| POLICY
It
is the policy of Stillwater Mining Company (SMC) that all its officers,
directors, employees and agents conduct business within the highest
legal, ethical and moral standards. SMC’s relationship with
all governmental agencies, customers, suppliers, and the general
public shall be conducted in all respects in a manner that protects
and enhances SMC’s reputation for integrity. This mandate
also applies to an employee’s use of personal funds or assets
to promote the business of SMC.
OBJECTIVE
The
purpose of this policy is to provide a foundation upon which SMC
will operate and conduct business.
GUIDELINES
Each
employee should be aware of and comply with all laws, rules and
regulations governing his or her area of responsibility. Specific
areas of concern include:
SMC
Books and Records
It
is SMC policy to make full, fair, accurate, timely and understandable
disclosure in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations
in all reports and documents that the SMC files with, or submits
to, the Securities and Exchange Commission and in all other public
communications made by SMC.
You
must complete all SMC documents accurately, truthfully, and in a
timely manner, including all travel and expense reports. When applicable,
documents must be properly authorized. You must record SMC's financial
activities in compliance with all applicable laws and accounting
practices. The making of false or misleading entries, records or
documentation is strictly prohibited. You must never create a false
or misleading report or make a payment or establish an account on
behalf of SMC with the understanding that any part of the payment
or account is to be used for a purpose other than as described by
the supporting documents.
Political
Activity
SMC
encourages participation by employees in public affairs by, for
example, supporting, working for and contributing to the political
party and candidates of the employee’s choice. However, endorsements
or other indications of support by SMC for candidates for elected
office and use of SMC funds or other SMC resources for political
contributions for elective office in the United States and some
foreign countries are illegal. Such endorsements or other indications
of support or the use of SMC funds, directly or indirectly, for
contributions of any kind to any political party in the United States
or to any candidate for or holder of any office of any domestic
or foreign government are prohibited, even where such endorsements,
other indications of support or contributions are lawful.
SMC
expenditures for lobbying activity, whether direct or indirect,
are permitted when prior approval is obtained from the General Counsel.
Contributions in support of non-partisan referendum issues are permitted
in states where not prohibited by law.
Illegal
or Improper Payment by SMC or Employees
No
personal payments of any kind, whether of money, services or property,
may be offered or made directly or indirectly to any domestic or
foreign public official (including employees or agents of or consultants
to governmental organizations) or to any employee, agent or representative
of any labor union or any organization seeking or doing business
with SMC or with which SMC seeks to do business, except for incidental
nominal gratuities described below. Bribes, kickbacks or gifts to
obtain business concessions from any individual or organization
are prohibited.
Normal
and properly authorized business expenses, such as reasonable business
travel and entertainment, non-cash gifts of nominal value provided
openly and according to established business practice, and product
demonstrations or visits to SMC operations, are permitted.
Depending
on the government regulations that may apply, gratuities of nominal
value by Government Relations personnel to domestic public officials
may be permitted. Knowledgeable Government Relations management
shall make such determination.
Gifts
and Entertainment
Employees
or members of their immediate families should not accept any gifts
of cash, entertainment, services, travel, lodging, accommodations,
or other forms of compensation or personal benefit from any actual
or potential supplier, competitor or customer which could reasonably
be interpreted to influence the employee’s judgments or actions
in performing his or her duties for the benefit of SMC (“prohibited
gifts”). Any prohibited gifts should be returned (or refused
in the case of entertainment, accommodations and other services
that are not returnable) and reported to the employee’s supervisor.
Following are examples of prohibited activity:
-
Receipt of gifts of cash or cash equivalents in any amount
- Acceptance
of paid commercial transportation or lodging
- Acceptance
of the free use of any vehicle, appliance or other property
- Borrowing
of money from providers (other than from financial institutions
on competitive terms) or having a supplier act as guarantor for
any loan, mortgage or lien
- Acceptance
of entertainment that substantially exceeds either prudent business
standards or normal reciprocal business entertainment by SMC
- Acceptance
of gifts of more than token value
Acceptance
of perishable or other gifts of nominal value, such as advertising
or promotional materials clearly marked with supplier brand names,
is not improper unless it influences the employee’s judgment
or action in performing his or her duties.
Acceptance
of reasonable and infrequent business meals or entertainment from
suppliers and reciprocal provision of similar courtesies are not
improper unless it influences the employee’s judgment or actions
in objectively performing his or her duties for the benefit of SMC.
Open
Communication
Senior
management must be informed at all times of matters which are important
in preserving SMC’s reputation. Accordingly, there shall be
full communication with senior management. Likewise, there shall
be no concealment of any information from either internal or independent
auditors.
