Ethics Committee
Purpose, Principles and Process.
Guiding Purpose:
The Ethics Committee shall have the responsibility of monitoring, reviewing, and, if necessary, discipline members or recommend action to the Board of Directors regarding a member of the Greater Dayton Ad Association.
Guiding Principles:
The committee’s purpose is to ensure the continued goodwill of the Greater Dayton Ad Association as well as instill confidence in the industry and credibility of its members. Knowing that members expect fellow members to adhere to higher standards and that the Board of Directors is the governing body of the Association, it is further expected that the Board will put in place mechanisms to promote trust and ethical business practices of ad Association members. The Board shall also have the best interests of its members and industry as a guiding principle. It is also a guiding principle that ethics and trust are cornerstones to building public confidence in advertising.
Guiding References:
It shall use the Ad Association Code of Ethics and Conduct and Standards of Membership as its guiding principles. The Ethics Committee will include all applicable local, state, and federal laws; generally accepted accounting and business practices; and the Truth In Advertising Plan to consider its decisions and courses of action.
Composition:
The Ethics Committee shall be comprised of three Greater Dayton Ad Association members, one of which will be a board member appointed by the President of the Board. The remaining members may be nominated by the entire board or volunteer for service from the membership at large. For consistency purposes, terms shall be for two years, with one person serving three years.
Authority:
The Ethics Committee shall have authority to review all complaints against GDAA members, regardless of the origination, if the complaint is brought before the board or executive director.
The committee shall have authority to review, investigate, ask for substantiation or clarification, testimony, or other documentation it deems appropriate to complete a reliable review of the complaint. It has authority to issue a decision and secure assurance from the complained about party regarding compliance with its determination. It has authority to re- open a case if further violation is found concerning the same issue.
The Ethics Committee reviews issues of conduct, member standards violations, ethical misconduct or moral ineptitude. It does not include misleading advertising or ad code violations which are covered by the BBB and ARC. It does not have authority to revoke a member.
Process:
Any member of the Ad Association may file a complaint regarding another member, including board members.
- A complaint or grievance must be submitted in writing to the executive director, it is then forwarded to the Ethics Committee chair. The complained about party is notified in writing that it has been brought to the attention of the committee by the committee chair, as well as the process the committee will take.
- The ethics committee should meet and review the case, perform any discovery or investigation, and communicate with the complained about party regarding the committee’s review.
- Within 30 days of receiving the complaint, the Ethics Committee should make a decision, to include:
- Determine no action is required, dismiss the complaint
- Issue a cease and desist
- Issue a warning
- Sanction the member
- Issue a suspension of the member
- Recommend revocation to the Board of Directors
- The Ethics Committee shall communicate its decision in writing to the complained about party and to the Board of Directors.
- The Ethics Committee shall make known to the membership the results by publishing them in the Association newsletter.
In the event a member refuses to cooperate with the Ethics Committee, the committee can recommend further action against the member; take the action to a higher degree of action. For instance, the member does not honor a cease and desist agreement, and then the Ethics Committee can suspend the member.
In the event a member does not cooperate with the Ethics Committee after two attempts (regarding the same issue or different issues) to secure compliance with Ad Association policies, code of conduct, or other guiding principles, the Ethics Committee can recommend to the Board of Directors revocation of the member.
The recommendation to revoke must be submitted to the Board of Directors in writing, with a copy going to the complained about member. The Board must vote on the committee’s recommendation at a regular meeting within 60 days of the written notification. A written response from the Board is sent to the committee chair and to the member.
The Board’s decision will be published in the GDAA newsletter.
