to assist our management,
employees and others acting on our behalf in understanding
their responsibilities.
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Applicability
of Code
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This Code applies
to each of our directors, officers, employees and other
representatives. We will inform our independent distributors,
dealers and agents of the importance of adhering to the
provisions and principles of this Code.
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OUR RESPONSIBILITIES FOR HONEST BUSINESS
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Ethical
Conduct
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Our reputation throughout the world
for legal and ethical behavior is one of our most valuable
assets. We are all responsible for safeguarding this
important asset.
We have a policy
of strict compliance with all laws, whether federal, state,
local or foreign. The highest standards of moral and
ethical behavior are essential to maintaining
our good reputation. We do not tolerate unethical
or dishonest conduct.
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Conflicts
of Interest
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While
it is not possible to develop a comprehensive set of rules
covering all circumstances, the following are examples of
activities which could be considered a conflict of interest
if undertaken by directors, officers, employees and other
representatives or members of their household:
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Owning a substantial interest in any competing
business or in any outside concern that does business with
PPT VISION.
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Providing services as a director, manager,
consultant, employee or independent contractor to any outside
concern that does business with PPT VISION or is in a competing
business, except with the specific prior knowledge and consent
of the President.*
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Employees engaging in any
outside employment which is in conflict with an essential
business-related interest or which requires significant
time, attention or energy, except with the specific prior
knowledge and consent of the CFO.
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Accepting gifts (other than
gifts of nominal value), favors, compensation, loans, excessive
entertainment or other similar activities from our competitors
or from any other company or person that does business or
seeks to do business with PPT VISION;
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Representing PPT VISION in any transaction
with a person or organization in which directors, officers,
employees and other representatives or members of their
household have a direct or indirect personal interest
or may derive a benefit;
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Competing directly or indirectly
with PPT VISION in the design, manufacture, marketing, purchase
or sale of products or property rights or interests;
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Using or revealing (without
proper authorization) any confidential product information,
confidential financial information or other confidential
information concerning our plans, decisions or activities,
including information which is not available to the general
public and which could be considered of some importance
in a decision whether to buy or sell our stock or our business
partners’ securities;
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Taking advantage of any
business opportunity which would rightfully belong to PPT
VISION.
Additional
guidelines and more detailed information regarding some
of the above examples can be found at the “Confidential
Information” and “Insider Trading“ sections of
this Code.
* Our
officers and directors must obtain this consent from the
Audit Committee.
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Undue
Influence or Bribery
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It is illegal
to pay or receive a bribe intended to influence business
conduct. Use of Company funds or property to bribe
or unduly influence any decision by a director, officer,
employee or agent of another company or any governmental
employee or official is strictly prohibited.
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Gifts
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Acceptance of gifts, offers of
travel, or unusual hospitality from any person or organization
in connection with any transaction with PPT VISION is not
permitted. It is permissible to receive unsolicited
gifts of nominal value or customary hospitality from persons
or entities doing business with PPT VISION when it is clear
that no intent is being made to influence or obligate.
Business courtesies
such as meals, transportation and entertainment shall be
modest in amount and related to a legitimate purpose.
No director, officer or employee shall provide entertainment,
meals or gratuities to any customer or other business associate (or group thereof) of the Company of more than
nominal value, or give any gift to such a person or group,
without first obtaining written approval from the Human
Resources department. No business courtesies shall
be given with either an explicit or implicit understanding
to use or purchase the Company’s products.
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Company
Resources
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Our telephones,
email and mail services are to be used for Company business.
Personal telephone calls and email should be limited.
Employees incurring business expenses are expected to exercise
good judgment with respect to all expenses. All employees
are expected to determine the most economical means of obtaining
transportation, lodging, meals, etc. Employees should
spend PPT VISION’s money as carefully and judiciously as
they would their own.
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OUR RESPONSIBILITIES IN OUR MARKETPLACE
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Fair Competition and Antitrust
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The primary
antitrust concerns in our segment of the industry lie in
the communications with our competitors, and business practices
with our customers. Our competitors include anyone
in our geographic markets manufacturing or selling the same
or similar products that we manufacture or sell. Our
customers are companies that purchase our products.
