Microsoft Word - Gigilioni & Patat_7.2.docx


E-­‐JournALL,	
  EuroAmerican	
  Journal	
  of	
  Applied	
  Linguistics	
  and	
  Languages	
  
Volume	
  7,	
  Issue	
  2,	
  October	
  2020,	
  51–69	
  
ISSN	
  2376-­‐905X	
  	
  
http://doi.org/10.21283/2376905X.12.206	
  
www.e-­‐journall.org	
  	
  	
  

© Giglioni 2020. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. 

	
   	
  

	
   Pedagogical	
  implications	
  of	
  teaching	
  codes	
  of	
  ethics	
  at	
  tertiary	
  level:	
  	
  
An	
  Italian	
  case	
  study	
  

	
  
	
  

	
  
CINZIA	
  GIGLIONI	
  

Sapienza Università di Roma 	
  	
  
	
  

	
  ELLEN	
  PATAT	
  
Università	
  degli	
  Studi	
  di	
  Milano	
  and	
  Università	
  degli	
  Studi	
  di	
  Milano	
  Bicocca	
  	
  

	
   	
  
	
   Received	
  15	
  January	
  2020;	
  accepted	
  after	
  revisions	
  18	
  September	
  2020	
  

 
ABSTRACT 

EN The study investigates the use of codes of ethics in teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL) to students enrolled in a first-
level master’s course in Marketing Management in an Italian public university. According to Bhatia (2002), genre-specific documents 
such as codes of ethics have the potential to “sensitise and prepare students to meet the communicative demands of disciplinary 
communication” (p. 13). Within the theoretical framework of genre analysis and its possible implications for language teaching, this 
paper focuses on learners’ perceptions and achievements in EFL learning using corporate codes of ethics, presented to students 
both theoretically and on a practical level. A pre-questionnaire, pre- and post-test, and abridged post-treatment questionnaire were 
used to collect data. The goal of the five-week study was to demonstrate that genre pedagogy caters to learners’ needs, raises 
rhetorical and genre awareness, and fosters language awareness at a micro-textual, lexico-syntactical level. 
 
Key words:	
  CODES OF ETHICS, LANGUAGE TEACHING, ENGLISH FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES, GENRE-BASED INSTRUCTION 
 

ES Este estudio es investiga el uso de los códigos de ética en la enseñanza del inglés como lengua extranjera (LE) a los alumnos 
de un Máster en mercadotecnia en una universidad pública italiana. Se espera que los códigos revelen su potencial de 
“sensibilizar y preparar a los alumnos a fin de poder estar a las alturas de las exigencias comunicativas en comunicación 
disciplinaria” (Bhatia, 2002, p.13 [traducción nuestra]). Dentro del marco teórico del análisis de género y sus posibles 
implicaciones para la enseñanza de idiomas, este trabajo se enfoca en las percepciones y resultados de los estudiantes de 
inglés LE, a quienes se les han presentado códigos de ética empresarial desde un punto de vista tanto teórico como práctico. 
Para obtener los datos, se han utilizado una encuesta antes del tratamiento, una prueba tanto antes como después y una 
versión reducida de la encuesta post tratamiento. El objetivo de este estudio de cinco semanas es demostrar que la pedagogía 
de los géneros se vincula con las necesidades de los principiantes, porque, por un lado, solicita su conocimiento retórico y de 
género, y, por otro, favorece, a nivel microtextual, su conocimiento del léxico y de la sintaxis de la lengua extranjera. 
 
Palabras claves: CÓDIGOS DE ÉTICA, DIDÁCTICA DE IDIOMAS, INGLÉS ESPECIALÍSTICO, ENSEÑANZA BASADA EN EL GÉNERO 
 

IT Questo studio indaga l’uso dei codici etici nell’insegnamento dell’inglese come lingua straniera (LS) a studenti di un master in 
marketing management di un’università pubblica italiana. Ci si aspetta che i codici rivelino la loro potenzialità nel “sensibilizzare e 
preparare gli studenti a soddisfare i bisogni comunicativi della comunicazione di una data disciplina” (Bhatia, 2002, p. 13 [traduzione 
nostra]). Avendo come quadro teorico di riferimento l’analisi del genere e le sue possibili implicazioni nella didattica delle lingue, il 
presente studio si focalizza sulle percezioni e i risultati di studenti di inglese LS, ai quali vengono presentati i codici etici aziendali da 
un punto di vista sia teorico sia pratico. Per raccogliere i dati sono stati impiegati un questionario preliminare, un pre-test, un post-
test e un questionario ridotto finale. Questo studio, durato cinque settimane, si è proposto di dimostrare che la pedagogia dei generi 
testuali va incontro ai bisogni dei discenti, perché, da una parte, sollecita la loro consapevolezza retorica e dei generi testuali, 
dall’altra favorisce, a livello microtestuale, la loro consapevolezza del lessico e della sintassi della lingua straniera. 
 
Parole chiave: CODICI ETICI, DIDATTICA DELLE LINGUE, INGLESE PER SCOPI SPECIFICI, INSEGNAMENTO BASATO SUI GENERI TESTUALI 

  
* 	
  Cinzia	
  Giglioni,	
  Sapienza	
  Università	
  di	
  Roma	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  
cinzia.giglioni@uniroma1.it 

http://www.e-journall.org


GIGLIONI	
  &	
  PATAT	
  

E-­‐JournALL	
  7(2)	
  (2020),	
  pp.	
  51–69 52	
  

1.	
  Introduction	
  
	
   The	
  pivotal	
  importance	
  of	
  English	
  in	
  the	
  field	
  of	
  international	
  business	
  is	
  evident,	
  thus	
  the	
  relevance	
  

of	
  developing	
  business	
  communication	
  skills	
   in	
  English	
   to	
  prepare	
  speakers	
  of	
  other	
   languages	
   for	
  a	
   future	
  
professional	
   environment	
   seems	
   unquestionable.	
   Enhancing	
   learners’	
   communicative	
   competence	
   implies	
  
concentrating	
  not	
  only	
  on	
  grammar	
  but	
  also	
   the	
  sociolinguistic	
  and	
  pragmatic	
  aspects	
  of	
   language	
   (Hymes,	
  
1971),	
   while	
   focusing	
   on	
   sociocultural	
   and	
   discourse	
   rules	
   (Canale	
   &	
   Swain,	
   1980).	
   Hence,	
   a	
   pedagogical	
  
approach	
   based	
   on	
   an	
   authentic	
   learning	
   environment	
   (Oliver,	
   Herrington,	
   &	
   Reeves,	
   2006;	
   Herrington,	
  
Reeves,	
   &	
   Oliver,	
   2014)	
   and	
   authentic	
   materials	
   (Gilmore,	
   2007;	
   Peacock,	
   1997;	
   Ruiz-­‐Garrido	
   &	
   Palmer-­‐
Silveira,	
  2017)	
  is	
  particularly	
  advisable	
  in	
  an	
  English	
  for	
  Specific	
  Purposes	
  (ESP)	
  class.	
  Within	
  this	
  framework,	
  
with	
  reference	
  to	
  companies’	
  social	
  engagement	
  and	
  public	
  image	
  (Andrade,	
  Hamza,	
  &	
  Xara-­‐Brasil,	
  2017),	
  the	
  
study	
  of	
  codes	
  of	
  ethics	
  (CoEs)	
  seems	
  to	
  meet	
  the	
  need	
  to	
  focus	
  on	
  corporate	
  discourse	
  at	
  a	
  tertiary	
  level	
  to	
  
build	
  students’	
  competitive	
  profiles.	
  	
  

	
   CoEs	
  are	
  corporate	
  documents	
  that	
  have	
  become	
  “one	
  of	
  the	
  most	
  common	
  tools	
  of	
  implementation	
  
of	
  ethical	
  principles	
  into	
  business	
  practice”	
  (Krč,	
  2015,	
  p.	
  2).	
  They	
  could,	
  therefore,	
  be	
  considered	
  useful	
  tools	
  
in	
   fostering	
   language	
   awareness	
   and	
   proper	
   vocabulary	
   use,	
   which	
   will	
   ultimately	
   contribute	
   to	
   the	
  
enhancement	
  of	
  learners’	
  communication	
  skills.	
  Based	
  on	
  the	
  classic	
  definition	
  of	
  genre	
  proposed	
  by	
  Swales	
  
(1990),	
  whereby	
  “the	
  principal	
  criterial	
  feature	
  that	
  turns	
  a	
  collection	
  of	
  communicative	
  events	
  into	
  a	
  genre	
  is	
  
some	
   shared	
   set	
   of	
   communicative	
   purposes”	
   (p.	
   46),	
   emphasizing	
   the	
   establishment	
   of	
   discourse	
  
communities	
   and	
   prototypicality	
   (pp.	
   49–58),	
   it	
   would	
   be	
   safe	
   to	
   claim	
   that	
   CoEs	
   represent	
   a	
   specific	
  
corporate	
  genre.	
  At	
  this	
  point,	
  some	
  preliminary	
  remarks	
  about	
  CoEs	
  should	
  be	
  made.	
  CoEs	
  are:	
  
	
  

- specialized	
   texts	
   addressed	
   to	
   insiders	
   but,	
   like	
   other	
   corporate	
   documents	
   (i.e.	
   annual	
   reports),	
  
expected	
  to	
  also	
  be	
  read	
  by	
  external	
  stakeholders	
  

- available	
   and	
   easily	
   downloadable	
   from	
   companies’	
   websites	
   (and	
   can	
   potentially	
   reach	
   a	
   huge	
  
audience)	
  

- examples	
  of	
  specialized	
  discourse	
  
- written	
  to	
  guide	
  behavior	
  (content-­‐wise)	
  
- a	
  relatively	
  new	
  genre	
  in	
  linguistic	
  research	
  
- a	
  new	
  genre	
  in	
  pedagogical	
  research;	
  at	
  the	
  time	
  of	
  the	
  present	
  study,	
  no	
  research	
  on	
  their	
  potential	
  

use	
  in	
  ESP	
  courses	
  is	
  to	
  be	
  found	
  in	
  Italy.	
  
	
  

In	
   the	
  present	
   case	
   study,	
   the	
   focus	
   is	
  on	
   the	
   field	
  of	
  ESP,	
   in	
  particular	
  on	
  genre-­‐based	
   instruction	
  
(GBI),	
  where	
  the	
  codes	
  and	
  their	
  authenticity	
  become	
  an	
  asset	
  in	
  language	
  teaching.	
  They	
  present	
  a	
  twofold	
  
advantage,	
   providing	
   exposure	
   to	
   real	
   language	
   use,	
   and,	
   in	
   terms	
   of	
   content,	
   offering	
   the	
   opportunity	
   to	
  
explore	
  both	
  the	
  corporate	
  values	
  and	
  principles	
  that	
  regulate	
  institutions	
  in	
  which	
  members	
  engage	
  in	
  social	
  
and	
  business	
  relations.	
  	
  

	
  This	
  study	
   is	
  grounded	
  on	
  two	
  beliefs:	
  The	
   first	
   is	
   that	
  students	
  can	
  substantially	
  contribute	
   to	
   the	
  
development	
  of	
  teaching	
  tools	
  and	
  practices	
  alike	
  by	
  actively	
  participating	
  and	
  working	
  on	
  the	
  sources	
  used	
  
during	
  the	
  ESP	
  lesson;	
  the	
  second	
  is	
  that	
  a	
  genre	
  approach	
  could	
  be	
  considered	
  a	
  useful	
  method	
  in	
  teaching	
  
students	
   to	
   understand	
   and	
   reflect	
   on	
   why	
   genre	
   conventions	
   are	
   specified	
   and	
   needed	
   in	
   corporate	
  
environments.	
  This	
  study	
  thus	
  follows	
  Hyland’s	
  belief	
  that	
  “genre	
  pedagogies	
  enable	
  teachers	
  to	
  ground	
  their	
  
courses	
  in	
  the	
  texts	
  that	
  students	
  will	
  have	
  to	
  work	
  with	
  in	
  their	
  target	
  contexts,	
  thereby	
  supporting	
  learners	
  
to	
   participate	
   effectively	
   in	
   the	
   world	
   outside	
   the	
   ESL	
   classroom”	
   (Hyland,	
   2017,	
   p.	
   148).	
   The	
   study	
   will	
  
present	
  insights	
  resulting	
  from	
  the	
  use	
  of	
  CoEs	
  in	
  teaching	
  Business	
  English	
  to	
  a	
  group	
  of	
  non-­‐native	
  speakers	
  
of	
  English	
  enrolled	
   in	
  a	
  one-­‐year	
  master	
  program	
  in	
  Marketing	
  Management	
  at	
  a	
  public	
  university	
   in	
  Milan	
  
(Italy)	
  in	
  the	
  academic	
  year	
  2019-­‐2020.	
  Although	
  Italy	
  is	
  one	
  of	
  the	
  few	
  countries	
  that	
  requires	
  its	
  students	
  to	
  
have	
   reached	
   at	
   least	
   a	
   B2	
   level	
   at	
   the	
   end	
   of	
   upper	
   secondary	
   education	
   (European	
  
Commission/EACEA/Eurydice,	
   2017),	
   most	
   graduates	
   don’t	
   comply	
   with	
   this	
   requirement	
   and	
   newly	
  
recruited	
   workers	
   typically	
   encounter	
   difficulties	
   to	
   accomplish	
   English-­‐related	
   activities.	
   The	
   study	
  
therefore	
  aimed	
  to	
  evaluate	
  the	
  didactic	
  impact	
  of	
  using	
  CoEs,	
  a	
  genre	
  that	
  is	
  new	
  to	
  the	
  Italian	
  domain	
  of	
  ESP,	
  
by	
  discussing	
  two	
  main	
  hypotheses	
  related	
  to	
  one	
  research	
  question:	
  	
  

	
  
RQ:	
  What	
   is	
   the	
   impact	
  of	
  using	
  CoEs	
  written	
   in	
  English	
   in	
  a	
  Business	
  English	
  course	
   for	
  L1	
   Italian	
  
speaking	
  learners	
  of	
  English	
  as	
  a	
  foreign	
  language?	
  