Fair
Dealing; Observance of Antitrust Laws
SMC
depends on its reputation for quality, service and integrity. The
way we deal with our customers/clients, competitors and suppliers
molds our reputation, builds long term trust and ultimately determines
our success. You should endeavor to deal fairly with SMC's customers/clients,
suppliers, competitors and employees. We must never take unfair
advantage of others through manipulation, concealment, abuse of
privileged information, misrepresentation of material facts or any
other unfair dealing practice.
Agreements
or understandings with competitors (both traditional competitors
as well as others who compete in the marketplace from time to time)
to limit or restrict competition with respect to such matters as
prices, terms or conditions of sale, production, distribution, territories
or customers are usually unlawful. In general, agreements and transactions
with anti-competitive implications may be, per se, illegal. If in
doubt about compliance with antitrust laws, contact the Vice President
of Human Resources.
Disciplinary
Action
Employees
violating this Policy are subject to disciplinary action up to and
including discharge or other legal action.
Insider
Trading
You
are prohibited by SMC policy and the law from buying or selling
securities of SMC at a time when in possession of "material
nonpublic information." (There is, however, an exception for
trades made pursuant to a pre-existing trading plan, discussed below.)
This conduct is known as "insider trading." Passing such
information on to someone who may buy or sell securities –
known as "tipping" – is also illegal. The prohibition
applies to SMC securities and to securities of other companies if
you learn material nonpublic information about other companies,
such as SMC’s customers/clients, in the course of your duties
for SMC.
Information
is "material" if (a) there is a substantial likelihood
that a reasonable investor would find the information "important"
in determining whether to trade in a security; or (b) the information,
if made public, likely would affect the market price of a company's
securities. Examples of types of material information include unannounced
dividends, earnings, financial results, new or lost contracts or
products, sales results, important personnel changes, business plans,
possible mergers, acquisitions, divestitures or joint ventures,
important litigation developments, and important regulatory, judicial
or legislative actions. Information may be material even if it relates
to future, speculative or contingent events and even if it is significant
only when considered in combination with publicly available information.
Information
is considered to be nonpublic unless it has been adequately disclosed
to the public, which means that the information must be publicly
disclosed, and adequate time must have passed for the securities
markets to digest the information. Examples of adequate disclosure
include public filings with securities regulatory authorities and
the issuance of press releases, and may also include meetings with
members of the press and the public. A delay of one or two business
days is generally considered a sufficient period for routine information
to be absorbed by the market. Nevertheless, a longer period of delay
might be considered appropriate in more complex disclosures.
Do
not disclose material nonpublic information to anyone, including
co-workers, unless the person receiving the information has a legitimate
need to know the information for purposes of carrying out SMC's
business. If you leave SMC, you must maintain the confidentiality
of such information until it has been adequately disclosed to the
public by SMC. If there is any question as to whether information
regarding SMC or another company with which we have dealings is
material or has been adequately disclosed to the public, contact
the General Counsel.
Notwithstanding
the prohibition against insider trading, the law and SMC policy
permit SMC employees, directors and officers to trade in SMC securities
regardless of their awareness of material nonpublic information
if the transaction is made pursuant to a pre-arranged trading plan
that was established in compliance with applicable law and was entered
into when the person was not in possession of material nonpublic
information. A person who wishes to enter into a trading plan must
submit the plan to the General Counsel for approval prior to the
adoption, modification or termination of the trading plan.
Conflicts
of Interest and Annual Disclosure Requirement
All
employees should avoid situations that may create or appear to create
a conflict between their personal interests and the interests of
SMC. Conflicts of interest arise when an individual’s position
or responsibilities with SMC present an opportunity for personal
or family gain from potential or actual business transactions between
the employee or third parties and SMC.
Each
employee should avoid personal favor of any kind from any firm or
person having anticipated, current or ongoing dealings with SMC
if such favor actually or potentially produces or appears to produce
conflicts with SMC’s interests or reflects unfavorably on
its integrity.
Special
rules apply to executive officers and directors who engage in conduct
that creates an actual, apparent or potential conflict of interest.
Before engaging in any such conduct, executive officers and directors
must make full disclosure of all facts and circumstances to the
General Counsel, who shall inform and seek the prior approval of
the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee of the Board of
Directors (the "Board").