We are required
to comply with antitrust and unfair competition laws. These laws are complex and
vary considerably from country to country. The following
activities are generally prohibited under these laws:
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Agreements
with competitors that harm customers, including price fixing
and allocations of customers or contracts.
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Agreements
that unduly limit a customer’s ability to sell a product,
including establishing the resale price of a product or
service, or conditioning the sale of products on an agreement
to buy other of our products and services.
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Attempts
to monopolize, including pricing a product below cost in
order to eliminate competition.
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Use
of theft, deceit, or subterfuge in order to obtain information.
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Engaging
in illegal kickbacks, refusals to deal, price discrimination
or other illegal competitive practices.
Employees may
not discuss information with our competitors relating to
such subjects as projected sales for any specific product
or service, revenues or expenses, unannounced products and
services, pricing strategies, personnel situations and other
proprietary information. Employees may not disclose
to customers confidential information regarding company
wide sales projections or financial information not available
to the general public.
Questions whether particular conduct is appropriate should
be addressed to the Human Resources department.
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Sales and Marketing
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Our goal is
to build long-term relationships with our consumers and
customers by demonstrating honesty and integrity.
Our marketing and advertising will be accurate and truthful.
Deliberately misleading messages, omissions of important
fact, or false claims about our competitors’ offerings are
never acceptable.
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Product Quality and Safety
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Compliance with
our quality processes and safety requirements is essential
to maintain our valuable reputation and to meet our own
standards of meeting or exceeding consumer expectations.
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OUR RESPONSIBILITIES TO EMPLOYEES
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Respect
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Our employees
make a difference in our performance as a company.
Without dedicated employees, we would be unable to serve
our customers. PPT VISION and its partners are required
to be in compliance with all requirements of applicable
labor laws – including those regarding occupational health
and safety, equal opportunity employment, sexual harassment,
rates of pay and overtime.
PPT VISION will maintain a work environment that encourages
open communication regarding ethical problems and concerns.
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Equal Opportunity
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We are an equal
opportunity employer. We are committed to providing
a work environment that is free from discrimination and
harassment prohibited by law, whether verbal or physical.
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Safety
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We are committed
to complying with Occupational Safety and Health Administration
Requirements (OSHA) requirements to provide a safe and healthy
work environment. We will promptly correct any safety
problems in the workplace. Employees are expected
to report all accidents to the appropriate supervisors or
management, no matter how slight.
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OUR RESPONSIBILITY FOR COMPANY
INFORMATION
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Confidential Information
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Our success depends upon our ability
to maintain certain information in confidence. That
information includes any non-public information relating
to the Company, our customers and suppliers, or anyone else
who receives information as part of a business relationship.
Non-public information about past results and anticipated
future plans should be protected. Confidential information
should not be disclosed to anyone outside of the Company
or to anyone inside the Company who does not have a need
to know that information.
We
must protect customer information that is sensitive, private
or confidential just as carefully as our own. Only
those who have a need to know should have access to confidential
information.
Our employees
are expected to cooperate with reasonable requests for information
from government agencies and regulators, and to consult
with management before responding to any non-routine requests.
All information provided must be truthful and accurate.
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Disclosure of Corporate News and Information
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Our financial
information is not to be released to anyone unless it is
included in an externally published report, or otherwise
made generally available to the public. Questions
concerning the disclosure of confidential information should
be referred to the appropriate Management team member.
Confidential business matters should never be discussed
with representatives of the media or in any other public
forum. All media inquiries or requests for information
from financial analysts or our shareholders should be referred
to the CFO or CEO.
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Insider Trading
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Purchase
or sale of our securities (or the securities of our suppliers)
are prohibited for those who are in possession of material
information that has not been disclosed to the general public. This rule also applies to family members.
Violation of this policy is also a violation of the law.
Information
should generally be regarded as “material” if there is a
likelihood that it would be considered important by an investor
in making a decision regarding purchasing,
selling or holding the securities. The analysis of
whether information is material requires the consideration
of many factors. Examples might include unreleased
sales and/or earnings figures, projections of future earnings
or losses, news of a pending or proposed merger or asset
purchase, a major new contract or lawsuit, a change in dividend
policies, a change in management, news of a significant
sale of assets or the disposition of a subsidiary, and the
gain or loss of a major supplier. Either positive
or negative information may be material.
