CODE
OF BUSINESS CONDUCT AND ETHICS
Introduction.
Tix
Corporation and its subsidiaries (the “Company”)
will conduct its business honestly and ethically wherever we
operate. We will constantly attempt to improve the quality of
our services, products and operations and will maintain a reputation
for honesty, fairness, respect, responsibility, integrity, trust
and sound business judgment. No illegal or unethical conduct
on the part of our directors, officers or employees or their
affiliates is in the Company’s best interest. The Company
will not compromise its principles for short-term advantage.
The honest and ethical performance of the Company is the sum
of the ethics of the men and women who work here. Therefore,
we are all expected to adhere to high standards of personal
integrity.
This
Code of Business Conduct and Ethics (this “Code”)
covers a wide range of business practices and procedures. It
does not cover every issue that may arise, but it sets out basic
principles to guide all directors, officers and employees of
the Company. All of our directors, officers and employees must
conduct themselves accordingly and seek to avoid even the appearance
of improper behavior. This Code should also be provided to and
followed by the Company’s other agents and representatives,
including consultants.
In
accordance with applicable laws and stock exchange regulations,
the Code will be filed with the Securities Exchange Commission
(the “SEC”), posted on the Company’s website
and/or otherwise made available for examination by our stockholders.
1.
Compliance with Applicable Laws, Rules and Regulations.
Obeying
the law, both in letter and in spirit, is the foundation on
which the Company’s ethical standards are built. All directors,
officers and employees must respect and obey the laws of the
United States and of the cities, states and countries in which
we operate. In particular, all directors, officers and employees
must comply with the federal securities laws, rules and regulations
that govern the Company.
2.
Avoidance of Conflicts of Interest.
The
Company’s directors, officers and employees must never
permit their personal interests to conflict, or even appear
to conflict, with the interests of the Company. A “conflict
of interest” exists when a person’s private interests
interfere in any way, or even appear to interfere, with the
Company’s interests. A conflict situation can arise when
a director, officer or employee takes actions, or has interests,
that make it difficult to perform his or her Company work objectively
and his or her family, receives improper personal benefits as
a result of his or her position with the Company. Loans to,
or guarantees of the obligations of, directors, officers and
employees and their family members may create conflicts of interest
and may also be illegal.
For
example, it is a conflict of interest for a director, officer
or employee to work simultaneously for a competitor or customer,
even as a consultant or board member. Each director, officer
and employee must be particularly careful to avoid representing
the Company in any transaction with a third party with whom
the director, officer or employee has any outside business affiliation
or relationship. The best policy is to avoid any direct or indirect
business connection with our customers and competitors, except
on our behalf.
Conflicts
of interest (including both actual and apparent conflicts of
interest) are prohibited under the Code except in limited cases
under guidelines or exceptions specifically approved in advance
by the Company’s Board of Directors.
Conflicts
of interest my not always be clear-cut, so if you have a question,
you should consult with our Chief Financial Officer. Our Outside
Counsel’s telephone number and address are set forth in
Section 15 below. Any director, officer or employee who becomes
aware of any transaction or relationship that is a conflict
of interest or a potential conflict of interest should bring
it to the attention of our Outside Counsel.
3.
Bribes, Kickbacks and Gifts.
No
bribes, kickbacks or other similar remuneration or consideration
may be given to any person or organization in order to attract
or influence business activity. The United States Foreign Corrupt
Practices Act prohibits giving anything of value, directly or
indirectly, to officials of foreign governments or foreign political
candidates in order to obtain or retain business. Therefore,
this Code strictly prohibits making illegal payments to government
officials of any country.
The
Company’s directors, officers and employees are also prohibited
from receiving or providing gifts, gratuities, fees or bonuses
as an inducement to attract or influence business activity.
Entertainment may be offered, given or accepted by any director,
officer or employee (or any family member of any such person)
in connection with our business activities provided it: (a)
is consistent with customary business practices: (b) is not
excessive in value; (c) cannot be construed as a bribe or payoff;
(d) is with the specific approval of management pursuant to
Company policy; and (e) does not violate any laws and regulations.
Please discuss with our Outside Counsel any entertainment that
you are not certain is appropriate.
4.
Confidential Information.
Our
directors, officers and employees will often come into contact
with, or have possession of, confidential information about
the Company or our suppliers, customers or affiliates, and they
must take all appropriate steps to assure that the confidentiality
of such information is maintained. Confidential information
includes all nonpublic information that might be of use to competitors
or harmful to the Company if disclosed. It also includes nonpublic
information that our suppliers, customers or affiliates have
entrusted to us.
Confidential
information, whether it belongs to the Company or any of our
suppliers, customer of affiliates, may include, among other
things, strategic business plans, actual operating results,
projections of future operating results, marketing strategies,
customer lists, personnel records, proposed acquisitions and
divestitures, new investments, changes in dividend policies,
the proposed issuance of additional securities, management changes
or manufacturing costs, processes and methods. Confidential
information about our Company and other companies, individuals
and entities must be treated with sensitivity and discretion
and only be disclosed to persons within the Company whose positions
require use of that information or if disclosure is required
by applicable laws, rules and regulations. You should consult
with our General Counsel concerning any confidential information
that you believe my need to be disclosed to third parties under
any applicable laws, rules or regulations.