TEACHING	
  CODES	
  OF	
  ETHICS	
  

E-­‐JournALL	
  7(2)	
  (2020),	
  pp.	
  51–69 53	
  

Hp.	
   1:	
   Generating	
   awareness	
   of	
   CoEs’	
   main	
   features	
   is	
   functional	
   in	
   the	
   enhancement	
   of	
  
students’	
  linguistic	
  competence.	
  	
  
Hp.	
  2:	
  CoEs	
  assist	
  in	
  developing	
  business-­‐related	
  communicative	
  competence.	
  	
  
	
  

2.	
  Theoretical	
  framework	
  
In	
  the	
  context	
  of	
  language	
  teaching	
  and	
  learning,	
  a	
  growing	
  interest	
  in	
  genre	
  theory	
  and	
  its	
  possible	
  

pedagogical	
  application	
  has	
  attracted	
  growing	
  attention	
  in	
  the	
  last	
  two	
  decades.	
  Although	
  definitions	
  of	
  genre	
  
vary,	
   a	
   rather	
   intuitive	
   notion	
   of	
   genre	
   derives	
   from	
   the	
   idea	
   that	
   discourse	
   involves	
   conventional	
   use	
   of	
  
stable	
   utterance	
   groups,	
  which	
   follow	
   recognizable	
   patterns	
   that	
   suit	
   the	
   accomplishment	
   of	
   certain	
   social	
  
goals	
  (Cap	
  &	
  Okulska,	
  2013).	
  This	
  notion	
  prompted	
  both	
  scholars	
  and	
  educators	
  toward	
  the	
  introduction	
  of	
  
genre-­‐based	
   instruction	
   (GBI)	
   as	
   an	
   ESL	
   solution	
   to	
   speed	
   up	
   the	
   mastery	
   of	
   English	
   language-­‐related	
  
activities.	
  Genre	
  pedagogies	
   can	
  meet	
   students’	
   needs	
   in	
   a	
  way	
   that	
   general	
  English	
   instruction,	
  which	
   can	
  
focus	
  on	
  “abstract	
  prescriptions	
  of	
  disembodied	
  grammars”	
  (Hyland,	
  2007,	
  p.	
  148),	
  may	
  not.	
  	
  

	
  On	
   the	
  one	
  hand,	
  defining	
  a	
  genre	
  may	
  be	
  a	
   theoretical	
  minefield:	
  What	
  components	
  or	
  stages	
  are	
  
essential?	
  What	
   is	
   their	
   order	
   and	
   how	
   does	
   it	
   change	
   across	
   different	
   discourse	
   domains?	
  What	
   are	
   the	
  
conventional	
   characteristics	
   that	
   typify	
   a	
   given	
   genre?	
  Whose	
   recognition	
   counts	
   the	
  most	
   in	
   identifying	
   a	
  
genre	
   (the	
   communicator’s	
   or	
   the	
   analyst’s)?	
   On	
   the	
   other	
   hand,	
   GBI	
   is	
   attractive	
   in	
   terms	
   of	
   benefits	
   for	
  
students	
  when/if	
  general	
  English	
  instruction	
  fails.	
  In	
  genre	
  classes,	
  language	
  awareness	
  means	
  moving	
  away	
  
from	
   vague	
   descriptors	
   such	
   as	
   adequate	
   knowledge	
   of	
   grammar/syntax/vocabulary	
   and	
   towards	
  
understanding	
   how	
   language	
  works	
   in	
   human	
   interaction,	
  with	
   special	
   attention	
   to	
   the	
   texts	
   students	
  will	
  
need	
  to	
  use	
  in	
  a	
  particular	
  target	
  context.	
  

Within	
   the	
   present	
   framework,	
   we	
   define	
   genre	
   as	
   “abstract,	
   socially	
   recognized	
   ways	
   of	
   using	
  
language”	
  (Hyland,	
  2007,	
  p.	
  149),	
  or,	
  more	
  comprehensively,	
  “a	
  type	
  of	
  discourse	
  that	
  occurs	
  in	
  a	
  particular	
  
setting,	
  that	
  has	
  distinctive	
  and	
  recognizable	
  patterns	
  and	
  norms	
  of	
  organization	
  and	
  structure,	
  and	
  that	
  has	
  
particular	
   and	
   distinctive	
   communicative	
   functions”	
   (Richards	
   &	
   Schmidt,	
   2010,	
   p.	
   245).	
   Furthermore,	
   it	
  
could	
  be	
   seen	
  as	
   the	
   “functional	
   relationship	
  between	
  a	
   type	
  of	
   text	
   and	
  a	
   type	
  of	
   situation”	
   (Coe,	
  2002,	
  p.	
  
197)	
   or	
   as	
   “rhetorical	
   actions	
   that	
  writers	
   draw	
   on	
   to	
   respond	
   to	
   perceived	
   repeated	
   situations”	
   (Hyland,	
  
2003b,	
  p.	
  22).	
  Concisely,	
   these	
   last	
   two	
  definitions	
  emphasize	
  a	
   fundamental	
  aspect:	
  The	
  correlation	
  of	
   the	
  
written	
  production	
  to	
  situational	
  instances.	
  	
  

The	
  popularity	
  of	
  genre-­‐based	
  instruction	
  (GBI)	
  may	
  be	
  traced	
  back	
  to	
  the	
  1980s	
  following	
  criticism	
  
of	
  product-­‐based	
  and	
  process-­‐based	
  approaches	
  to	
  language	
  teaching.	
  In	
  the	
  1990s,	
  not	
  only	
  did	
  genre-­‐based	
  
analysis	
   (GBA)	
   respond	
   to	
   the	
   limitations	
   presented	
   by	
   the	
   process	
   approach	
   (Ahn,	
   2012;	
   Feez,	
   2002;	
  
Paltridge,	
   2007),	
   but	
   it	
   was	
   also	
   later	
   combined	
   in	
   a	
   resultant	
   process-­‐genre	
   approach	
   (Assaggaf,	
   2016;	
  
Babalola,	
  2012;	
  Badger	
  &	
  White,	
  2000;	
  Ghufron,	
  2016).	
   Increasing	
  attention	
  was	
  devoted	
   to	
   the	
  concept	
  of	
  
GBA	
   in	
   language	
   teaching	
   and	
   learning	
   (Ahn,	
   2012;	
   Chandler,	
   1997;	
   Hyland,	
   2007;	
   Swales,	
   1990)	
   as	
   it	
  
emphasizes	
  both	
  the	
  linguistic	
  knowledge	
  and	
  the	
  social	
  context	
  of	
  a	
  text.	
  	
  

Among	
  major	
  approaches	
  to	
  GBI—ESP	
  (English	
  for	
  specific	
  purposes)	
  and	
  EAP	
  (English	
  for	
  academic	
  
purposes),	
   SFL	
   (systemic	
   functional	
   linguistics)	
   (Hyland,	
   2003b),	
   and	
   RGS	
   (rhetorical	
   genre	
   studies)	
   (Ahn,	
  
2012;	
   Artemeva,	
   2004;	
   Johns,	
   2008)—ESP	
   concentrates	
   on	
   identifying	
   the	
   key	
   features	
   of	
   genres	
   that	
   are	
  
employed	
   in	
  both	
  academic	
  and	
  professional	
   settings	
   (Ahn,	
  2012,	
  p.	
  3).	
  According	
   to	
  Bhatia	
   (2002),	
   genre-­‐
based	
  analysis	
  in	
  ESP	
  means:	
  

investigating	
   instances	
   of	
   conventionalized	
   or	
   institutionalized	
   textual	
   artefacts	
   in	
   the	
  
context	
  of	
  specific	
  institutional	
  and	
  disciplinary	
  practices,	
  procedures	
  and	
  cultures	
  in	
  order	
  
to	
  understand	
  how	
  members	
  of	
  specific	
  discourse	
  communities	
  construct,	
  interpret	
  and	
  use	
  
these	
  genres	
  to	
  achieve	
  their	
  community	
  goals	
  and	
  why	
  they	
  write	
  them	
  the	
  way	
  they	
  do.	
  (p.	
  
6)	
  
	
  

	
   As	
   the	
   development	
   of	
   professional,	
   institutional	
   and	
   critical	
   literacies	
   highly	
   relies	
   on	
   cultivating	
  
reflective	
  knowledge	
  approaches	
  (Alessi,	
  2016,	
  p.	
  61),	
  it	
  is	
  believed	
  that	
  once	
  the	
  recurring	
  features	
  of	
  a	
  genre	
  
are	
   presented,	
   learners	
  will	
   be	
   able	
   to	
   display	
   greater	
   awareness	
   towards	
   the	
   language	
   and	
   produce	
   their	
  
own	
  examples.	
  

In	
  GBI,	
   students	
  are	
  provided	
  with	
  explicit	
  explanations	
   in	
  social	
  context	
   (Hyland,	
  2003b,	
  p.	
  18)	
  so	
  
that	
  they	
  can	
  find	
  the	
  recurring	
  structure	
  by	
  themselves	
  (Ahn,	
  2012).	
  They	
  are	
  then	
  to	
  analyze	
  texts	
  in	
  their	
  
contexts,	
  “exploring	
  the	
  ‘natural	
  history’	
  of	
  written	
  communication	
  in	
  their	
  ecosystem”	
  (Breeze,	
  2012,	
  p.	
  69).	
  



GIGLIONI	
  &	
  PATAT	
  

E-­‐JournALL	
  7(2)	
  (2020),	
  pp.	
  51–69 54	
  

Combining	
   the	
   linguistic	
   (bottom-­‐up)	
   and	
   the	
   social	
   context	
   (top-­‐down)	
   approaches	
   (Breeze,	
   2012)	
   could	
  
support	
   students’	
   knowledge	
   of	
   the	
   linguistic	
   traits	
   that	
   are	
   used	
   in	
   specific	
   contexts	
   such	
   as	
   corporate	
  
writing.	
  Few	
  studies	
  have	
  explored	
  genre-­‐based	
  pedagogy	
  at	
  an	
  undergraduate	
  level,	
  instead	
  focusing	
  either	
  
on	
   ethnographic	
   research	
   (Johns,	
   1997,	
   2007)	
   or	
   developing	
   writing	
   competencies	
   for	
   L2	
   primary	
   school	
  
students	
   (Ahn,	
   2012).	
  However,	
   the	
   genre-­‐based	
   approach	
   is	
   popular	
   in	
   business	
   and	
   legal	
   English,	
  where	
  
scholars	
   concentrated	
   on	
   increasing	
   students’	
   awareness	
   of	
   organizing	
   information	
   in	
   writing	
   (Paltridge,	
  
2001),	
  of	
  linguistic	
  characteristics	
  (Freedman,	
  1999),	
  of	
  lexico-­‐grammatical	
  features	
  and	
  generic	
  structures	
  of	
  
a	
  discussion	
  genre	
   essay	
   (Nagao,	
   2019),	
   of	
   the	
   reader-­‐writer	
   relationship,	
   and	
  of	
   learners’	
  writing	
   abilities	
  
(Feez,	
  2002;	
  Viriya	
  &	
  Wasanasomsithi,	
  2017).	
   In	
   Italy,	
  scholars	
  have	
  recently	
  examined	
  genre	
  or	
  discourse-­‐
informed	
   ESP	
   language	
   awareness	
   components	
   in	
   course	
   content	
   in	
   14	
   Italian	
   universities	
   through	
   a	
  
questionnaire	
  distributed	
  to	
  25	
  academics	
  (Alessi,	
  2016);	
  others	
  focused	
  on	
  Italian-­‐English	
  language	
  crossing	
  
in	
  tourism	
  discourse	
  by	
  analyzing	
  a	
  small	
  corpus	
  of	
  English	
  tourist	
  texts	
  about	
  Italy	
  (Cappelli,	
  2013).	
  

Due	
  to	
  the	
  fast-­‐paced	
  and,	
  quite	
  often,	
  highly	
  specialized	
  communication	
  in	
  an	
  international	
  setting,	
  
ESP	
   learners	
   need	
   to	
   be	
   knowledgeable	
   in	
   business	
   discourse.	
   Thus,	
   analyzing	
   authentic	
  material,	
   namely	
  
material	
   that	
   “is	
   produced	
   by	
   companies	
   for	
   use	
   by	
   their	
   employees,	
   for	
   client	
   information,	
   or	
   for	
   general	
  
publicity”	
   (Ellis	
   &	
   Johnson,	
   1994,	
   p.	
   157),	
   has	
   a	
   fundamental	
   role	
   in	
   teaching	
   business	
   English.	
   Company-­‐
specific	
  materials	
  may	
  include	
  annual	
  reports,	
  product	
   information,	
  newsletters	
  and	
  magazines	
  or	
  other	
  PR	
  
material,	
  company	
  videos,	
  correspondence,	
  reports	
  and	
  memos,	
  minutes	
  of	
  meetings,	
  contracts,	
  manuals,	
  and	
  
written	
  instructions	
  (Ellis	
  &	
  Johnson,	
  1994;	
  Sampath	
  &	
  Zalipour,	
  2010).	
  This	
  study	
  focuses	
  on	
  codes	
  of	
  ethics.	
  

