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Corporate Responsibility

Ethics

Our business conduct reflects our business ethics principles.

General Dynamics UK is committed to meeting high ethical standards in our dealings with others. The nature of our business requires us to have strong values and an awareness of public concerns.

At General Dynamics UK we expect all our employees to act with the highest standards of ethical behaviour and integrity. We do not condone nor permit unethical or illegal conduct. The consequences of unethical or unlawful conduct may be far reaching and severe not only for the Company and its employees, but also for other stakeholders. Our employees are aware that unethical behaviour is wrong, and could lead to loss of business, reputational damage and legal sanctions.

All our employees receive formal training in Business Ethics and Conduct.

Our booklet 'Standards of Business Ethics and Conduct' summarises our ethics policies and is issued to all officers, executives, and full-time, part-time and temporary employees of GD UK. Our Business Ethics Principles are simply expressed:

• Use Assets Wisely:
  • How we manage our assets reflects our personal values, our company's values, and determines our ability to earn a fair return.
• Offer a Fair Deal:
  • We offer the best products at a reasonable price.
  • We make hard decisions and tackle tough choices.
  • How we go about making these decisions reflects our values.
• Deliver on Promises:
  • We are people of our word - we deliver on our promises.
  • We are responsible to our stakeholders and strive to earn their trust every day.
• Earn a Fair Return:
  • Our reputation is based on our ability to use our values to generate profits.
  • As we deliver on our promises, we endeavour to contract for a fair return.

We expect our suppliers, vendors, contractors, and joint venture partners to develop ethics and compliance programmes that are consistent with our values in all material respects.

When General Dynamics UK talks about business ethics, we refer to the commitments that make our company great. We deal fairly with our company's customers, suppliers, and competitors, as well as with each other. When we talk about compliance, we refer to the laws, rules, regulations, and policies that control and direct both our actions and those of our company.

Each of our employees is required to be:

• Law abiding
• Honest and trustworthy
• Responsible and reliable
• Fair and cooperative

General Dynamics UK operates a Business Ethics Hotline which any employee can call to express a concern or report a possible violation of laws, regulations, or policies. Every call to the hotline is handled promptly, discreetly, and professionally. We investigate reports of illegal or unethical conduct received through the hotline, and take appropriate action to resolve each reported matter. We also ensure that the company has trained Ethics and compliance officers in the business units and at corporate headquarters who can be relied upon to give advice at any time.

In summary, as a company operating internationally within the Defence sector, General Dynamics UK strives always to be, and to be seen to be, an ethical company. Ethics leadership is strong within the company, coming straight from Corporate Headquarters. In his foreword to the Company Ethics Booklet, the Chairman and CEO of General Dynamics is uncompromising in his insistence on ethical behaviour:

"It calls on us to do the right thing for our shareholders, for each other, and for our country. We have earned an excellent reputation for the way we conduct business. Each of us needs to sustain that reputation by adhering to the principles of integrity, honesty and respect articulated in this handbook." Back to top...

Quality

It is the objective of General Dynamics UK to focus on the needs of our customers through a policy of delivering defect free product, on time, and at an optimum cost. To this end, and in our pursuit of continuous improvement in every process that supports our business, the Company has implemented a Quality Management System in accordance with the requirements of ISO 9001:2000, TickIT, and AS9100B.

General Dynamics UK has been registered to ISO 9001 since 1995 and to its precursors since 1973. Back to top...

Health & Safety

It is the policy of General Dynamics UK to provide and maintain safe and healthy working conditions, equipment, plant and systems of work for all our employees, and to provide such information, training, supervision and consultation as they need for this purpose.

We also accept our responsibility for the health and safety of other people who may be affected by our activities. Our Operation is compliant with the three major standards that guide our working life; through our operating processes (ISO 9000 Quality Management), through our work place by minimising our adverse impacts (ISO 14000 Environmental Management), through our continued well being at work (OHSAS 18000 Occupational Health & Safety Management).

The allocation of responsibility for safety matters, and the particular arrangements that the Company will make to implement the policy, are set out within our Quality Management System (QMS 0.2.2)

This policy is regularly reviewed to ensure that it continues to reflect both current and new legislation, and our commitment to continual improvement, with regard to its impact on the business and its working practices. Back to top...

Environmental Policy

General Dynamics UK believes that environmental protection should form an integral part of standard operating procedures. The Company is concerned not only with its direct impact on the environment, but also any indirect effects caused by the Company’s activities affecting its neighbours and the local community. To support this, the company is accredited to both of the International Standards ISO 14000 & OHSAS 18000.

Our Environmental Policy Statement articulates the Company’s commitment to sound environmental management.

This policy shall be upheld through the following:

• Implementation and maintenance of an Environmental Management System in line with the International Standard BS EN ISO 14001.
• Maintaining effective environmental control procedures for all significant environmental aspects of the Company’s undertakings.
• Commitment to comply with all legal and regulatory requirements relevant to the Company’s activities.
• Commitment to prevent pollution and to avoid the use of hazardous materials on site and in products wherever practicable.
• Setting of objectives and targets on a regular basis in line with our commitment to continual improvement of the Environmental Management System.

This proactive stance shall be implemented throughout the Company. All employees are expected to observe sound environmental practices and to support the Company in its environmental objectives and targets.

This policy is reviewed and revised as necessary to ensure its continuing effectiveness and suitability in line with changes to the Environmental Management System, legislation and the achievement of objectives. Back to top...

Charities & Sponsorship

General Dynamics UK prides itself on being a responsible company which cares for its local communities and for its customers. Since our formation in 2001, we have contributed generously to local charities in Wales, Hastings and the Ashchurch area as well as sponsoring local institutions.

In Wales, we have contributed greatly to the provision of IT suites in several local schools and have provided a minibus to the local school in Oakdale. In both Hastings and Oakdale, we provide assistance to Drug Awareness schemes for children, paying for the printing and distribution of booklets in schools. Both our Wales facility and Hastings run a Charity Committee to discuss how best to distribute funds. Charities as diverse as the RNLI, Conquest Hospital League of Friends, Students for Kids International Projects, and the Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths have benefitted from donations from General Dynamics UK.

We are a defence company and take our responsibility to our customer very seriously. This includes helping to look after the well-being of members of the armed forces and their families, both serving and retired. To that end, we contribute annually to The Army Benevolent Fund and SSAFA.

In addition to charitable foundations General Dynamics UK also assists local sports clubs in Hastings and Wales. We are major sponsors of the Newbridge Rugby Club, as well as the Crumlin Cricket Club and Hastings Priory Cricket Club. Members of the company are always welcome to attend games and matches at these clubs, all of whom encourage and teach local children to play sport.

For the last two years General Dynamics UK has also been a major sponsor of the Hastings Half Marathon event, not only sponsoring the event itself but also donating a sum of money for the General Dynamics UK Charity Team Awards. A large number of General Dynamics UK staff participate in the event every year running the gruelling 13 mile course to raise money for local charities, and in 2006 the company contributed a further 25% of the money raised by the General Dynamics UK business team. The company will continue to sponsor the Half Marathon in 2007 and encourages as many members of staff to participate as possible.

For our customer, we sponsor RAF Families’ days, sports teams, overseas tours by military sports teams and adventurous pursuits which are often beyond the reach of soldiers, sailors and airmen and are not fully funded by the MOD.

We believe that our judicious mixture of supporting our locale and our customer helps to show our responsibility to the communities in which we live and work. Our donations to schools and children’s charities in particular give us great pleasure and we hope that by such investment in the future, we will continue to give life to the community. Back to top...