Disclosure of
material inside information to others who then trade in
securities is also prohibited. The potential penalties
apply to those who trade on the basis of the “tipped” information
as well as those responsible for supplying information (even
if the tipped information is received from, and supplied
to, persons outside of the Company).
Our board and
executive officers must comply with additional requirements
when trading in our securities.
Those requirements include the avoidance of “short swing”
trading and the filing of periodic reports relating to their
trading activities.
There are no exceptions to this policy and its violation
may result in serious criminal and civil penalties, in addition
to disciplinary action or discharge.
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Personal Investments
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Transactions
that create the appearance that an individual working for
PPT VISION may be improperly benefiting from his or her
relationship with PPT VISION or violating his or her fiduciary
responsibilities should be avoided. This policy applies
equally to investments by immediate family members.
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OUR
RESPONSIBILITIES FOR ACCURATE BOOKKEEPING
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Accurate Records
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Company books
and records shall be properly maintained and shall accurately
reflect all transactions. No undisclosed or unrecorded
funds or assets shall be established for any purpose.
All contracts under which funds are disbursed shall accurately
state the purposes for which these funds are paid and shall
not be misleading. Our financial statements and
other disclosures shall be full, fair, accurate, timely
and understandable and will be in compliance
with applicable governmental rules and regulations.
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Foreign Corrupt Practices
Act Requirements
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We are subject
to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 (the “FCPA”).
Our policy is to strictly comply with the provisions of
the FCPA, which establishes certain accounting requirements
and prohibits the bribery of foreign governmental officials.
Through
the FCPA we are subject to two interrelated accounting requirements.
First, the FCPA requires that we maintain books, records
and accounts which fairly and accurately reflect our transactions
and dispositions of assets in reasonable detail. This
requirement is designed to improve the accuracy of our financial
records and the audits that represent the cornerstone of
our financial disclosures. Second, the FCPA requires
that we devise and maintain a system of internal accounting
controls that are sufficient to provide reasonable assurances
that our bookkeeping and accounting objectives will be attained.
The FCPA also prohibits PPT VISION from directly or indirectly
giving anything of value to foreign government officials,
foreign political parties, candidates for political office,
or any person where the payment will inure to the benefit
of any of the above parties for the purpose of obtaining
special treatment from a foreign government official, even
if the payment is requested by that person or organization.
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Records Retention
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We have established
and maintain a formal records retention and disposal policy.
You should be aware of and comply with this policy and understand
the procedure for the retention of business documents.
Never alter or destroy documents or records in response
to an investigation or other lawful request.
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OUR RESPONSIBILITIES FOR OUR
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
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Protection of Our Intellectual Property
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We protect our
intellectual property by seeking patent, copyright or trade
secret protection and by taking appropriate steps to protect
our patents, copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets and other
proprietary information. Our patents, copyrights,
trademarks and other proprietary rights represent valuable
corporate assets.
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Intellectual Property
and Your Employment
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Any inventions,
designs, discoveries, ideas, concepts, works of authorship
and trade secrets created during the employment relationship
– or which arise out of an employee’s work or are created
using an employer’s time, materials or assets – are owned
by the employer. Employees are expected to cooperate
with PPT VISION in documenting our ownership of all intellectual
property developed during the employment relationship.
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Intellectual Property Rights of Others
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Industrial espionage
or acquisition of proprietary information about other companies
or their products and technology through improper means
is strictly prohibited. Confidential disclosure of
trade secrets of a technical or business nature from an
outside source should be received under the terms of a written
agreement that spells out our obligations and rights with
respect to the use and protection of the information.
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YOUR RESPONSIBILITY IN YOUR
COMMUNITIES
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Personal Conduct
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The success
of our business depends on building trust with our consumers,
customers, and the public. This trust is built by
the personal conduct of our employees, officers and directors.
Business and personal affairs should be conducted in such
a way as to avoid discredit or embarrassment to the company.