	
  
2.1	
  Codes	
  of	
  Ethics:	
  A	
  genre	
  in	
  corporate	
  communication	
  	
  

	
   A	
   CoE	
   could	
   be	
   considered	
   a	
   guideline	
   designed	
   to	
   establish	
   a	
   principled	
   corporate	
   environment,	
  
ultimately	
  fostering	
  ethically	
  correct	
  behavior	
  and	
  practices.	
  The	
  adoption	
  of	
  CoEs	
  supports	
  the	
  creation	
  of	
  a	
  
“moral	
   community”	
   where	
   employees	
   “as	
   the	
   members	
   of	
   a	
   profession	
   are	
   bound	
   together	
   by	
   common	
  
aspirations,	
  values,	
  and	
  training”	
  (Frankel,	
  1989,	
  p.	
  110).	
  Previous	
  steps	
  of	
  the	
  research	
  that	
  were	
  carried	
  out	
  
by	
   one	
   of	
   the	
   authors	
   of	
   this	
   paper	
   (Giglioni,	
   2020),	
   showed	
   that	
   Italian	
   CoEs	
   tend	
   to	
   follow	
   a	
   legalistic	
  
tradition,	
  as	
  they	
  are	
  bound	
  by	
  the	
  terms	
  of	
  Legislative	
  Decree	
  n.231/2001	
  (Gazzetta	
  Ufficiale,	
  2001),	
  which	
  
introduced	
  the	
  concept	
  of	
  the	
  liability	
  of	
  institutions.	
  This	
  concept	
  is	
  quite	
  opaque	
  in	
  the	
  Anglo-­‐Saxon	
  world,	
  
where	
  commitment-­‐oriented	
  codes	
  are	
  prevalently	
  used	
   instead.	
  As	
  underlined	
  by	
  Giglioni	
   (2019),	
   the	
   two	
  
previously	
   defined	
   types	
   of	
   codes—i.e.	
   legalistic	
   and	
   commitment-­‐oriented	
   (Catenaccio	
   &	
   Garzone,	
   2017;	
  
Frankel,	
  1989)—entailed	
  some	
  recurring	
   traits	
  at	
  both	
  macro	
  and	
  micro-­‐textual	
   levels.	
  As	
   to	
  macro-­‐textual	
  
level,	
  the	
  legalistic,	
  small-­‐sized	
  codes	
  generally	
  display	
  lists,	
  definitions,	
  and	
  a	
  contract-­‐style	
  layout,	
  and	
  they	
  
do	
  not	
   resort	
   to	
  visuals,	
  whereas	
   in	
   large-­‐sized,	
   commitment-­‐oriented	
  codes,	
   it	
   is	
  possible	
   to	
   find,	
   together	
  
with	
  the	
  CEO’s	
  message,	
  comprehension	
  aids,	
  ad	
  hoc	
  titles,	
  and	
  visuals.	
  With	
  reference	
  to	
  the	
  micro-­‐textual	
  
level,	
   on	
   the	
   one	
   hand,	
   legalistic	
   codes	
   present	
   formal	
   words,	
   phraseological	
   units,	
   attempts	
   at	
   extreme	
  
precision,	
   the	
  overuse	
  of	
   shall,	
   and	
  nominalization;	
  on	
   the	
  other	
  hand,	
   commitment-­‐oriented	
   codes	
   include	
  
the	
  use	
  of	
  short	
  sentences,	
  a	
  more	
  personal	
  style	
  (e.g.	
  first-­‐person	
  plural	
  pronoun),	
  simple	
  and	
  clear	
  lexicon,	
  
and	
   figurative	
   language.	
   The	
   rationale	
   upon	
   which	
   this	
   paper	
   is	
   based	
   is	
   that	
   students	
   can	
   be	
   taught	
   to	
  
identify	
  the	
  typical	
  traits	
  of	
  the	
  two	
  code	
  types,	
  thus	
  reaching	
  a	
  twofold	
  objective:	
  enhancing	
  foreign	
  language	
  
awareness	
  and	
  learning	
  specific	
  contents.	
  

In	
   the	
   study	
  of	
  CoEs,	
  previous	
   research	
  mainly	
   focused	
  on	
  socio-­‐psychology	
   (Fairfax,	
  2007);	
   cross-­‐
cultural	
  studies	
   (Langlois	
  &	
  Schlegelmilch,	
  1990;	
  Singh	
  et	
  al.,	
  2005;	
  Wood,	
  2000);	
   the	
  relationship	
  between	
  
codes	
  and	
  perceptions	
  of	
  ethical	
  behavior	
   (Adams,	
  Tashcian,	
  &	
  Stone	
  2001;	
  Pierce	
  &	
  Henry,	
  1996;	
  Somers,	
  
2001);	
  perceptions	
  of	
  code	
  users	
  (Kaptein,	
  2011);	
  linguistic	
  data	
  (Chua,	
  2015;	
  Farrell	
  &	
  Farrell,	
  1998;	
  Holder-­‐
Webber	
   &	
   Cohen,	
   2012;	
   Long	
   &	
   Driscoll,	
   2008;	
   Pollach,	
   2003);	
   content	
   description,	
   overlapping,	
   and	
  
effectiveness	
  (Farrell	
  &	
  Cobbin,	
  2000;	
  Holder-­‐Webb	
  &	
  Cohen,	
  2012;	
  Krippendorff,	
  2013;	
  Stevens,	
  2008;	
  Singh,	
  
201;	
  Wood	
  &	
  Rimmer,	
  2003);	
  and	
  comparative	
  content	
  analysis	
  of	
  corporate	
  CoEs	
  (Andrade,	
  Hamza,	
  &	
  Xara-­‐
Brasil,	
  2017)	
   to	
  mention	
  some.	
  However,	
  a	
   lack	
  of	
  studies	
  on	
   the	
  pedagogical	
   implications	
  of	
  using	
  CoEs	
   in	
  
ESP	
   courses	
   is	
   to	
   be	
   noted.	
   If	
   compared	
   to	
   other	
   corporate	
   documents,	
   such	
   as	
   annual	
   reports,	
   memos,	
  
minutes	
   of	
   meetings,	
   etc.,	
   CoEs	
   provide	
   narratives	
   that	
   could	
   contribute	
   to	
   learners’	
   understanding	
   of	
  
corporate	
  dynamics	
  from	
  an	
  ethical	
  point	
  of	
  view,	
  thus,	
  shaping	
  their	
  future	
  behaviors	
  in	
  and	
  approaches	
  to	
  
their	
   companies.	
   The	
   exposure	
   to	
   authentic	
   language	
   and	
   genre	
   can	
   be	
   valuable	
   for	
   the	
   students	
   as	
   it	
   can	
  
empower	
  them	
  to	
  manipulate	
  and	
  work	
  with	
  professionally	
  useful	
  information.	
  At	
  the	
  same	
  time,	
  it	
  can	
  foster	
  



TEACHING	
  CODES	
  OF	
  ETHICS	
  

E-­‐JournALL	
  7(2)	
  (2020),	
  pp.	
  51–69 55	
  

foreign	
  language	
  acquisition	
  through	
  “an	
  explicit	
  understanding	
  on	
  how	
  target	
  texts	
  are	
  structured	
  and	
  why	
  
they	
  are	
  written	
  the	
  way	
  they	
  are”	
  (Hyland,	
  2007,	
  p.	
  151).	
  	
  

 
3.	
  Methodology	
  
3.1.	
  Research	
  design	
  

The	
  setting	
  of	
  the	
  present	
  study	
  is	
  a	
  public,	
  Italian-­‐medium	
  university	
  in	
  Milan,	
  Italy,	
  where	
  students	
  
have	
  the	
  opportunity	
  to	
  attend	
  a	
  first-­‐level	
  master	
  program	
  (60	
  CFU)	
  comprehensive	
  of	
  an	
  80-­‐hour	
  Business	
  
English	
  course.	
  The	
  course	
  is	
  designed	
  to	
  familiarize	
  students	
  with	
  various	
  aspects	
  of	
  business-­‐related	
  topics.	
  
The	
  syllabus,	
  which	
  was	
  developed	
  by	
  one	
  of	
  the	
  researchers	
  and	
  taught	
  by	
  the	
  other	
  researcher,	
  follows	
  the	
  
classic	
   subdivision	
   in	
   foreign	
   language	
   teaching	
   based	
   on	
   the	
   four	
   macro	
   skills,	
   in	
   accordance	
   with	
   the	
  
European	
  Common	
  Framework	
  B1-­‐B2	
   levels.	
  Based	
  on	
   their	
  prior	
   language	
   level,	
  which	
  was	
  assessed	
  with	
  
one-­‐to-­‐one	
  interviews	
  at	
  the	
  beginning	
  of	
  the	
  course,	
  students	
  were	
  divided	
  into	
  two	
  groups:	
  14	
  in	
  Group	
  A	
  
(B1	
  ECF)	
  and	
  10	
  in	
  Group	
  B	
  (B2	
  ECF)	
  (see	
  3.1.1).	
  	
  

	
   In	
  order	
  to	
  ensure	
  its	
  validity,	
  multiple	
  methods	
  were	
  used	
  in	
  this	
  study,	
  where	
  a	
  quasi-­‐experimental	
  
framework	
  was	
  followed.	
  The	
  study	
  is	
  “an	
  empirical	
  inquiry	
  that	
  investigates	
  a	
  contemporary	
  phenomenon	
  in	
  
depth	
  and	
  within	
   its	
  real-­‐world	
  context,	
  especially	
  when	
  the	
  boundaries	
  between	
  phenomenon	
  and	
  context	
  
may	
  not	
  be	
  clearly	
  evident”	
  (Yin,	
  2014,	
  p.	
  16).	
  The	
  study,	
  which	
  extended	
  over	
  a	
  period	
  of	
  time	
  of	
  five	
  weeks,	
  
started	
  by	
  asking	
  the	
  participants	
  if	
  they	
  wanted	
  to	
  take	
  part	
  in	
  it	
  anonymously,	
  then	
  asked	
  them	
  to	
  fill	
  in	
  a	
  
pre-­‐questionnaire	
   (see	
   4.1)	
   and	
   complete	
   a	
   pre-­‐test.	
   Anonymity	
   was	
   ensured	
   by	
   eliminating	
   all	
   direct	
  
identifiers	
   (name,	
   surname,	
   ID	
   number)	
   and	
   instead	
   referring	
   to	
   students	
   as	
   S1,	
   S2,	
   etc.	
   One	
   student	
  was	
  
responsible	
  for	
  collecting	
  all	
  electronically	
  submitted	
  questionnaires	
  and	
  collectively	
  sending	
  them	
  to	
  one	
  of	
  
the	
  researchers.	
  

After	
  a	
   four-­‐hour	
  session	
  consisting	
  of	
   teaching	
  functions	
  and	
  the	
  textual	
  organization	
  of	
  corporate	
  
codes	
   of	
   ethics	
   and	
   following	
   a	
   set	
   of	
   exercises	
   (see	
   Table	
   1)	
   assigned	
   in	
   self-­‐study,	
   a	
   post-­‐test	
   and	
   an	
  
abridged	
   questionnaire	
   in	
   the	
   students’	
   native	
   language	
   were	
   employed.	
   Building	
   on	
   Ellis	
   and	
   Johnson’s	
  
(1994)	
   suggestions	
   on	
   how	
   to	
   use	
   company	
  material	
   in	
   teaching	
   Business	
   English,	
   several	
   activities	
   were	
  
designed	
  for	
  the	
  present	
  course	
  and,	
  in	
  particular,	
  the	
  four	
  hour	
  session.	
  Adapting	
  the	
  charts	
  created	
  by	
  Ellis	
  
and	
   Johnson	
   (1994,	
   pp.	
   157–167)	
   for	
   other	
   types	
   of	
   corporate	
   documents	
   (e.g.	
   annual	
   reports,	
   contracts,	
  
correspondence,	
   reports	
   and	
   memos,	
   minutes	
   of	
   meetings),	
   Table	
   1	
   presents	
   the	
   skills,	
   language,	
   and	
  
activities	
   that	
   were	
   taken	
   into	
   account	
   to	
   devise	
   the	
  material	
   for	
   the	
   lessons	
   and	
   the	
   activities	
   that	
   were	
  
distributed	
  among	
  the	
  students	
  both	
  in	
  class	
  and	
  during	
  the	
  self-­‐study	
  sessions.	
  	
  

	
  
Table 1 
Language activities using codes of ethics in a business English class 

Skills Language Activities 
Reading CoEs (scanning and detail 
reading) 

Vocabulary Jigsaw reading 

Listening Comparing / Contrasting Info transfer 
Information exchange Formality: Passive form, nominalization, phraseological 

units, modal ‘shall’ 
Comparing written / oral 
language use 

Understanding CoEs Company’s philosophy, values, principles Explain: summarize, 
paraphrase 

Making presentations  Presenting information 
	
  

Considering	
   that	
   genres	
   could	
   affect	
   students’	
   learning,	
   whether	
   they	
   are	
   taught	
   explicitly	
   or	
   not	
  
(Devitt,	
   2009),	
   and	
   that	
   any	
   genre	
   pedagogy	
  must	
   use	
   some	
  particular	
   genre,	
   at	
   least	
   as	
   examples	
   (Devitt,	
  
2009),	
   in-­‐class	
   activities	
   concentrated	
   on	
   raising	
   and	
   gauging	
   students’	
   awareness.	
   Pre-­‐reading	
   exercises,	
  
which	
  involved	
  skimming	
  and	
  scanning	
  two	
  CoEs,	
  each	
  representative	
  of	
  one	
  type	
  of	
  CoEs,	
  focused	
  on	
  CoEs’	
  
potential	
   target	
   audience,	
   authors,	
   and	
   context	
   of	
   release.	
   Small	
   sections	
   of	
   the	
   texts	
   were	
   then	
   analyzed	
  
concentrating	
  on	
  grammatical,	
  lexical,	
  and	
  semantical	
  features.	
  Jigsaw	
  reading	
  of	
  selected	
  sections	
  of	
  the	
  two	
  
codes	
   allowed	
   students	
   to	
   work	
   on	
   their	
   speaking,	
   paraphrasing,	
   and	
   summarizing	
   skills.	
   Students	
   were	
  
particularly	
   keen	
   on	
   extensively	
   discussing	
   ethical	
   principles	
   and	
   evaluating	
   the	
   norms,	
   comparing	
   and	
  
contrasting	
   them	
   with	
   their	
   previous	
   personal	
   experiences.	
   The	
   researchers	
   then	
   selected	
   two	
   new	
   (to	
  



GIGLIONI	
  &	
  PATAT	
  

E-­‐JournALL	
  7(2)	
  (2020),	
  pp.	
  51–69 56	
  

students)	
   CoEs.	
   A	
   new	
   set	
   of	
   exercises,	
   which	
   were	
   assigned	
   in	
   the	
   two-­‐hour	
   session	
   of	
   self-­‐study,	
   were	
  
modelled	
  on	
  the	
  activities	
  carried	
  out	
  in	
  class.	
  	