Annually,
each member of SMC’s Board and each SMC employee occupying
a designated sensitive position, including all officers, general
managers and purchasing personnel, shall complete the Business Ethics
Disclosure Statement which will be submitted to the Secretary of
SMC. Such Statement shall, in turn, be submitted by the Secretary
to the CEO in cases of potential or actual conflict and shall be
available to auditors and the Corporate Governance and Nominating
Committee of the Board for their review. The CEO shall designate
all “sensitive” positions and may approve certain disclosed
“conflicts” for all officers except himself on the basis
of immateriality or adequate management oversight. As to the CEO,
any such approval may be sought from the Corporate Governance and
Nominating Committee. All waivers of the policy shall be reported
immediately to the Secretary of SMC for public disclosure where
appropriate.
Corporate
Opportunities
Employees
and directors owe a duty to SMC to advance its legitimate interests
when the opportunity to do so arises. If you learn of a business
or investment opportunity through the use of corporate property
or information or your position at SMC, such as from a competitor
or actual or potential customer, supplier or business associate
of the SMC, you may not participate in the opportunity or make the
investment without the prior written approval of the General Counsel.
Directors must obtain the prior approval of the Board. Such an opportunity
should be considered an investment opportunity for SMC in the first
instance. You may not use corporate property or information or your
position at SMC for improper personal gain, and you may not compete
with SMC.
Protection
and Proper Use of SMC Assets
We
each have a duty to protect SMC's assets and ensure their efficient
use. Theft, carelessness and waste have a direct impact on SMC's
profitability. We should take measures to prevent damage to and
theft or misuse of SMC property. When you leave SMC, all SMC property
must be returned to the SMC. Except as specifically authorized,
SMC assets, including SMC time, equipment, materials, resources
and proprietary information, must be used for business purposes
only.
SMC
Records
Compliance
with accepted accounting rules, controls and disclosure requirements
are expected at all times. All assets, liabilities, revenues and
expenses of SMC shall be properly recorded in the respective books
and records. All entries made shall properly reflect the intent
and nature of any transaction. SMC’s disclosure shall be full,
fair, accurate, timely and understandable. Compliance with SMC’s
record retention policy is expected at all times.
Record
Retention
In
the course of its business, SMC produces and receives large numbers
of records. Numerous laws require the retention of certain SMC records
for various periods of time. SMC is committed to compliance with
all applicable laws and regulations relating to the preservation
of records. SMC's policy is to identify, maintain, safeguard and
destroy or retain all records in SMC's possession on a systematic
and regular basis. Under no circumstances are SMC records to be
destroyed selectively or to be maintained outside SMC premises or
designated storage facilities, except in those instances where SMC
records may be temporarily brought home by employees working from
home in accordance with approvals from their supervisors or applicable
policies about working from home or other remote locations.
If
you learn of a subpoena or a pending or contemplated litigation
or government investigation, you should immediately contact the
General Counsel. You must retain and preserve ALL records that may
be responsive to the subpoena or relevant to the litigation or that
may pertain to the investigation until you are advised by the General
Counsel as to how to proceed. You must also affirmatively preserve
from destruction all relevant records that without intervention
would automatically be destroyed or erased (such as e-mails and
voicemail messages). Destruction of such records, even if inadvertent,
could seriously prejudice SMC. If you have any questions regarding
whether a particular record pertains to a pending or contemplated
investigation or litigation or may be responsive to a subpoena or
regarding how to preserve particular types of records, you should
preserve the records in question and ask the General Counsel for
advice.
Safety
in the Workplace
The
safety and security of employees is of primary importance. You are
responsible for maintaining our facilities free from recognized
hazards and obeying all SMC safety rules. Working conditions should
be maintained in a clean and orderly state to encourage efficient
operations and promote good safety practices.
Weapons
and Workplace Violence
No
employee may bring firearms, explosives, incendiary devices or any
other weapons into the workplace or any work-related setting, regardless
of whether or not employees are licensed to carry such weapons.
Similarly, SMC will not tolerate any level of violence in the workplace
or in any work-related setting. Violations of this policy must be
referred to your supervisor and the General Counsel immediately.
Threats or assaults that require immediate attention should be reported
to the police at 911.
Drugs
and Alcohol
SMC
intends to maintain a drug-free work environment. Except at approved
SMC functions, you may not use, possess or be under the influence
of alcohol on SMC premises.
You
cannot use, sell, attempt to use or sell, purchase, possess or be
under the influence of any illegal drug on SMC premises or while
performing SMC business on or off the premises.
Reporting
Compliance with Policy
A
summary of this Policy shall be prominently displayed at all SMC
work sites. Periodically, a statement of the Business Ethics Policy
shall be circulated to all SMC directors, officers, and employees
designated by the CEO, and such persons shall file a report of compliance
at that time.
