Cases such as BP’s safety lapses in the US, the collusion between British Airways and Virgin Atlantic Airways over fuel surcharges and the corruption scandal at Siemens are not only damaging by themselves but feed cynicism about the wider effectiveness of companies’ ethical codes and controls.

In an effort to ensure codes are followed, companies are stepping up training programmes, according to a survey* published on Thursday by the Institute of Business Ethics. Seven out of 10 large companies in the UK now train employees in how to apply their codes of conduct. Four years ago, less than half had such training programmes. In the US, the Ethics Resource Center reports a similar increase in training.