  
	
  
3.1.1.	
  Participants	
  

Participants	
  of	
  this	
  study	
  included	
  24	
  students	
  aged	
  22-­‐281	
  (11	
  males	
  and	
  13	
  females)	
  enrolled	
  in	
  a	
  
first	
   level,	
  one-­‐year	
  master	
  program	
  in	
  Marketing	
  Management	
   in	
  a	
  public	
  university	
   in	
  Milan	
  (Italy)	
   in	
   the	
  
academic	
   year	
  2019-­‐2020.	
  Most	
   of	
   the	
   students	
  were	
   Italian	
  native	
   speakers	
   (91.6%,	
  n=22)	
   and	
   two	
  were	
  
bilingual	
   (Italian	
   being	
   one	
   of	
   the	
   languages	
   together	
  with	
   US	
   English	
   or	
   Dutch).	
   All	
   participants	
   reported	
  
having	
  previous	
  knowledge	
  of	
  English	
  at	
  varying	
  levels,	
  generally	
  ranging	
  between	
  an	
  A2	
  and	
  a	
  B2	
  level	
  (ECF)	
  
according	
  to	
  their	
  self-­‐evaluations2.	
  Almost	
  half	
  (41.6%,	
  n=10)	
  of	
  the	
  students	
  had	
  spent	
  some	
  time	
  (from	
  a	
  
minimum	
   of	
   2	
  weeks	
   to	
   a	
  maximum	
   of	
   1	
   year)	
   in	
   an	
   English-­‐speaking	
   country,	
   either	
   on	
   a	
   study	
   holiday	
  
abroad	
   or	
   for	
   a	
   temporary	
   job.	
   The	
   majority	
   had	
   also	
   studied	
   one	
   or	
   more	
   foreign	
   languages:	
   Spanish,	
  
German,	
   French,	
   Russian,	
   and	
   Chinese3.	
   Students	
   held	
   a	
   previous	
   degree	
   in	
   the	
   fields	
   of	
   communication	
  
(29.1%,	
  n=7),	
  management	
   (25%,	
  n=6),	
  marketing	
   (20.8%,	
  n=5),	
   foreign	
   languages	
  and	
  economics	
   (12.5%,	
  
n=3),	
  tourism	
  (4.16%,	
  n=1),	
  and	
  psychology	
  (4.16%,	
  n=1).	
  	
  

	
  
3.1.2.	
  Data	
  collection,	
  instruments,	
  and	
  data	
  analysis	
  

	
   The	
  data	
  for	
  this	
  study	
  was	
  collected	
  through:	
  1)	
  a	
  pre-­‐questionnaire	
  designed	
  to	
  evaluate	
  students’	
  
general	
  knowledge	
  of	
  CoEs	
  that	
  was	
  electronically	
  administered	
  (via	
  email)	
  in	
  class	
  (response	
  rate	
  100%);	
  2)	
  
a	
  pre-­‐test	
  to	
  assess	
  students’	
  critical	
  thinking	
  skills	
  and	
  linguistic	
  competence,	
  3)	
  and	
  a	
  post-­‐test	
  to	
  evaluate	
  
post-­‐treatment	
   knowledge	
   in	
   analyzing	
   a	
   CoE;	
   4)	
   an	
   abridged	
   post-­‐questionnaire.	
   The	
   questionnaire,	
  
developed	
   according	
   to	
  Kothari’s	
   (2004)	
   guidelines,	
   consisted	
  of	
   10	
  open-­‐ended	
  questions	
   in	
   the	
   students’	
  
native	
  language	
  (Italian).	
  	
  

As	
  no	
  studies	
  of	
  this	
  kind	
  were	
  found	
  in	
  the	
  relevant	
  literature,	
  the	
  pre-­‐test	
  was	
  developed	
  following	
  
previous	
  research	
  by	
  one	
  of	
  the	
  authors	
  of	
  this	
  paper	
  which	
  focused	
  on	
  the	
  distinctive	
  features	
  of	
  CoEs	
  at	
  both	
  
macro	
   and	
   micro-­‐textual	
   level	
   (Giglioni,	
   2019).	
   The	
   framework	
   for	
   the	
   study	
   is	
   experimental	
   and	
   has	
   its	
  
foundations	
  in	
  the	
  idea	
  of	
  testing	
  findings	
  in	
  class	
  (the	
  second	
  author	
  was	
  the	
  students’	
  instructor).	
  The	
  post-­‐
test	
  involved	
  a	
  re-­‐analysis	
  of	
  data	
  after	
  the	
  treatment.	
  

In	
   agreement	
   with	
   the	
   reflections	
   provided	
   by	
   Nyumba,	
   Derrik,	
   and	
   Mukherjee	
   (2018)	
   on	
   the	
  
weakness	
   of	
   focus	
   group	
   discussions	
   and	
   semi-­‐structured	
   interviews,	
   an	
   abridged	
   questionnaire	
   in	
   the	
  
students’	
  native	
  language	
  was	
  then	
  opted	
  for	
  and	
  submitted	
  at	
  the	
  end	
  of	
  the	
  five-­‐week	
  period.	
  The	
  questions	
  
mainly	
  focused	
  on	
  participants’	
  perceptions	
  on	
  the	
  use	
  of	
  CoEs	
  in	
  the	
  ESP	
  course.	
  

A	
  quantitative	
  analysis	
  was	
  conducted	
  on	
  the	
  data	
  collected	
  from	
  the	
  pre-­‐	
  and	
  post-­‐tests.	
  Due	
  to	
  the	
  
small	
   sample	
   of	
   the	
   experimental	
   group,	
   the	
   compare	
   mean	
   and	
   proportion	
   measurements	
   were	
  
implemented.	
  As	
  to	
  questionnaires,	
  quantitative	
  and	
  qualitative	
  approaches	
  were	
  used.	
  Response	
  categories	
  
were	
  identified	
  by	
  using	
  a	
  text	
  analyzer	
  and	
  by	
  further	
  scanning	
  the	
  alphabetically	
  sorted	
  responses.	
  Positive	
  
individual	
  responses	
  were	
  then	
  subjected	
  to	
  quantitative	
  analysis.	
  	
  

	
  
4.	
  Findings	
  
4.1.	
  Questionnaires	
  

	
   Ten	
  open-­‐ended	
  questions	
  (see	
  Appendix	
  A)	
  were	
  addressed	
  to	
  the	
  24	
  participants.	
  To	
  guarantee	
  a	
  
degree	
  of	
  certain	
  conformity,	
  it	
  was	
  decided	
  to	
  ask	
  the	
  questions	
  and	
  allow	
  students	
  to	
  answer	
  in	
  Italian,	
  their	
  
native	
   language,	
   so	
   they	
  could	
  be	
  more	
  effective	
   in	
  communicating	
   their	
   ideas.	
  The	
  questionnaire	
  was	
  sent	
  
electronically	
   to	
   the	
   students	
   and	
   sent	
   back	
   to	
   one	
   of	
   the	
   researchers	
   upon	
   its	
   completion	
   (the	
  maximum	
  
allocated	
  time	
  was	
  15	
  minutes).	
  	
  

The	
  first	
  question	
  (Q1)	
  to	
  which	
  the	
  participants	
  were	
  asked	
  to	
  respond	
  explored	
  their	
  knowledge	
  of	
  
CoEs.	
  While	
  12.5%	
  (n=3)	
  of	
  the	
  students	
  claimed	
  to	
  ignore	
  the	
  definition	
  of	
  CoE,	
  the	
  vast	
  majority	
  provided	
  
its	
  meaning	
   by	
   using	
   the	
  words	
   insieme	
   (“set”	
   in	
   English:	
   23%)	
   and	
   regole	
   (“rules”:	
   28%)	
  or	
   its	
   synonyms	
  

	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  
1	
  22	
  -­‐	
  12.5%	
  (n=3);	
  23	
  -­‐	
  41.6%	
  (n=10);	
  24	
  -­‐	
  25%	
  (n=6);	
  25	
  -­‐	
  8.3%	
  (n=2);	
  26	
  -­‐	
  4.1%	
  (n=1);	
  27	
  -­‐	
  4.1%	
  (n=1);	
  28	
  -­‐	
  4.1%	
  
(n=1).	
  
2	
  After	
  one-­‐on-­‐one	
   interviews,	
   the	
   instructor	
  separated	
  the	
  students	
   into	
   two	
  groups:	
  14	
  were	
  considered	
  at	
  a	
  B1	
   level	
  
and	
  10	
  at	
  a	
  B2	
  level.	
  	
  
3	
  Spanish	
  79.1%	
  (n=19);	
  German	
  29.1%	
  (n=7);	
  French	
  29.1	
  %	
  (n=7);	
  Russian	
  4.1%	
  (n=1);	
  Chinese	
  4.1%	
  (n=1);	
  no	
  other	
  
foreign	
  language	
  8.3%	
  (n=2).	
  	
  



TEACHING	
  CODES	
  OF	
  ETHICS	
  

E-­‐JournALL	
  7(2)	
  (2020),	
  pp.	
  51–69 57	
  

(regolamenti,	
   norme),	
   and	
   comportamento	
   (“behavior”:	
   19%).	
  When	
   asked	
   about	
   the	
   hypothetical	
   content	
  
(topics)	
   of	
   CoEs	
   (Q2),	
   the	
  most	
   recurring	
  words	
  were	
   rispetto	
   (“respect”:	
   occurrences	
   5,	
   frequency	
   2.1%),	
  
which	
  was	
  provided	
  by	
  16%	
  (n=9)	
  of	
  the	
  respondents,	
  condotta	
  e	
  comportamento	
  (“conduct,”	
  “behavior”)	
  by	
  
26%	
   and	
   ambiente	
   sociale	
   (“social	
   environment”)	
   by	
   26%.	
   Only	
   7%	
   (n=4)	
   mentioned	
   etico	
   or	
   morale	
  
(“ethical,”	
   ”moral”).	
   As	
   to	
   style	
   (Q3),	
   42%	
  believed	
   that	
   a	
   CoE	
  would	
   present	
   a	
   communicative	
   style,	
   4%	
  a	
  
legalistic	
  style,	
  and	
  35%	
  both.	
  Participants	
  justified	
  the	
  “communicative”	
  and	
  “both”	
  answers	
  by	
  emphasizing	
  
the	
  link	
  between	
  the	
  ethical	
  aspect	
  (a	
  more	
  contract-­‐like	
  type	
  of	
  document)	
  and	
  its	
  target	
  audience	
  (a	
  generic	
  
public).	
   Some	
   examples	
   of	
   the	
   students’	
   answers	
   are	
   as	
   follow:	
   S1	
   claimed,	
   “I	
   expect	
   the	
   code	
   of	
   ethics	
   to	
  
present	
  both	
  a	
  direct	
  and	
  legalistic	
  communication	
  style	
  because	
  I	
  believe	
  legal	
  support	
  is	
  fundamental;”	
  S2	
  
wrote,	
   “Although	
   it	
   is	
  an	
  official	
  document,	
   I	
  expect	
  a	
  direct	
  communication	
  style	
  as	
   it	
   is	
  addressed	
  to	
  each	
  
individual.”	
  	
  

Questions	
  4,	
  5,	
  6,	
  and	
  7	
  concentrated	
  on	
  the	
  writers,	
   the	
  moment	
  of	
  writing,	
   the	
  retrieval	
  of	
  codes,	
  
and	
   the	
  reasons	
   for	
  writing	
  codes	
  of	
  ethics	
   in	
   the	
   first	
  place.	
  The	
  authors	
   (Q4)	
  were	
   thought	
   to	
  be	
   lawyers	
  
(25%),	
   the	
   company	
   itself	
   (14%),	
   administrators	
   (32%),	
   or	
   “other	
   subjects”	
   (11%),	
   including	
   an	
   expert	
   in	
  
law,	
  sociology	
  or	
  economics,	
  or	
  a	
  person	
  who	
  is	
  not	
  necessarily	
  linked	
  to	
  the	
  administration.	
  Concerning	
  the	
  
moment	
  of	
   code	
  writing	
   (Q5),	
   almost	
  half	
   of	
   the	
   students	
   (48%)	
  believed	
   that	
   the	
   code	
  was	
  written	
  at	
   the	
  
moment	
  the	
  company	
  is	
  founded,	
  whereas	
  36%	
  responded	
  that	
  a	
  CoE	
  can	
  be	
  written	
  when	
  needed.	
  Two	
  such	
  
students	
  claimed	
  that,	
  “An	
  ethical	
  code	
  is	
  written	
  when	
  it	
  is	
  necessary	
  to	
  codify	
  the	
  behavior	
  of	
  people	
  within	
  
a	
  social	
  context	
  or	
  an	
  organization,”	
  and	
  “When	
  a	
  clarification	
  about	
  the	
  guiding	
  behaviors	
  to	
  be	
  followed	
  in	
  a	
  
company	
  is	
  needed.”	
  As	
  to	
  the	
  reasons	
  for	
  writing	
  a	
  code	
  (Q6),	
  the	
  majority	
  of	
  the	
  participants,	
  62%	
  (n=16),	
  
claimed	
  that	
  a	
  CoE	
  is	
  required	
  for	
  “establishing	
  the	
  rules,”	
  15%	
  (n=4)	
  for	
  “keeping	
  a	
  balance,”	
  8%	
  (n=2)	
  for	
  
“making	
  the	
  code	
  available,”	
  and	
  12%	
  (n=3)	
  stated	
  that	
  rules	
  change	
  so	
  codes	
  are	
  needed.	
  The	
  retrieval	
  of	
  a	
  
code	
   was	
   the	
   subject	
   of	
   question	
   7.	
   Only	
   6%	
   of	
   the	
   participants	
   did	
   not	
   know	
   where	
   to	
   retrieve	
   such	
  
document,	
  whereas	
  35%	
  assumed	
  it	
  would	
  be	
  on	
  a	
  company’s	
  website,	
  29%	
  in	
  paper	
  format	
  at	
  the	
  company,	
  
and	
   26%	
   suggested	
   other	
   alternatives	
   such	
   as	
   on	
   the	
   company’s	
   intranet,	
   in	
   a	
   book	
   dictating	
   corporate	
  
principles,	
  within	
  the	
  company’s	
  statute,	
  “exposed	
  somewhere	
  visible,”	
  or	
  “among	
  official	
  documents.”	
  	