Reporting
Violations of Policy
Any
potential violation of applicable laws, rules or regulations, or
of this Policy, that comes to the attention of an employee should
be reported immediately by any person to his or her department manager
who should insure that the matter is reported to the SMC officer
to whom the department manager reports and to Vice President of
Human Resources. The person reporting the potential violation may
choose in certain sensitive circumstances to contact the Vice President
of Human Resources directly. When appropriate, the Vice President
of Human Resources shall advise the SMC Chief Financial Officer
(“CFO”) and the CEO.
Any
employee who, in good faith, reports a potential violation shall
not incur retaliation from SMC or any officer, employee, contractor,
subcontractor or agent of SMC and SMC shall use its best efforts
to protect his or her confidentiality to the extent possible, consistent
with law and corporate policy and the need to conduct an effective
investigation. “Good faith” means that the employee
has a reasonably held belief that the facts upon which the report
of potential violation is being made are true and the report is
not being made for personal gain or for other ulterior motive. “Retaliation”
means discharge, demotion, suspension, threatening, harassment,
or discrimination against an employee in the terms and conditions
of his or her employment.
Persons
reporting violations should:
-
not attempt to investigate the circumstances
-
not discuss it with other employees or third parties, other than
the Vice
President of Human Resources, the CEO, and any person approved
thereby
Reported
violations shall be promptly investigated under the direction of
the Vice President of Human Resources and following completion of
such investigation, upon the advice of the Vice President of Human
Resources, violations will be reported as appropriate or required
by law to the appropriate authorities. The CFO and the independent
auditors shall inform the CEO, Vice President of Human Resources
and the Audit Committee of SMC’s Board of any violations.
The
Vice President of Human Resources shall recommend the appropriate
level of disciplinary action to the CEO for decision. Affected employees
shall be afforded, upon request, an opportunity to meet directly
with the Vice President of Human Resources and/or the CEO to review
the circumstances or the disciplinary action and seek redetermination.
Reports
Regarding Accounting Matters
SMC
is committed to compliance with applicable securities laws, rules,
and regulations, accounting standards and internal accounting controls.
You are expected to report any complaints or concerns regarding
accounting, internal accounting controls and auditing matters (“Accounting
Matters”) promptly. Reports should be made in accordance with
SMC's Whistleblower Policy. All reports will be treated confidentially
to the extent reasonably possible. No one will be subject to retaliation
because of a good faith report of a complaint or concern regarding
Accounting Matters.
Questions
Regarding Policy
Compliance
with this Policy is best assured by employees exercising good judgment
and applying the “sunshine test”, i.e., “if my
decision or action would become known to other people, would it
cause embarrassment, condemnation or penalty to me, my coworkers
or SMC?”. Any employee who has any questions regarding this
Policy or its application should discuss the matter with his/her
supervisor or the officer to whom such employee ultimately reports.
Any supervisor or officer requiring interpretation of this Policy
should refer the question to the Vice President of Human Resources.
Employees involved in compliance activities are encouraged to seek
advice from the Vice President of Human Resources as necessary in
regard to observance of all applicable laws and regulations.
Investigations
of Suspected Violations
All
reported violations will be promptly investigated and treated confidentially
to the extent reasonably possible, in accordance with SMC's Whistleblower
Policy. It is imperative that reporting persons not conduct their
own preliminary investigations. Investigations of alleged violations
may involve complex legal issues, and acting on your own may compromise
the integrity of an investigation and adversely affect both you
and SMC.
Discipline
for Violations
SMC
intends to use every reasonable effort to prevent the occurrence
of conduct not in compliance with its Code and to halt any such
conduct that may occur as soon as reasonably possible after its
discovery. Subject to applicable law and agreements, SMC personnel
who violate this Code and other SMC policies and procedures may
be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including discharge.
Waivers
of the Code
SMC
will waive application of the policies set forth in this Code only
where circumstances warrant granting a waiver. Waivers of the Code
for directors and executive officers may be made only by the Board
as a whole or the Audit Committee of the Board and must be promptly
disclosed as required by law or regulation.
No
Rights Created
This
Code is a statement of the fundamental principles and key policies
and procedures that govern the conduct of SMC's business. It is
not intended to and does not create any obligations to or rights
in any employee, director, client, supplier, competitor, shareholder
or any other person or entity.
Remember
Ultimate
responsibility to ensure that we as a company comply with the many
laws, regulations and ethical standards affecting our business rests
with each of us. You must become familiar with and conduct yourself
strictly in compliance with those laws, regulations and standards
and SMC's policies and guidelines pertaining to them.
|