Customers and co-workers should be treated with respect
and courtesy, whether or not “on the job.”
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Political
Activities
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We
believe that it is important for every citizen to take an
active interest in political and governmental affairs. Participation
in political activities must be as a private citizen and
not in the capacity of a representative of the Company.
Contributions to particular candidates or ballot propositions
are personal and may not be a condition of employment.
We have a right to political expression
on issues and may express ourselves through contributions
to campaigns that do not involve the election of candidates
and are not prohibited by law.
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OUR RESPONSIBILITIES FOR ENFORCEMENT
AND ACCOUNTABILITY
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Enforcement
and Accountability
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Violation of
the principles of the Code of Ethics & Business Conduct
or applicable policies and procedures by any of our directors,
officers or employees (or their immediate family members,
to the extent applicable) will result in disciplinary action,
up to and including discharge of the officer or employee.
Violation of the Code by any business partner may result
in termination of the distribution, dealer or agency agreement.
In some cases, violation of the Code may also be a violation
of civil or criminal law and any disciplinary action by
the Company would be in addition to any governmental civil
or criminal penalties.
Except
as otherwise specifically set forth in this Code, any employee
who wishes to request waiver of, or any required consent
under, any provision of the Code must make a written request
to their immediate supervisor and be approved by the CFO
and CEO; in the case of the Company’s officers or directors,
requests for waivers or required consents must be made to
the Company’s Audit Committee.
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Reporting Violations
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We have adopted a Reporting Policy that governs the
investigation and reporting of improper activities, including
violations of this Code, and allows employees to submit
certain concerns in a confidential and anonymous manner.
If you believe
that you have discovered a possible violation of the letter
or intent of this Code, you may contact the Human Resources
department. In the event an alleged violation involves
a member of the Board of Directors, an officer of the Company
or the Human Resources department, a report may be made
in writing to the Audit Committee, c/o Thomas G. Lovett,
Lindquist & Vennum, 4200 IDS Center, Minneapolis MN
55402 and mark the envelope “Attn: PPT VISION Audit Committee.”
All reports
of a possible violation will be forwarded unopened, unaltered
and anonymously to the Audit Committee with the same “whistleblower”
protection as in our Policy on Reporting and Investigating
Allegations of Suspected Improper Accounting Activities.
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Who to Contact Regarding Accounting Concerns
Who to Contact with Questions or Concerns on Code of Ethics
and Conduct
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If you have
questions or concerns about the accounting or auditing practices
of PPT VISION, including its internal accounting controls,
you are encouraged to report these concerns to the PPT VISION
Audit Committee.
These reports should be submitted and will be administered as outlined
in the attached “Policy on Reporting and Investigating Allegations
of Suspected Improper Accounting Activities.”
If you have questions or concerns relating to the Code you
may contact:
TClayton@pptvision.com
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PPT
VISION, INC.
POLICY
ON REPORTING AND INVESTIGATING ALLEGATIONS OF
SUSPECTED IMPROPER ACCOUNTING ACTIVITIES
I.
Introduction
PPT VISION,
Inc. (the “Company”) is committed to compliance with the
laws and regulations to which it is subject and to promulgating
Company policies and procedures to interpret and apply these
laws and regulations. This policy governs reporting and
investigation of allegations of suspected Improper Accounting
Activities and represents the Company’s policy under Section
806 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (“Sarbanes-Oxley”)
and its procedures for the receipt, retention and treatment
of complaints regarding accounting, internal accounting
controls and auditing matters under Section 301 of Sarbanes-Oxley.
This policy
does not change the employment relationship between the
Company and its employees, but clarifies the responsibility
for conducting investigations for certain activities under
Section 806 of Sarbanes-Oxley. Individual employee complaints
regarding terms and conditions of employment will continue
to be reviewed under applicable personnel policies. Any
allegations of Improper Activities covered under this policy
may result in disciplinary charges against an employee.
In all instances, the Company retains the prerogative to
determine when circumstances warrant an investigation and
the appropriate investigative process to be employed.
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II.
Definitions
A.
