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The Marketer’s Professional Responsibility
The professional marketer has responsibilities to their employer, to customers – both ultimate and intermediate – to their colleagues and to the public. The Institute requires its members, as a condition of membership, to recognize these responsibilities in the conduct of their business, and to adhere to the following Code of Ethics. All members shall be answerable to Council for any conduct which in the opinion of Council is in breach of this Code and Council may take disciplinary action against any member found to be in breach thereof.

Enforcement of the Code
Role of the Individual
It is the duty of all members to assist the Institute in implementing this Code and the Institute will support any member so doing.

Misuse of the Code
Unfair, reckless or malicious use of this Code by members or others to damage the reputation and/or professional practice of a member and/or their organization shall be deemed a breach of this Code.

Procedures of Handling Complaints
Council may nominate, at its discretion, a person or persons whose task would be to decide if there is a prima facie case to answer. If there is such a case, Council shall initiate the necessary procedure for its investigation.

Sanctions for Breach of this Code
If Council of the Institute, having duly and properly examined an alleged breach of this Code by a member, finds that member in breach of this Code, it shall be empowered to take such disciplinary action as it shall deem appropriate. If Council decides to expel a member from the Institute, it shall act in strict accordance with the provisions of the Constitution.

Professional Conduct
General Members shall at all times conduct themselves as persons of integrity and shall observe the principles of this Code in such a way that their reputation, that of the Institute and that of marketing shall be enhanced.

Injury to Other Members
Members shall not knowingly, recklessly or maliciously injure the professional reputation or practice of another member.

Honesty
Members shall at all times act honestly and in such manner that customers – both ultimate and intermediate, and the public – are not caused to be misled. Nor shall they in the course of their professional activities knowingly or recklessly disseminate false or misleading information. It is also their responsibility to ensure that their subordinates conform with these requirements.

Professional Competence
It is expected that, in the exercise of a member’s profession as a marketing executive, they shall seek at all times to ensure that they attain and retain the appropriate levels of competence necessary for the efficient conduct of such tasks as are entrusted to them by their employers. They shall seek to ensure that all who work with them or for them have the appropriate levels of competence for the effective discharge of the marketing tasks entrusted to them and where any shortcomings might exist they will seek to ensure that they are made good as speedily as possible.

Conflict of Interest
Members shall use their utmost endeavour to ensure that the provisions of this Code and the interests of their customers are adequately and fairly reported to their company in any circumstances where a conflict of interest may arise.

Members holding an influential personal interest in any business which is in competition with their own employer, shall disclose that interest to their employer.

Members having an influential personal interest in the purchase or sales of goods or services as between their own company and another organization shall give their company prior information as to that interest.

Confidentiality of Information
Members shall not disclose, or permit the disclosure to any other person, firm or company, any confidential information concerning a customer’s business without the written consent of the customer except where required by statute.

Members shall not disclose, or permit the disclosure to any person, firm or company or use to their own advantage, any confidential information concerning their employer’s business without the written consent of their employer, except where required by statute.

Securing and Developing Business
Members shall not seek to obtain business in a manner which, in the opinion of Council is unprofessional. In determining whether or not any behaviour is unprofessional, Council will be guided inter alia, by this Code and by any professional Code of Ethics in effect at the time the behaviour occurs.

Sexual Harassment
Any action of an employer or supervisor of an employee to make it reasonably appear to an employee that the prospects or working conditions of that employee are contingent upon the employee's acceptance of sexual advances or toleration of sexual advances or persistent sexual suggestions or innuendo from, the employer or supervisor is a violation of this Code.

It is a violation of this Code for a prospective employer to make it reasonably appear to a person that an offer of employment to that person, or the terms on which employment is so offered, is or are contingent on that person's acceptance of sexual advances or toleration of persistent sexual suggestions or innuendo from the prospective employer.

It is a violation of this Code for an employee to harass sexually a fellow worker.

For the purposes of this Code, a person shall be taken to harass sexually another person if the first-mentioned person makes an unwelcome sexual advance, or an unwelcome request for sexual favours, to the other person, or engages in other unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature in relation to the other person, and - the other person has reasonable grounds for believing that a rejection of the advance, or refusal of the request or the taking of objection to the conduct would cause the other person to suffer disadvantage in any way in connection with the other person's employment or work or possible employment or possible work, or as a result of the other person's rejection of the advance, refusal of the request or taking of objection to the conduct, the other person suffers any form of disadvantage in connection with that other person's employment or work or possible employment or possible work.

Philosophy of Members of the Institute
We believe that membership to the Canadian Institute of Marketing should denote a standard of achievement.

We believe that The Canadian Institute of Marketing should be recognized as the official organization for promoting professionalism in marketing in Canada.

We believe that The Canadian Institute of Marketing should constantly seek to improve the status of Canadian marketing.

We believe the Canadian Institute of Marketing should be responsible for nominating accredited college ands university programs that will qualify students for student membership.

We believe in developing marketing oriented students through student membership to Full Membership

We believe that all members of The Canadian Institute of Marketing should be encouraged to participate in the affairs of the Institute to keep current with new marketing trends and to grow within the organization.