  

Question	
  8	
  aimed	
  at	
  understanding	
  how	
  familiar	
  participants	
  were	
  with	
  corporate	
  documents.	
  When	
  
asked	
   about	
   their	
   knowledge	
   of	
   other	
   textual	
   genres	
   in	
   corporate	
   communication,	
   25%	
   declined	
   any	
  
knowledge,	
  while	
  53%	
  provided	
  other	
  examples,	
  such	
  as	
   financial	
  statements	
  (10%),	
   reports,	
   journals,	
  and	
  
business	
  plans.	
  	
  

As	
   to	
   the	
  usefulness	
  of	
  knowing	
  CoEs	
  (Q9),	
   relevant	
  answers	
   focused	
  on	
  understanding	
  values	
  and	
  
rules	
   (41%)	
  and	
  behaving	
   in	
  a	
   correct	
  manner	
  or	
  avoiding	
  mistakes	
   (31%).	
  Most	
   importantly,	
  when	
  asked	
  
about	
   the	
  utility	
   for	
  English	
   learning	
  of	
   studying	
  CoEs	
   (Q10),	
  all	
  but	
   two	
  students	
   thought	
   that	
  working	
  on	
  
CoEs	
  could	
  contribute	
   to	
   the	
   improvement	
  of	
   their	
   language	
   learning	
  process:	
   for	
  vocabulary	
  enhancement	
  
(n=14),	
  content-­‐wise	
  (n=14),	
  or	
  at	
  syntactical	
  level	
  (n=2).	
  Four	
  participants	
  provided	
  a	
  positive	
  answer,	
  but	
  
did	
  not	
  justify	
  it,	
  whereas	
  eight	
  found	
  it	
  could	
  be	
  stimulating	
  or	
  could	
  improve	
  their	
  knowledge	
  of	
  corporate	
  
dynamics	
  (Table	
  2).	
  	
  

 
Table 2 
Questionnaire, Q10 (see Appendix A) n = number of occurrences (multiple answers were evaluated separately) 

 
Yes, to improve 

vocabulary 

Yes, for 
linguistic 
structures 

Yes, 
content 

wise 
Yes (no 

motivation) 

Yes, other 
(stimulating / 

corporate dynamics) 

Not at 
my 

level 
Number of 

occurrences* 14 2 4 4 8 2 

*when students gave multiple answers, each was evaluated and counted separately 
	
  
4.2.	
  Pre-­‐	
  and	
  post-­‐tests	
  

	
   Pre	
  and	
  post-­‐tests	
  consisted	
  of	
  the	
  analysis	
  and	
  re-­‐analysis	
  of	
  two	
  CoEs—selected	
  by	
  the	
  researchers	
  
and	
   submitted	
   to	
   students—which	
   included	
   features	
   that	
   well	
   represented	
   the	
   difference	
   between	
  



GIGLIONI	
  &	
  PATAT	
  

E-­‐JournALL	
  7(2)	
  (2020),	
  pp.	
  51–69 58	
  

committed-­‐oriented	
   (Code	
   V4)	
   and	
   legalistic	
   (Code	
   B)	
   styles	
   at	
   both	
   macro	
   and	
   micro-­‐textual	
   levels	
   (see	
  
Appendix	
  B).	
  	
  

The	
  two	
  codes	
  and	
  a	
  word	
  file	
  with	
  instructions	
  for	
  students	
  and	
  charts	
  to	
  be	
  completed	
  were	
  sent	
  
via	
   email	
   to	
   the	
   participants	
   and	
   then	
   sent	
   back	
   (100%	
   overall	
   response	
   rate)	
   to	
   one	
   student	
   who	
   was	
  
responsible	
  for	
  collecting	
  all	
  the	
  questionnaires	
  and	
  forwarding	
  them	
  to	
  the	
  researcher	
  after	
  the	
  allocated	
  45	
  
minutes.	
  Besides	
  detecting	
  the	
  presence	
  of	
  the	
  features,	
  or	
  lack	
  of	
  thereof,	
  participants	
  were	
  asked	
  to	
  provide	
  
at	
   least	
  one	
  example	
  for	
  each	
  feature.	
  This	
  proved	
  particularly	
  useful	
   to	
  double-­‐check	
  results,	
  especially	
  for	
  
features	
  at	
  a	
  lexico-­‐syntactical	
  level.	
  	
  

	
  
4.2.1.	
  Macro-­‐textual	
  level	
  

	
   Table	
  3	
  shows	
  the	
  distribution	
  of	
  the	
  participants’	
  analysis	
  of	
  the	
  traits	
  of	
  legalistic	
  and	
  commitment-­‐
oriented	
  codes	
  at	
  a	
  macro-­‐textual	
  level	
  (Appendix	
  B)	
  during	
  the	
  pre	
  and	
  post-­‐test	
  phases.	
  	
  

	
  
Table 3 
Percentage of correctly-identified5 features in participants’ analysis of CoEs at a macro-textual level, pre- and post, by group and 
by code 

	
  
The	
  lists,	
  definitions,	
  visuals,	
  and	
  CEO’s	
  message	
  were	
  easily	
  detected	
  in	
  both	
  codes	
  in	
  both	
  tests.	
  In	
  

the	
   pre-­‐test,	
   50%	
   of	
   the	
   participants	
   identified	
   the	
   presence	
   of	
   comprehension	
   aids	
   in	
   Code	
   V	
   and	
   their	
  
absence	
  in	
  Code	
  B.	
  However,	
  only	
  16%	
  (n=4)	
  pinpointed	
  a	
  clear	
  example	
  from	
  Code	
  V.	
  Of	
  those,	
  8.3%	
  (n=2)	
  
presented	
   the	
  Q&A	
  section	
  as	
  an	
  example.	
  Only	
  one	
  participant	
  demonstrated	
  awareness	
  of	
   this	
   feature	
  by	
  
claiming	
  that	
  comprehension	
  aids	
  are	
  “pages	
  with	
  few	
  words	
  to	
  sum	
  up	
  a	
  concept.”	
  Based	
  on	
  the	
  post-­‐tests,	
  
the	
   majority	
   of	
   the	
   examples	
   that	
   were	
   provided	
   were	
   correct,	
   and	
   few	
   students	
   (n=4)	
   still	
   had	
   doubts	
  
regarding	
  this	
  trait.	
  	
  

The	
   contract-­‐style	
   layout	
   was	
   identified	
   by	
   91.7%	
   of	
   the	
   24	
   participants	
   in	
   Code	
   B,	
   and	
   the	
   lack	
  
thereof	
   in	
   Code	
   V	
  was	
   identified	
   by	
   the	
   same	
   percentage.	
   As	
   far	
   as	
   the	
   code’s	
   shortness	
   or	
   lengthiness	
   is	
  
concerned,	
  a	
   tendency	
   towards	
  consistency	
  was	
  demonstrated	
  by	
  most	
  of	
   the	
  participants;	
  however,	
   in	
   the	
  
pre-­‐tests,	
   16.6%	
  presented	
   inconsistencies	
   in	
   their	
   own	
   answers,	
   and	
   4.2%	
   expressed	
   clear	
   doubts.	
   In	
   the	
  
pre-­‐test,	
   62.5%	
   of	
   the	
   consistent	
   answers	
   considered	
   Code	
   V	
   to	
   be	
   long	
   and	
   12.5%	
   considered	
   it	
   short,	
  
whereas	
   54.1%	
   considered	
   Code	
   B	
   short	
   and	
   20.8%	
   long.	
   In	
   the	
   post-­‐test,	
   the	
   majority	
   in	
   both	
   groups	
  
considered	
  Code	
  V	
  to	
  be	
  long	
  and	
  Code	
  B	
  to	
  be	
  short.	
  	
  

	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  
4	
  The	
  commitment-­‐oriented	
  code	
  that	
  was	
  submitted	
  to	
  students	
  was	
  Vodafone	
  Code	
  of	
  Ethics	
  (Vodafone,	
  2018),	
  while	
  the	
  
legalistic	
   code	
  was	
  Burberry	
   Ethical	
   Trading	
   Code	
  of	
   Conduct	
   (Burberry,	
   n.d.).	
   Both	
   codes	
  were	
   included	
   in	
   the	
   corpus	
  
which	
  had	
  been	
  investigated	
  by	
  one	
  of	
  the	
  authors	
  of	
  this	
  paper	
  in	
  previous	
  steps	
  of	
  the	
  research	
  (Giglioni,	
  2019).	
  
5	
  “Correctly-­‐identified”	
  =	
  positive	
  responses,	
  which	
   indicate	
  students’	
  awareness	
  of	
   the	
  presence	
  of	
   features.	
  Responses	
  
that	
  were	
  close	
  to	
  the	
  correct	
  answer	
  were	
  also	
  included	
  in	
  this	
  category.	
  For	
  instance,	
  in	
  the	
  case	
  of	
  comprehension	
  aids,	
  
both	
  “Q&A	
  section”	
  and	
  an	
  explanation	
  such	
  as	
  “pages	
  with	
  few	
  words	
  to	
  sum	
  up	
  a	
  concept”	
  were	
  evaluated	
  as	
  correct.	
  

  Group A  Group B 
  Code V  Code B  Code V  Code B 
  Pre Post  Pre Post  Pre Post  Pre  Post 

Legalistic            

 

Lists 85.7 78.6  100 100  90 88.9  100 100 
Definitions 92.9 78.6  78.6 71.4  100 66.7  90 100 
Contract-Style Layout 0 0  100 92.9  20 22.2  80 88.9 
No Visuals 0 0  100 100  0 0  100 100 
Short Code 21.4 7.1  71.4 92.9  20 0  80 88.9 

Commitment-oriented            

 

CEO’s Message 100 100  0 0  100 100  0 0 
Comprehension Aids 28.6 57.1  35.7 0  80 77.8  30 0 
Ad Hoc Titles 92.9 92.9  7.1 7.1  90 88.9  50 11.1 
Visuals 100 100  0 0  100 100  0 0 
Long Code 64.3 92.9  50 7.1  70 88.9  20 11.1 



TEACHING	
  CODES	
  OF	
  ETHICS	
  

E-­‐JournALL	
  7(2)	
  (2020),	
  pp.	
  51–69 59	
  

91.7%	
  reported	
  the	
  use	
  of	
  ad	
  hoc	
  titles	
  in	
  Code	
  V;	
  nevertheless,	
  when	
  it	
  came	
  to	
  giving	
  an	
  example,	
  
25%	
  did	
  not	
  provide	
  any,	
  33.3%	
  gave	
  an	
  unrelated	
  and	
  thus	
  incorrect	
  example,	
  and	
  41.6%	
  provided	
  a	
  correct	
  
example.	
  As	
   to	
   Code	
  B,	
   the	
  majority	
   (70.8%)	
   stated	
   that	
   there	
  were	
  no	
   such	
   titles	
   in	
   the	
  document.	
   Those	
  
reporting	
  their	
  presence	
  either	
  confused	
  ad	
  hoc	
  titles	
  with	
  the	
  formal	
  titles	
  of	
  the	
  sections	
  or	
  defined	
  them	
  as	
  
“explanation	
  titles.”	
  The	
  post-­‐tests	
  confirmed	
  the	
  same	
  understanding.	
  	
  

	
  
4.2.2.	
  Micro-­‐textual	
  level	
  

	
   Table	
  4	
  shows	
  the	
  distribution	
  of	
  the	
  participants’	
  analysis	
  of	
  the	
  traits	
  of	
  legalistic	
  and	
  commitment-­‐
oriented	
  codes	
  at	
  a	
  micro-­‐textual	
  level.	
  	
  
 

Table 4 
Percentage of correctly-identified features in participants’ analysis of CoEs at a micro-textual level, pre- and post, by group 
and by code 

	
   	
  
In	
  the	
  pre-­‐tests,	
  formal	
  words	
  were	
  found	
  in	
  Code	
  B	
  by	
  the	
  majority	
  of	
  the	
  participants	
  (87.5%)	
  but,	
  

besides	
  a	
  generic	
  “use	
  of	
  professional	
   language,”	
  only	
  a	
   few	
  specific	
  examples	
  were	
  provided:	
  “we	
  comply,”	
  
“to	
  uphold	
   in	
  relation	
   to	
   its	
  own	
  employees,”	
  and	
  “B.	
   is	
  committed	
   to	
  working	
  collaboratively.”	
   In	
   the	
  post-­‐
tests,	
  Code	
  B	
  was	
  still	
  considered	
  (91.3%)	
  to	
  be	
  the	
  code	
  with	
  more	
  formal	
  words,	
  and	
  participant	
  provided	
  
sound	
   examples	
   to	
   support	
   the	
   idea	
   (“for	
   instance,”	
   “in	
   accordance	
   with,”	
   “sustainable	
   employment,”	
  
“requirement,”	
  “disproportionally,”	
  and	
  “hence”).	
  