Protected Disclosure
Section 806
of Sarbanes-Oxley imposes civil liability on a company that
retaliates against any employee who:
1. provides
information, causes information to be provided, or otherwise
assists an investigation regarding information the employee
reasonably believes constitutes wire fraud, mail fraud,
bank fraud, or a violation of the new securities fraud statute
that is part of Sarbanes-Oxley, of any Securities and Exchange
Commission (“SEC”) rule or regulation, or of any federal
rules relating to fraud against shareholders, with respect
to information provided to, or investigations conducted
by, among others, “a person with supervisory authority over
the employee (or such other person working for the employer
who has the authority to investigate, discover, and terminate
misconduct)”, or
2. files, causes
to be filed, testifies, participates in, or otherwise assists
in a proceeding filed or about to be filed (with any knowledge
of the employer) relating to any of the matters in (1) above.
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Improper Activities/Improper Accounting Activities/Improper
Securities Activities
Improper Activities
include:
1. Wire fraud,
mail fraud, bank fraud, any violation under the new securities
fraud statute that is part of Sarbanes-Oxley, any violation
of an SEC rule or regulation, or federal rules relating
to fraud against shareholders.
2. Questionable
accounting, internal controls and auditing matters or any
fraud whether or not material, that involves management
or other employees who have a significant role in internal
controls, or any matter which is the result of or relates
to a significant internal control deficiency or material
weakness in internal controls.
3. Any conduct
that is dishonest and unethical, conflicts of interest,
and disclosures in SEC reports and other public disclosures
that are not full, fair, accurate, timely and understandable.
4. Violations
of any other law, rule, regulation or the Company’s Code
of Ethics & Business Conduct or violation of Nasdaq
listing standards.
For the purposes
of this policy, Improper Activities described in Paragraphs
1 and 3 above will be referred to as “Improper Securities
Activities” and Improper Activities described in Paragraph
2 above will be referred to as “Improper Accounting Activities.”
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| C.
Whistleblower
A person or
entity making a protected disclosure is commonly referred
to as a “whistleblower.” Whistleblowers may be Company employees
(management or staff), applicants for employment, vendors,
contractors or the general public. The whistleblower’s role
is as a reporting party. They are not investigators or finders
of fact, nor do they determine the appropriate corrective
or remedial action that may be warranted.
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Audit Committee
The Audit Committee
is a committee of the Board of Directors responsible for
monitoring the Company’s financial accounting and reporting,
the system of internal controls by management and the adequacy
of auditing relative to these activities. The Company has
designated the Audit Committee with the primary responsibility
to investigate allegations of suspected Improper Accounting
Activities. The Audit committee is designated to receive
these reports from employees and non-employees of the Company.
The Company
has designated the Audit Committee with the primary responsibility
to investigate allegations of suspected Improper Activities
(other than Improper Accounting Activities) involving a
member of the Board of Directors, an officer of the Company
or the Human Resources department. The Audit Committee is
designated to receive these reports from employees and non-employees
of the Company.
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Reporting Allegations of Suspected Improper Activities
A.
Filing a Report
1. Normally,
a report by an employee of allegations of a suspected Improper
Activity (other than an Improper Accounting Activity) should
be made to the reporting employee’s immediate Supervisor
or other appropriate Management Team member, or to the Human
Resources department, except when the alleged Improper Activities
involve a member of the Board of Directors, an Officer of
the Company, or the Human Resources department, such reports
should be made in writing to the Audit Committee, c/o Thomas
Lovett, Lindquist & Vennum, 4200 IDS Center, Minneapolis,
MN 55402 and mark the envelope “Attention: PPT VISION Audit
Committee.”
Under Section
301 of Sarbanes-Oxley, reports of allegations of suspected
Improper Accounting Activities may be made anonymously to
the Audit Committee in the same manner as provided above.
All reports made to the Audit Committee should be marked
“Attention: PPT VISION Audit Committee.”
2. Reports by
persons who are not Company employees shall be made to the
Human Resources department or as provided in 1 above.
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| B.
Role of the Human Resources Department and/or Immediate Supervisor
1. Managers,
administrators and employees in supervisory roles shall
report to the Human Resources department any allegations
of suspected Improper Activities—whether received as a protected
disclosure, reported by their subordinates in the ordinary
course of performing their duties, or discovered in the
course of performing their own duties.
2. The Human
Resources department shall consult with the President, Chief
Financial Officer or members of the Audit Committee as necessary
in fulfilling his/her reporting responsibility and will
inform the Audit Committee of all reports made and any actions
taken by the Human Resources department to investigate or
resolve the matter;
3. The Human
Resources department will make a written report to the Audit
Committee if the matter alleges an Improper Activity by
a Director, a President, Vice-President, or Chief Financial
Officer.
4. To the extent
possible within the limitations of law and policy and the
need to conduct a competent investigation, confidentiality
of whistleblower identity and information reported will
be maintained.
5. The Company
or its legal counsel shall retain reports for five (5) years
after termination of employment of the subject of the investigation.
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| B.
Role of the Human Resources Department and/or Immediate Supervisor
1. Managers,
administrators and employees in supervisory roles shall
report to the Human Resources department any allegations
of suspected Improper Activities—whether received as a protected
disclosure, reported by their subordinates in the ordinary
course of performing their duties, or discovered in the
course of performing their own duties.
2. The Human
Resources department shall consult with the President, Chief
Financial Officer or members of the Audit Committee as necessary
in fulfilling his/her reporting responsibility and will
inform the Audit Committee of all reports made and any actions
taken by the Human Resources department to investigate or
resolve the matter;
3. The Human
Resources department will make a written report to the Audit
Committee if the matter alleges an Improper Activity by
a Director, a President, Vice-President, or Chief Financial
Officer.
4. To the extent
possible within the limitations of law and policy and the
need to conduct a competent investigation, confidentiality
of whistleblower identity and information reported will
be maintained.
5. The Company
or its legal counsel shall retain reports for five (5) years
after termination of employment of the subject of the investigation.
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IV.
Roles, Rights and Responsibilities of Whistleblowers
1. Whistleblowers
provide initial information related to a reasonable belief
that an Improper Activity has occurred. The motivation of
a whistleblower is irrelevant to the consideration of the
validity of the allegations. However, the intentional filing
of a false report, whether orally or in writing, is itself
considered an Improper Activity upon which the Company has
the right to act.
2. Whistleblowers
shall refrain from obtaining evidence for which they do
not have a right of access. Improper access may itself be
considered an Improper Activity.
3. Whistleblowers
must be candid with the Human Resources department, Audit
Committee, investigators or others to whom they make a report
of Alleged Improper Activities and shall set forth all known
information regarding any reported allegations. Persons
making a report of alleged Improper Activities should be
prepared to be interviewed by investigators.
4. Anonymous
whistleblowers must provide sufficient corroborating evidence
to justify the commencement of an investigation. An investigation
of unspecified wrongdoing or broad allegations will not
be undertaken without verifiable evidentiary support. Because
investigators are unable to interview anonymous whistleblowers,
it may be more difficult to evaluate the credibility of
the allegations and therefore, less likely to cause an investigation
to be initiated.
5. Whistleblowers
are “reporting parties,” not investigators. They are not
to act on their own in conducting any investigative activities,
nor do they have a right to participate in any investigative
activities other than as requested by investigators.
6. Protection
of a whistleblower’s identity will be maintained to the
extent possible within the legitimate needs of law and the
investigation. Should the whistleblower self-disclose his
or her identity, the Company will no longer be obligated
to maintain such confidence.
7. A whistleblower’s
right to protection from retaliation under Section 806 or
other state and federal law does not extend immunity for
any complicity in the matters that are the subject of the
allegations or an ensuing investigation.
8. Whistleblowers
must be informed of the disposition of their disclosure,
absent overriding legal or public interest reasons or anonymous
reports.
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| IV.
Roles, Rights and Responsibilities of Whistleblowers
1. Whistleblowers
provide initial information related to a reasonable belief
that an Improper Activity has occurred. The motivation of
a whistleblower is irrelevant to the consideration of the
validity of the allegations. However, the intentional filing
of a false report, whether orally or in writing, is itself
considered an Improper Activity upon which the Company has
the right to act.