The	
   traits,	
   Phraseological	
  Units	
   and	
  Nominalization,	
   received	
   the	
  highest	
   rates	
  of	
  Not	
  Answered	
   in	
  
the	
   pre-­‐test,	
  while	
   they	
  were	
   supported	
   by	
   suitable	
   examples	
   in	
   the	
   post	
   test.	
   Group	
  A	
   displayed	
   a	
   higher	
  
percentage	
  of	
  Not	
  Answered	
  than	
  Group	
  B	
  in	
  the	
  post-­‐tests.	
  While	
  examples	
  were	
  not	
  given	
  in	
  the	
  pre-­‐tests	
  
even	
  when	
  an	
  answer	
  was	
  provided,	
  in	
  the	
  post-­‐tests	
  50%	
  of	
  the	
  students	
  in	
  Group	
  B	
  and	
  28.5%	
  in	
  Group	
  A	
  
provided	
  a	
  correct	
  example.	
  

The	
  trait,	
  Overuse	
  of	
  Shall,	
  which	
  is	
  common	
  in	
  legal	
  documents	
  to	
  imply	
  obligation,	
  was	
  considered	
  
to	
   be	
   present	
   in	
   Code	
   B	
   and	
   absent	
   in	
   Code	
   V	
   by	
   the	
   majority	
   of	
   the	
   participants,	
   87.5%	
   and	
   83.3%,	
  
respectively.	
  In	
  the	
  post-­‐test,	
  this	
  percentage	
  greatly	
  varied	
  in	
  Group	
  A,	
  where	
  all	
  participants	
  did	
  not	
  notice	
  
the	
  overuse	
  of	
  the	
  central	
  modal	
  verb	
  in	
  Code	
  V,	
  thus	
  aligning	
  with	
  Group	
  B’s	
  answers.	
  	
  

Even	
   though	
   the	
  participants’	
  perceptions	
  may	
  have	
  differed	
   in	
   the	
  pre-­‐test,	
  an	
  overall	
   consistency	
  
was	
  shown	
  when	
  it	
  came	
  to	
  the	
  use	
  of	
  short	
  and	
  long	
  sentences.	
  In	
  both	
  the	
  pre-­‐test	
  and	
  the	
  post-­‐test,	
  it	
  was	
  
considered	
  that	
  Code	
  V	
  displayed	
  a	
  prevalence	
  of	
  short	
  sentences	
  and	
  Code	
  B	
  that	
  of	
  long	
  sentences.	
  	
  

As	
  to	
  impersonal	
  style,	
  the	
  data	
  that	
  was	
  retrieved	
  in	
  the	
  pre-­‐tests	
  point	
  to	
  a	
  lack	
  of	
  impersonal	
  style	
  
in	
   both	
   codes,	
   and	
   the	
   few	
   examples	
   that	
   were	
   provided	
   were	
   not	
   clear	
   enough	
   to	
   draw	
   more	
   precise	
  
conclusions.	
   12.5%	
   (n=3)	
   indicated	
   the	
   use	
   of	
   personal	
   pronouns	
   in	
   the	
   example	
   box.	
   In	
   the	
   post-­‐tests,	
  
consistency	
  between	
  the	
  two	
  groups	
  was	
  noted;	
  they	
  both	
  stressed	
  the	
  lack	
  of	
  an	
  impersonal	
  style	
  in	
  Code	
  V	
  
and	
  its	
  presence	
  in	
  Code	
  B.	
  

  Group A  Group B 
  Code V  Code B  Code V  Code B 
  Pre Post  Pre Post  Pre Post  Pre  Post 

Legalistic            

 

Formal Words 28.6 42.9  78.6 92.9  20 22.2  100 88.9 
Phraseological Units 0 21.4  21.4 50  40 33.3  30 11.1 
Extreme Precision 42.9 42.9  71.4 85.7  50 44.4  100 100 
Overuse of Shall 7.1 0  85.7 92.9  0 0  100 100 
Nominalization 21.4 50  0 57.1  20 55.6  50 33.3 
Long Sentences 21.4 14.3  50 92.9  20 22.2  90 88.9 

Commitment-oriented            

 

Prevalence of Short 
Sentences 

57.1 64.3  35.7 7.1  80 66.7  10 11.1 

No Impersonal Style 28.6 78.6  35.7 14.3  50 66.7  40 22.2 
Simple, Clear Lexicon 85.7 100  42.9 21.4  90 100  10 11.1 
Figurative Language 21.4 14.3  7.1 14.3  60 77.8  0 0 



GIGLIONI	
  &	
  PATAT	
  

E-­‐JournALL	
  7(2)	
  (2020),	
  pp.	
  51–69 60	
  

In	
   contrast,	
   resorting	
   to	
   a	
   simple	
   lexicon	
   seemed	
   to	
  be	
   a	
  more	
  easily	
   comprehensible	
   trait.	
   In	
   fact,	
  
87.5%	
  of	
  the	
  students	
  in	
  the	
  pre-­‐tests	
  and	
  100%	
  in	
  the	
  post-­‐tests	
  believed	
  that	
  a	
  simple	
  and	
  clear	
  lexicon	
  was	
  
preferred	
  in	
  Code	
  V	
  but	
  not	
  in	
  Code	
  B,	
  where	
  58.3%	
  in	
  the	
  pre-­‐tests	
  and	
  73.9%	
  in	
  the	
  post-­‐tests	
  emphasized	
  
its	
  absence.	
  	
  

Figurative	
   language	
  was	
  another	
   rather	
  problematic	
   trait	
   in	
   its	
   interpretation	
  based	
  on	
   the	
  data	
  of	
  
the	
  pre-­‐tests.	
  One	
  participant	
  wrote,	
   “images	
   and	
  metaphors,”	
   and	
   another	
  wrote,	
   “customer	
   obsessed,”	
   as	
  
examples.	
  The	
  post-­‐tests	
   showed	
  a	
  divergence	
  between	
   the	
   groups,	
   as	
  Group	
  A	
  was	
   still	
   uncertain,	
   and	
  no	
  
examples	
  were	
   to	
  be	
   found.	
  Group	
  B	
   retrieved	
  examples	
   from	
  Code	
  V	
   (i.e.,	
   “innovation	
  hungry,”	
   “customer	
  
obsessed,”	
  “we	
  voice	
  our	
  opinions”)	
  and	
  ascertained	
  the	
  absence	
  of	
  figurative	
  language	
  in	
  Code	
  B.	
  	
  

	
   	
  	
  
4.3.	
  Abridged	
  final	
  questionnaire	
  	
  

	
   This	
  section	
  presents	
  the	
  views	
  of	
  23	
  of	
   the	
  24	
  study	
  participants	
  (one	
  student	
  was	
  absent)	
  on	
  the	
  
implementation	
   of	
   CoEs	
   in	
   the	
   ESP	
   course.	
   The	
   23	
   participants	
   were	
   asked	
   to	
   answer	
   two	
   open-­‐ended	
  
questions:	
  Q1.	
  Perché	
  potrebbe	
  essere	
  utile	
  conoscere	
  un	
  CoEs?	
  Elabora.	
  (trans.	
  Why	
  could	
  it	
  be	
  useful	
  to	
  know	
  
the	
  content	
  of	
  CoEs?	
  Explain).	
  Q2.	
  Ritieni	
  che	
  lo	
  studio	
  dei	
  codici	
  etici	
   in	
  inglese	
  possa	
  aiutarti	
  a	
  migliorare	
  la	
  
conoscenza	
  della	
   lingua	
   inglese?	
  Elabora.	
   (trans.	
  Do	
  you	
  believe	
  studying	
  codes	
  of	
  ethics	
   in	
  English	
  can	
  help	
  
you	
   in	
   your	
   language	
   learning	
   process?	
   Explain).	
   As	
   with	
   the	
   pre-­‐treatment	
   questionnaire,	
   to	
   guarantee	
  
conformity,	
   it	
  was	
  decided	
  to	
  formulate	
  the	
  final	
  questionnaire	
  questions	
  in	
  Italian	
  and	
  to	
  allow	
  students	
  to	
  
answer	
  in	
  Italian.	
  The	
  questionnaire	
  was	
  sent	
  electronically	
  to	
  the	
  students	
  right	
  before	
  administration	
  and	
  
sent	
  back	
   to	
   the	
   researchers	
  upon	
   its	
   completion	
   (the	
  maximum	
  allocated	
   time	
  was	
  15	
  minutes)	
  using	
   the	
  
same	
  procedure	
  of	
  the	
  pre-­‐questionnaire.	
  	
  

	
   The	
  answers	
  to	
  the	
  first	
  question,	
  which	
  mirrored	
  Q9	
  of	
  the	
  pre-­‐treatment	
  questionnaire,	
  conveyed	
  a	
  
positive	
  approach	
  to	
  CoEs,	
  which	
  were	
  perceived	
  as	
  useful	
  tools	
  to:	
  “conoscere	
  la	
  cultura	
  aziendale”	
  (“get	
  to	
  
know	
   the	
   corporate	
   culture”),	
   “comunicare	
   al	
   mondo	
   esterno	
   i	
   valori”	
   (“share	
   company	
   values	
   with	
  
outsiders”),	
   but	
   also	
   “per	
   entrare	
   nella	
   realtà	
   aziendale”	
   (“to	
   enter	
   the	
   corporate	
   environment”),	
   and	
   “per	
  
sapere	
   come	
   comportarsi”	
   (“to	
   know	
   how	
   to	
   behave”).	
   Hence,	
   CoEs	
   were	
   mainly	
   perceived	
   as	
   valuable	
  
instruments	
   to:	
   get	
   to	
   know	
   a	
   company’s	
   values	
   (46%),	
   with	
   the	
  word,	
   conoscere	
   (to	
   know)	
   recurring	
   21	
  
times;	
  to	
  better	
  understand	
  suitable	
  corporate	
  behaviors	
  (20%),	
  with	
  valori,	
  (values)	
  recurring	
  11	
  times;	
  to	
  
define	
  a	
  company’s	
  public	
  image	
  (15%),	
  and	
  to	
  identify	
  a	
  company’s	
  organization	
  (11%).	
  Additionally,	
  three	
  
participants	
  reported	
  the	
  usefulness	
  of	
  knowing	
  CoEs	
  in	
  preparing	
  for	
  a	
  job	
  interview.	
  One	
  student	
  stressed	
  
the	
  link	
  between	
  language	
  use	
  and	
  code	
  writing	
  in	
  defining	
  a	
  company’s	
  email	
  language:	
  “Infatti	
  sullo	
  stile	
  si	
  
riflette	
  anche	
  l’intento	
  del	
  codice	
  […]	
  spesso	
  le	
  aziende	
  lo	
  adottano	
  per	
  migliorare	
  la	
  propria	
  imagine.”	
  (“The	
  
purpose	
  of	
  the	
  CoE	
  is	
  reflected	
  in	
  its	
  style	
  […]	
  companies	
  often	
  implement	
  codes	
  to	
  improve	
  their	
  image.”)	
  

	
   The	
  second	
  question,	
  which	
  paralleled	
  Q10	
  on	
  the	
  pre-­‐treatment	
  questionnaire,	
  aimed	
  at	
  assessing	
  
students’	
  perceptions	
  of	
  the	
  impact	
  of	
  learning	
  about	
  CoEs	
  on	
  their	
  language	
  competence	
  and	
  enhancement.	
  
Table	
  5,	
  like	
  Table	
  2,	
  shows	
  the	
  answers	
  that	
  were	
  provided	
  by	
  the	
  participants,	
  who	
  believed	
  that	
  studying	
  
CoEs	
  improves	
  their	
  vocabulary	
  (n	
  =	
  22),	
  their	
  knowledge	
  of	
  specific	
  linguistic	
  structures	
  (n	
  =	
  8)	
  and	
  content	
  
(n	
  =3),	
  and	
  their	
  preparation	
  for	
  a	
  future	
  professional	
  environment	
  (n	
  =	
  10).	
  One	
  answer	
  was	
  off-­‐topic.	
  	
  

	
  
Table 5 
Responses to abridged questionnaire Q2 

 
Yes, to improve 

vocabulary 

Yes, for 
linguistic 
structures 

Yes, 
content- 

wise 
Yes, other (prepare for 

work / job interview) 
Not at 

my level 
Off-

topic 
Number of 
occurrences* 22 8 3 4 0 1 

*when students gave multiple answers, each was evaluated and counted separately 
	
  

5.	
  Discussion	
  
	
   The	
  present	
  study	
  applied	
  a	
  genre-­‐based	
  approach	
  to	
  providing	
  students	
  with	
  the	
  necessary	
  tools	
  to	
  

analyze	
   a	
   specific	
   type	
   of	
   corporate	
   document	
   (i.e.,	
   CoEs)	
   that	
   feature	
   distinctive	
   patterns	
   and	
   norms	
   of	
  
organizations.	
  This	
  gave	
   the	
  students	
   the	
  opportunity	
   to	
  work	
  with	
  authentic	
  material,	
   thus	
  exploring	
  both	
  
the	
  natural	
  written	
  communication	
  and	
  the	
  institutional	
  environment	
  of	
  material	
  (Breeze,	
  2012).	
  One	
  of	
  the	
  
responsibilities	
   of	
   ESP	
   teachers	
   is	
   to	
   make	
   students	
   aware	
   of	
   and	
   sensitive	
   students	
   to	
   sociolinguistic	
  



TEACHING	
  CODES	
  OF	
  ETHICS	
  

E-­‐JournALL	
  7(2)	
  (2020),	
  pp.	
  51–69 61	
  

variables,	
   which	
   ultimately	
   play	
   a	
   central	
   role	
   in	
   numerous	
   situational	
   frames	
   echoed	
   in	
   common,	
  
professional	
   settings	
   and	
   situations.	
   Through	
   the	
   designed	
   activities,	
   which	
   focused	
   on	
   several	
   skills	
   (see	
  
Table	
   1)	
   following	
  Ellis	
   and	
   Johnson’s	
  model	
   (1994),	
   students	
  were	
   able	
   to	
   explore	
   the	
   codes	
   both	
   from	
  a	
  
textual	
  and	
  a	
  communicative	
  perspective,	
  with	
  the	
  aim	
  to	
  stimulate	
  reflection	
  and	
  discussion	
  on	
  topics	
  that	
  
are	
   intrinsically	
   related	
   to	
   the	
   master	
   course	
   in	
   marketing	
   and	
   management	
   they	
   attend.	
   The	
   active	
  
interaction	
   and	
   discussions	
   that	
   the	
   activities	
   spurred	
   served	
   as	
   useful	
   sources	
   to	
   enable	
   students	
   to	
  
understand	
  contexts	
  and	
   the	
   language	
  used	
   in	
   those	
  contexts.	
  The	
  results	
  underline	
   that	
   the	
  exploration	
  of	
  
authentic	
  material	
  may	
  help	
  second	
  language	
  learners	
  in	
  communicating	
  and	
  feeling	
  prepared	
  to	
  meet	
  a	
  new	
  
English-­‐speaking	
  working	
  environment.	
  	
   	
  

	
   As	
  far	
  as	
  the	
  macro-­‐textual	
  level	
  is	
  concerned,	
  while	
  the	
  presence	
  or	
  absence	
  of	
  visuals	
  and	
  the	
  CEO’s	
  
message	
  were	
   quite	
   intuitively	
   and	
   easily	
   detected,	
   thus	
   providing	
   an	
   almost	
   homogenous	
   response,	
   some	
  
features	
   (e.g.,	
   comprehension	
   aids)	
   led	
   to	
   doubt	
   and	
   uncertainty	
   during	
   the	
   pre-­‐test	
   but	
   were	
   mostly	
  
pinpointed	
   in	
   the	
  post-­‐test.	
  Although	
  ad	
  hoc	
  titles	
  were	
  still	
  confused	
  with	
  simple	
  titles,	
  a	
  clear	
  progress	
   in	
  
trait	
  recognition	
  was	
  recorded	
  after	
  the	
  treatment,	
  and	
  the	
  trends	
  that	
  were	
  displayed	
  by	
  the	
  two	
  groups	
  at	
  
the	
  macro-­‐textual	
  level	
  of	
  analysis	
  were	
  similar	
  (see	
  Table	
  3).	
  	
  

	
   In	
  contrast,	
  the	
  micro-­‐textual	
  analysis	
  posed	
  some	
  challenges,	
  especially	
  for	
  the	
  less	
  proficient	
  group.	
  
Indeed,	
  Group	
  A	
  seems	
  not	
  to	
  perform	
  as	
  well	
  as	
  Group	
  B.	
  The	
  examples	
  of	
  specific	
  traits	
  that	
  were	
  presented	
  
were	
  few	
  and	
  often	
  incorrect	
  in	
  the	
  pre-­‐tests	
  for	
  both	
  groups,	
  whereas	
  they	
  were	
  more	
  relevant	
  in	
  the	
  post-­‐
tests,	
  especially	
  for	
  Group	
  B.	
  It	
  may	
  be	
  safe	
  to	
  claim,	
  then,	
  that	
  the	
  absence	
  of	
  correct	
  examples	
  is	
  connected	
  to	
  
a	
   higher	
   level	
   of	
   difficulty	
   in	
   detecting	
   the	
   traits	
   (compared	
   to	
   their	
   greater	
   ease	
   in	
   identifying	
   traits	
   at	
   a	
  
macro-­‐textual	
  level).	
  Multi-­‐word	
  lexical	
  units	
  with	
  partially	
  or	
  fully	
  transferred	
  meanings	
  and	
  nominalization	
  
were	
  processes	
  that	
  students	
  were	
  especially	
  unfamiliar	
  with	
  during	
  the	
  pre-­‐test.	
  Nevertheless,	
  as	
  illustrated	
  
by	
  the	
  percentage	
  and	
  examples	
  in	
  the	
  post-­‐test,	
  students’	
  cognizance	
  of	
  these	
  structures	
  improved	
  with	
  the	
  
treatment.	
   Hence,	
   the	
   post-­‐treatment	
   post-­‐test	
   results	
   illustrated	
   participants’	
   greater	
   awareness	
   of	
   the	
  
lexical	
  and	
  syntactical	
  aspects	
  of	
  language	
  in	
  relation	
  to	
  formality.	
  Overall,	
  the	
  post-­‐treatment	
  re-­‐analysis	
  of	
  
the	
   two	
   codes	
   strengthened	
   the	
   validity	
   of	
   Hp.	
   1	
   (i.e.,	
   Generating	
   awareness	
   of	
   CoEs’	
   main	
   features	
   is	
  
functional	
  in	
  the	
  enhancement	
  of	
  students’	
  linguistic	
  competence).	
  Moreover,	
  with	
  regard	
  to	
  the	
  pre-­‐test	
  and	
  
its	
  analysis	
  at	
  a	
  micro-­‐textual	
   level,	
  several	
  answers	
  were	
  not	
  provided	
  (NA=not	
  answered),	
  whereas	
  in	
  the	
  
post-­‐tests	
  not	
  only	
  were	
  there	
  more	
  answers,	
  but	
  they	
  were	
  also	
  supplemented	
  with	
  more	
  relevant	
  examples.	
  
Essentially,	
   especially	
   for	
  proficient	
   learners,	
   CoEs	
   can	
  be	
   claimed	
   to	
   represent	
   a	
   useful	
   source	
   to	
   enhance	
  
overall	
  language	
  skills.	
  	
  

As	
  to	
  Hp.	
  2	
  (i.e.,	
  CoEs	
  assist	
  in	
  developing	
  business-­‐related	
  communicative	
  competence.),	
  on	
  the	
  basis	
  
of	
   the	
  post-­‐treatment	
  answers	
  to	
  the	
  abridged	
  questionnaire,	
   it	
  may	
  be	
  worth	
  nothing	
  that	
  the	
  participants	
  
established	
  a	
  connection	
  between	
  the	
  codes	
  and	
  their	
  future	
  work	
  experience,	
  as	
  they	
  seem	
  to	
  see	
  codes	
  as	
  a	
  
useful	
   source	
   of	
   information	
   on	
   a	
   company’s	
   values	
   and	
   public	
   image.	
   Albeit	
   in	
   a	
   small	
   percentage,	
   the	
  
participants	
  thought	
  that	
  retrieving	
  information	
  on	
  a	
  company	
  before	
  a	
  job	
  interview	
  could	
  be	
  an	
  asset	
  for	
  a	
  
potential	
  candidate.	
  This	
  reiterates	
   the	
  CoEs’	
  belonging	
   to	
   the	
  category	
  of	
   institutionalized	
   textual	
  artefacts	
  
that	
  display	
  a	
  specific	
  discourse	
  that	
   is	
  typical	
  of	
  a	
  specific	
  community	
  (Bhatia,	
  2002)	
  and	
  emphasizes	
  their	
  
correlation	
  to	
  the	
  social	
  context	
  (Breeze,	
  2012;	
  Hyland,	
  2003).	
  Furthermore,	
  as	
  shown	
  in	
  Table	
  2	
  and	
  Table	
  5,	
  
participants’	
  beliefs	
  changed	
  slightly:	
  After	
  the	
  treatment	
  they	
  all	
  started	
  seeing	
  CoEs	
  as	
  an	
  effective	
  source	
  of	
  
business-­‐related	
  vocabulary.	
  On	
  the	
  one	
  hand,	
  no	
  correlation	
  between	
  long	
  sentences	
  and	
  extreme	
  precision	
  
in	
  legalistic	
  codes	
  was	
  noticed.	
  This,	
  most	
  probably,	
   indicates	
  that	
  the	
  level	
  of	
  precision	
  is	
  not	
  associated	
  to	
  
the	
  number	
  of	
  words	
  used	
  to	
  the	
  express	
  ideas.	
  On	
  the	
  other	
  hand,	
  all	
  answers	
  highlighted	
  simple	
  lexicon	
  in	
  
short	
  sentences	
  with	
  a	
  personal	
  style	
   that	
  was	
  mainly	
   traced	
   in	
   the	
  use	
  of	
  personal	
  pronouns	
  and	
  a	
   lack	
  of	
  
passive	
  voice,	
  which	
  is	
  typical	
  of	
  a	
  commitment-­‐oriented	
  code.	
  This,	
  of	
  course,	
  does	
  not	
  necessarily	
  mean	
  that	
  
the	
  students	
  clearly	
  connected	
  the	
  traits,	
  but	
  simply	
  suggests	
  that	
  such	
  features	
  are	
  correlated.	
  	
  

	
   Overall,	
   then,	
  CoEs	
  could	
  be	
  aptly	
   integrated	
   in	
  ESP	
  syllabi	
   to	
  encourage	
  a	
   focus	
  on	
  several	
   textual	
  
and	
  communicative	
  features	
  at	
  once.	
  As	
  mentioned	
  before,	
  CoEs	
  cover	
  a	
  wide	
  range	
  of	
  useful	
  aspects	
  for	
  ESP	
  
instructors.	
   First,	
   they	
   help	
   students	
   in	
   identifying	
   intuitive	
   language	
   patterns,	
   communication	
   techniques,	
  
and	
   ethical	
   norms	
   used	
   in	
   corporate	
   environments,	
   which	
   convey	
   a	
   generic	
   behavioral	
   conduct	
   that	
  
individuals	
  should	
  adopt	
  on	
  a	
  day-­‐to-­‐day	
  basis.	
  Second,	
  the	
  study	
  of	
  CoEs	
  can	
  help	
  students	
  develop	
  a	
  greater	
  
awareness	
   of	
   a	
   specialized	
   discourse.	
   Third,	
   CoEs	
   can	
   be	
   taught	
   by	
   combining	
   a	
   top-­‐down	
   (genre	
   move	
  
structure)	
  with	
  a	
  bottom-­‐up	
  (textual	
  features)	
  approach	
  based	
  on	
  students’	
  needs.	
  

As	
  a	
  first	
  step,	
  instead	
  of	
  just	
  examining	
  the	
  linguistic	
  text,	
  ESP	
  teachers	
  can	
  guide	
  students	
  to	
  think	
  
about	
  how	
   these	
   specialized	
   texts	
   relate	
   to	
   corporate	
   life.	
   In	
   the	
  present	
   case,	
   students	
  were	
  attending	
   the	
  



GIGLIONI	
  &	
  PATAT	
  

E-­‐JournALL	
  7(2)	
  (2020),	
  pp.	
  51–69 62	
  

master	
   program	
   to	
   obtain	
   a	
   more	
   competitive	
   profile.	
   Hence,	
   students’	
   active	
   participation,	
   in-­‐class	
  
involvement,	
   and	
   future	
   expectations	
   were	
   key	
   factors	
   in	
   linking	
   classroom	
   experience	
   to	
   real	
   life.	
   The	
  
decision	
   to	
   study	
  CoEs	
   stemmed	
   from	
   the	
   observation	
   that,	
   in	
   the	
   field	
   of	
   international	
   business,	
   properly	
  
communicating	
  is	
  English	
  is	
  based	
  on	
  a	
  set	
  of	
  conventions;	
  thus,	
  students	
  should	
  be	
  provided	
  the	
  necessary	
  
codes	
  to	
  establish	
  concrete	
  and	
  meaningful	
  connections	
  with	
  the	
  professional	
  world.	
  This	
  is	
  indeed	
  the	
  case	
  
for	
   CoEs,	
   as	
   they	
   are	
   corporate	
   documents	
   written	
   to	
   guide	
   behavior.	
   Furthermore,	
   working	
   on	
   the	
   CoEs	
  
stimulated	
  relevant	
  discussions	
  on	
  language	
  use,	
  communication	
  techniques	
  (see,	
  for	
  example,	
  ad	
  hoc	
  title	
  or	
  
figurative	
  language	
  use),	
  and	
  ethical	
  principles	
  that	
  can	
  be	
  distinctive	
  in	
  corporate	
  behavior.	
  	
  

	
  
6.	
  Conclusion	
  

	
   In	
   conclusion,	
   though	
   relying	
   on	
   a	
   small	
   sample,	
   the	
   present	
   study	
   suggests	
   that	
   using	
   CoEs	
   can	
  
positively	
   impact	
   an	
   ESP	
   class.	
   In	
   response	
   to	
   the	
   ever-­‐changing	
   corporate	
   dynamics,	
   it	
   is	
   important	
   for	
  
instructors	
   to	
   adapt	
   their	
   approach	
   in	
   teaching	
   by	
   integrating	
   sources	
   of	
   specialized	
   discourse.	
   In	
   at	
   ESP	
  
classroom,	
  material	
   selection	
   is	
  of	
  great	
   importance	
   for	
   task-­‐based	
  and	
  effective	
   learning.	
   In	
   this	
  study,	
   the	
  
researchers	
  found	
  that	
  the	
  analysis	
  of	
  CoEs	
  that	
  was	
  carried	
  out	
  collectively	
  in	
  class	
  and	
  in	
  self-­‐study	
  fostered	
  
students’	
   reflections	
   on	
   corporate	
   communication	
   and	
   enhanced	
   their	
   linguistic	
   competence.	
   Learners’	
  
perceptions	
  indicated	
  that	
  CoEs	
  could	
  be	
  potentially	
  useful	
  pedagogical	
  tools	
  both	
  in	
  vocabulary	
  acquisition	
  
in	
  a	
  second	
  language	
  as	
  well	
  as	
  in	
  engaging	
  students	
  in	
  expanding	
  their	
  knowledge	
  of	
  corporate	
  behaviors.	
  	