2. Whistleblowers
shall refrain from obtaining evidence for which they do
not have a right of access. Improper access may itself be
considered an Improper Activity.
3. Whistleblowers
must be candid with the Human Resources department, Audit
Committee, investigators or others to whom they make a report
of Alleged Improper Activities and shall set forth all known
information regarding any reported allegations. Persons
making a report of alleged Improper Activities should be
prepared to be interviewed by investigators.
4. Anonymous
whistleblowers must provide sufficient corroborating evidence
to justify the commencement of an investigation. An investigation
of unspecified wrongdoing or broad allegations will not
be undertaken without verifiable evidentiary support. Because
investigators are unable to interview anonymous whistleblowers,
it may be more difficult to evaluate the credibility of
the allegations and therefore, less likely to cause an investigation
to be initiated.
5. Whistleblowers
are “reporting parties,” not investigators. They are not
to act on their own in conducting any investigative activities,
nor do they have a right to participate in any investigative
activities other than as requested by investigators.
6. Protection
of a whistleblower’s identity will be maintained to the
extent possible within the legitimate needs of law and the
investigation. Should the whistleblower self-disclose his
or her identity, the Company will no longer be obligated
to maintain such confidence.
7. A whistleblower’s
right to protection from retaliation under Section 806 or
other state and federal law does not extend immunity for
any complicity in the matters that are the subject of the
allegations or an ensuing investigation.
8. Whistleblowers
must be informed of the disposition of their disclosure,
absent overriding legal or public interest reasons or anonymous
reports.
09 24 03
Tim Clayton:ges
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ACKNOWLEDGMENT
PPT
VISION, Inc. Code of Ethics & Business Conduct
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| I
have received, read and understand the PPT VISION, Inc. Code
of Ethics and Business Conduct. In addition:
A. I understand
and acknowledge that the work for which I am employed by
the company includes access to information (such as customer,
supplier, sales and pricing information, manufacturing drawings
and processes), which is private, confidential, and/or trade-secret
property belonging to the company. I promise to receive
such information in confidence and will not, during or after
my employment, make use of such information outside of my
specific work for the company. I understand that my obligations
will continue whether or not my employment with the company
terminated voluntarily or involuntarily, or with or without
cause.
B. To the best
of my knowledge, information and belief, neither I nor any
member of my family has any interest or connection, or has
within the past year engaged in any activity, that constitutes
a conflict of interest as this term is described in the
Code of Ethics and Business Conduct, including employment
by me outside the company, except as indicated below. (Write
“NONE” if appropriate.)
C. To the best
of my knowledge, information and belief, I am not now engaged
in any actions, and during the past year have not engaged
in any actions that could be considered as violating the
Code of Ethics & Business Conduct, except as indicated
below. (Write “NONE” if appropriate.)
Signature Date
Name (Print
or Type) Title
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APPENDIX
I
CODE OF ETHICS
FOR FINANCIAL OFFICERS
In my role as
a financial executive of PPT VISION, Inc., I certify to
you that I adhere to and advocate the following principles
and responsibilities governing my professional and ethical
conduct.
To the best
of my knowledge and ability:
1. I act with
honesty and integrity, avoiding actual or apparent conflicts
of interest in personal and professional relationships.
2. I provide
constituents with information that is accurate, complete,
objective, relevant, timely and understandable.
3. I comply
with rules and regulations of federal, state, provincial
and local governments, and other appropriate private and
public regulatory agencies.
4. I act in
good faith, responsibly, with due care, competence and diligence,
without misrepresenting material facts or allowing my independent
judgment to be subordinated.
5. I respect
the confidentiality of information acquired in the course
of my work except when authorized or otherwise legally obligated
to disclose. Confidential information acquired in the course
of my work is not used for personal advantage.
6. I share knowledge
and maintain skills important and relevant to my constituents’
needs.
7. I proactively
promote ethical behavior as a responsible partner among
peers in my work environment.
8. I achieve
responsible use of and control over all assets and resources
employed or entrusted to me.
_________________________________
(Signature)
[1] Matters
that do not meet this standard may be worthy of review by
the Human Resources department, but should not be undertaken
as an investigation of an Improper Activity by the Audit/Governance
Committee.
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