  

As	
  contextually	
  situated	
  texts,	
  CoEs	
  are	
  corporate	
  documents	
  that	
  are	
  deemed	
  essential	
  in	
  the	
  study	
  
of	
  business	
  discourse.	
  They	
  play	
  a	
  clear	
  role	
  in	
  fulfilling	
  the	
  need	
  of	
  providing	
  non-­‐native	
  speakers	
  with	
  the	
  
necessary	
   skills	
   to	
   communicate	
   in	
   an	
   overtly	
   globalized	
   corporate	
   environment,	
   where	
   English	
   is	
   the	
  
dominant	
  business	
  language.	
  To	
  the	
  authors’	
  knowledge,	
  studies	
  on	
  the	
  implementation	
  of	
  CoEs	
  as	
  teaching	
  
tools	
   are	
   still	
   underrepresented	
   in	
   literature,	
   especially	
   in	
   Italy.	
   The	
   present	
   study	
   is	
   hoped	
   to	
   offer	
   a	
  
contribution	
  to	
  the	
  field	
  through	
  a	
  genre-­‐based	
  approach.	
  It	
  started	
  by	
  exploring	
  the	
  students’	
  knowledge	
  of	
  
CoEs,	
  it	
  then	
  analyzed	
  the	
  acquisition	
  of	
  linguistic	
  and	
  formal	
  traits	
  of	
  corporate	
  writing,	
  and,	
  subsequently,	
  
focused	
  on	
  the	
  students’	
  perceptions	
  of	
  the	
  implementation	
  of	
  the	
  approach.	
  Within	
  the	
  five-­‐week	
  period	
  set	
  
for	
   the	
   investigation,	
   results	
   showed	
   that	
   traits	
   at	
   a	
   macro-­‐textual	
   level	
   were	
   easily	
   identifiable	
   by	
   both	
  
groups,	
  whereas	
  the	
  micro-­‐textual	
  analysis	
  proved	
  to	
  be	
  slightly	
  more	
  challenging.	
  Nonetheless,	
  both	
  groups	
  
involved	
   in	
   the	
   study	
   came	
   to	
   the	
   conclusion	
   that	
   working	
   on	
   CoEs	
   could	
   help,	
   particularly,	
   in	
   terms	
   of	
  
acquiring	
  new	
  vocabulary,	
  raising	
  language	
  awareness,	
  and	
  understanding	
  corporate	
  dynamics.	
  	
  

	
  
7.	
  Limitations	
  of	
  the	
  study	
  

	
   This	
   research	
  was	
   a	
   first	
   step	
   into	
   the	
   study	
   of	
   the	
   implementation	
   of	
   CoEs	
   into	
   the	
   syllabus	
   of	
   a	
  
Business	
   English	
   course.	
   Despite	
   the	
   relatively	
   small	
   number	
   of	
   participants,	
   it	
   is	
   hoped	
   to	
   encourage	
  
instructors	
  to	
  explore	
  the	
  use	
  of	
  CoEs	
  as	
  effective	
  pedagogical	
  tools	
  in	
  the	
  ESP	
  class.	
  	
  

	
   The	
  present	
  study	
  design	
  could	
  be	
  further	
  developed	
  by	
  analyzing	
  students’	
  abilities	
  to	
  transfer	
  the	
  
acquired	
  knowledge	
  into	
  their	
  writing	
  output.	
  Likewise,	
  a	
  comparative	
  approach	
  could	
  be	
  of	
  some	
  interest,	
  as	
  
shifting	
  attention	
  from	
  a	
  national	
  to	
  an	
  international	
  scenario	
  may	
  underline	
  differences	
  in	
  terms	
  of	
  students’	
  
achievements	
  both	
  in	
  foreign	
  language	
  acquisition	
  and	
  genre	
  awareness.	
  	
  

	
  
	
  
	
  

References	
  
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   Janet	
   S.,	
   Tashchian,	
  Armen,	
  &	
   Shore,	
   Ted	
  H.	
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   Codes	
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   ethics	
   as	
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Andrade,	
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   (2003).	
   Codes	
   of	
   ethics:	
   What	
   are	
   they	
   really	
   and	
   what	
   should	
   they	
   be?	
  

International	
  Journal	
  of	
  Value-­‐Based	
  Management,	
  16(2),	
  181–195.	
  
Yin,	
  Robert	
  K.	
  (2014).	
  Case	
  study	
  research:	
  design	
  and	
  methods.	
  SAGE.	
   	
  



GIGLIONI	
  &	
  PATAT	
  

E-­‐JournALL	
  7(2)	
  (2020),	
  pp.	
  51–69 66	
  

Appendix	
  A	
  
	
  

	
   	
   QUESTIONNAIRE 
 
Rispondi alle seguenti domande (trans. Please answer to the following questions) 

1. Sai cos’è un codice etico? (trans. Do you know what a code of ethics is?)  
2. Quali argomenti ti aspetti vengano trattati in un codice etico? (trans. What topics do you think are treated in a 

code of ethics?) 
3. Ti aspetti uno stile comunicativo diretto o legalistico? (trans. Do you expect a direct communicative style or a 

legalistic style?)  
4. Chi scrive un codice etico? (trans. Who authors a code of ethics?) 
5. Quando si scrive un codice etico? (trans. When are codes of ethics issued?) 
6. Perché un codice etico viene redatto? (trans. Why are codes of ethics written?) 
7. Premesso (se non lo sai) che un codice etico è un documento diffuso dalle aziende quotate, secondo te dove 

si può trovare o dove lo cercheresti? (trans. Considering – if you don’t know – that a code of ethics is a 
corporate document issued by listed companies, where do you think you can retrieve it?) 

8. Quali altri generi testuali nella comunicazione istituzionale d’azienda conosci? (trans. What other corporate 
documents are you familiar with?)  

9. Perché potrebbe essere utile conoscere un codice etico? (trans. Do you think it could be useful to become 
familiar with codes of ethics?)  

10. Qual è, secondo te, l’impatto dello studio dei codici etici in inglese sul tuo apprendimento della lingua? 
Elabora. (trans. How do you think the study of codes of ethics can affect foreign language acquisition? 
Explain.) 

	
  



TEACHING	
  CODES	
  OF	
  ETHICS	
  

E-­‐JournALL	
  7(2)	
  (2020),	
  pp.	
  51–69 67	
  

Appendix	
  B	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  

	
   	
  

PRE- AND POST- TESTS 
 

A) Analyze the two codes of ethics by completing the chart below:  

• Put a + if the feature is present and a – if it is not present  
• Provide an example (include the page number and the code’s name; V for Vodafone and B for Burberry) for 

each feature.  

 Feature Vodafone Example Burberry Example 
1 Lists      
2 Definitions     
3 Contract-style layout     
4 No visuals     
5 Short code     
6 CEO’s message     
7 Comprehension aids     
8 Ad hoc title     
9 Visuals     
10 Long code     
 

Use the space below for the examples – just make sure to write the number of the feature and the code’s name (V for 
Vodafone and B for Burberry). 

 

 

B) Analyze the two code of ethics given by completing the chart below:  

• Put a + if the feature is present and a – if it is not present  
• Provide an example (include the page number) for each feature.  

 Features Vodafone Example Burberry Example 
1 Formal words     
2 Phraseological units     
3 Extreme precision     
4 Overuse of “shall”     
5 Nominalization     
6 Prevalence of short sentences     
7 No impersonal style     
8 Simple, clear lexicon     
9 Figurative language      
10 Prevalence of Long sentences     
 

Use the space below for the examples – just make sure to write the number of the feature and the code’s name (V for 
Vodafone and B for Burberry). 

 



GIGLIONI	
  &	
  PATAT	
  

E-­‐JournALL	
  7(2)	
  (2020),	
  pp.	
  51–69 68	
  

	
  	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  

Cinzia Giglioni, Sapienza Università di Roma 

cinzia.giglioni@uniroma1.it 
  

EN Cinzia Giglioni is Assistant Professor at the Department of Political Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome. She was 
an adjunct professor for several years in different universities in Italy, teaching both BA and first level master’s degree 
students. Her research interests span from second language acquisition to discourse analysis, especially in the context 
of language for specific purposes (LSP) research. Her most recent contributions focus on the linguistic aspects of 
corporate and political communication. She has presented papers at several international conferences and symposia 
and has published the results of her research in journals and edited volumes. She regularly collaborates with various 
international research groups, including CLAVIER (The Corpus and Language Variation in English Research Group) 
and GERAS (Groupe d’Etude et de Recherche en Anglais de Spécialité). 
 

ES Cinzia Giglioni es investigadora y docente en el Departamento de Ciencias Políticas en la Universidad “La Sapienza” 
de Roma. Ha enseñado como profesor con contracto por diversos años en varias universidades de Italia, 
especialmente con alumnos a nivel de licenciatura y de primer curso de Master. Sus campos de investigación abarcan 
desde el aprendizaje de lenguas extranjeras hasta el análisis de discurso, sobre todo en el ámbito del lenguaje para 
fines específicos. Sus contribuciones más recientes se enfocan en los aspectos lingüísticos de la comunicación 
empresarial y política. Ha participado en varias conferencias y congresos internacionales, además de publicar los 
resultados de sus investigaciones en revistas y volúmenes. Colabora de forma estable con varios grupos de 
investigación internacional como CLAVIER (The Corpus and Language Variation in English Research Group) y GERAS 
(Groupe d’ Etude et de Recherche en Anglais de Spécialité). 
 

IT Cinzia Giglioni è Ricercatrice presso il Dipartimento di Scienze Politiche della Sapienza, Università di Roma. Ha 
insegnato come docente a contratto per diversi anni in varie università in Italia in corsi sia triennali sia di master. I suoi 
interessi di ricerca vanno dall’apprendimento della lingua straniera all’analisi del discorso, in particolare nel contesto del 
linguaggio per scopi specifici. I suoi contributi più recenti si focalizzano sugli aspetti linguistici della comunicazione 
aziendale e politica. È stata relatrice a vari convegni e simposi internazionali e ha pubblicato i risultati della sua ricerca 
in riviste e volumi. Collabora regolarmente con vari gruppi di ricerca internazionali, come CLAVIER (The Corpus and 
Language Variation in English Research Group) e GERAS (Groupe d’ Etude et de Recherche en Anglais de Spécialité) 



TEACHING	
  CODES	
  OF	
  ETHICS	
  

E-­‐JournALL	
  7(2)	
  (2020),	
  pp.	
  51–69 69	
  

	
  

Ellen Patat, Università degli Studi di Milano and Università degli Studi di Milano Bicocca 
ellenpatat@gmail.com 

  
EN Ellen Patat, PhD, is presently teaching in the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures at the Università degli 

Studi di Milano (Italy), as well as business English at Università degli Studi di Milano Bicocca (Italy) and English for 
specific purposes (ESP) at the Università dell’Insubria (Italy). She previously taught English for academic purposes 
(EAP) and Italian as Foreign Language at Bahçeşehir University (Istanbul, Turkey) and Italian as FL and translation at 
Yeditepe University (Istanbul, Turkey). Following her degree in Foreign Languages and Literatures, she completed her 
PhD in Multilingualism and Comparative Literatures at the Università degli Studi di Udine (Italy), an MA in Conference 
Interpreting (EMCI) at Boğaziçi University (Istanbul, Turkey) and a second BA in Italian Language and Culture for 
Foreigners at Consorzio ICoN. Her main areas of interest are modern and contemporary travel literature, EAP and 
ESP, Language Teaching, and Translation Studies.  
 

ES Ellen Patat actualmente enseña en el Departmento de Lenguas y Literaturas Extranjeras en la Università degli Studi di 
Milano (Italia), además de impartir inglés empresarial en la Università degli Studi di Milano Bicocca (Italia) e inglés para 
fines específicos (ESP) en la Università dell’Insubria (Italia). Anteriormente había enseñado inglés para fines 
académicos (EAP) e italiano LE en la Universidad de Bahçeşehir (Istanbul, Turquía), además de italiano y traducción 
en la Universidad de Yeditepe (Istanbul, Turquía). Después de licenciarse en Lenguas y Literaturas Extranjeras, se 
doctoró en Multilingüísmo y Literaraturas Comparadas en la Università degli Studi di Udine (Italia), consiguió un Master 
en Interpretación de Conferencias en la Universidad de Boğaziçi (Istanbul, Turquía) y una segunda licenciatura en 
Lengua y Cultura Italianas para Extranjeros en Consorzio ICoN. Sus intereses académicos son la literatura moderna y 
contemporánea de viajes, inglés para fines académicos y específicos, enseñanza de idiomas y estudios de traducción. 
 

IT Ellen Patat, attualmente insegna nella Facoltà di Lingue e Letterature Straniere all’Università degli Studi di Milano, 
insegna inoltre business english (Inglese Commerciale) all’Università degli Studi di Milano Bicocca e Inglese per Scopi 
Specifici (ESP) all’Università dell’Insubria. È stata anche docente di inglese per scopi accademici (EAP) e italiano come 
lingua straniera alla Bahcesehir University di Istanbul, e di italiano come lingua straniera e di traduzione alla Yeditepe 
University di Istanbul. Dopo la laurea in Lingue e Letterature Straniere, ha conseguito il dottorato in Multilinguismo e 
Letterature Comparate all’Università degli Studi di Udine, un Master in Interpretariato di Conferenza alla Boğaziçi 
Univeristy di Istanbul e una seconda laurea in Lingua e Cultura Italiana per Stranieri presso il Consorzio IcoN. Le sue 
aree di ricerca sono la letteratura di viaggio moderna e contemporanea, EAP e ESP, l’insegnamento della lingua e 
traduzione. 


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