5.
Insider Trading.
Trading
in the Company’s securities is covered by the Company’s
Insider
Trading Policy previously distributed to all employees, which
Policy is hereby incorporated in its entirety in this Code.
If you would like to receive another copy of the Insider Trading
Policy or have any questions regarding such Policy, please contact
our General Counsel.
6.
Public Disclosure of Information Required by the Securities
Laws.
The
Company is a public company that is required to file various
reports and documents with the SEC. An objective of the Code
is to ensure full, fair, accurate and understandable disclosure
in the reports and other documents that we file with, or otherwise
submit to, the SEC and in the press releases and other public
communications that we distribute.
The
federal securities laws, rules and regulations require the Company
to maintain “disclosure controls and procedures,”
which are controls and other procedures that are designed to
ensure that financial information and non-financial information
that is required to be disclosed by us in the reports that we
file with or otherwise submit to the SEC (i) is recorded, processed,
summarized and reported within the time periods required by
applicable federal securities laws, rules and regulations and
(ii) is accumulated and communicated to our management, including
our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, in
a manner allowing timely decisions by them regarding required
disclosure in the reports.
Some
of our directors, officers and employees will be asked to assist
management in the preparation and review of the reports that
we file with the SEC, including recording, processing, summarizing
and reporting to management information for inclusion in these
reports. If you are asked to assist in this process, you must
comply with all the disclosure controls and procedures that
are communicated to you by management regarding the preparation
of these reports. If you are asked to assist in this process,
you must comply with all disclosure controls and procedures
that are communicated to you by management regarding the preparation
of these reports. You must also perform with diligence any responsibilities
that are assigned to you by management in connection with the
preparation and review of these reports, and you may be asked
to sign certification to the effect that you have performed
your assigned responsibilities.
SEC
regulations impose upon our Chief Executive Officer and Chief
Financial Officer various obligations in connection with annual
and quarterly reports that we file with the SEC, including responsibility
for:
•
Establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures
and internal control over financial reporting that, among other
things, ensure that material information relating to the Company
is made known to them on a timely basis;
•
Designing the Company’s internal control over financial
reporting to provide reasonable assurances that the Company’s
financial statements are fairly presented in conformity with
generally accepted accounting principles;
•
Evaluating the effectiveness of the Company’s disclosure
controls and procedures and internal control over financial
reporting;
•
Disclosing (i) specified deficiencies and weaknesses in the
design or operation of the Company’s internal control
over financial reporting; (ii) fraud that involves management
or other employees who have a significant role in the Company’s
internal control over financial reporting, and (iii) specified
changes relating to the Company’s internal control over
financial reporting; and
•
Providing certifications in the Company’s annual and quarterly
reports regarding the above items and other specified matters.
This
Code requires our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial
Officer to carry out their designated responsibilities in connection
with our annual and quarterly reports, and this Code requires
you, if asked, to assist our executive officers in performing
their responsibilities under these SEC regulations.
7.
Record-Keeping.
The
Company requires honest and accurate recording and reporting
of information in order to make responsible business decisions.
For example, only the true and actual number of hours worked
should be reported. Also, business expense accounts must be
documented and recorded accurately. If you are not sure whether
a certain expense is legitimate, ask our Chief Financial Officer.
All
of the Company’s books, records, accounts and financial
statements must be maintained in reasonable detail, must accurately
and appropriately reflect the Company’s transactions and
must conform both to applicable legal requirements and to the
Company’s internal control over financial reporting and
disclosure controls and procedures. All transactions must be
recorded in a manner that will permit us to prepare financial
statements that are accurate, complete and in full compliance
with applicable laws, rules and regulations. Unrecorded or “off
the books” funds or assets should not be maintained unless
expressly permitted by applicable laws, rules and regulations.
Business
records and communications often become public, and we should
avoid exaggeration, derogatory remarks, guesswork or inappropriate
characterizations of people and companies that can be misunderstood.
This applies equally to e-mail, internal memoranda and formal
reports.
Records
should be retained in accordance with the Company’s record
retention policies, and records should be destroyed only if
expressly permitted by our record retention policies and applicable
laws, rules and regulations. If you become the subject of a
subpoena, lawsuit or governmental investigation relating to
your work at the Company, please contact our Outside Counsel
immediately.
8.
Corporate Opportunities.
Directors,
officers and employees are prohibited from taking for themselves
personally opportunities that are discovered through the use
of the Company’s property or confidential information
or as a result of their position with the Company, except upon
the prior written consent of the Board of Directors. No director,
officer or employee may use corporate property, information
or position for improper personal gain; no director, officer
or employee may use Company contact to advance his or her private
business or personal interests at the expense of the Company
or its customers, suppliers or affiliates; and no director,
officer or employee may directly or indirectly compete with
the Company. Directors, officers and employees owe a duty to
the Company to advance its legitimate interests when the opportunity
to do so arises.
9.
Competition and Fair Dealing.
We
seek to outperform our competition fairly and honestly. We seek
competitive advantage through superior performance, never through
unethical or illegal business practices. Stealing proprietary
information, possessing trade secret information that was obtained
without the owner’s consent, or inducing such disclosures
by past or present employees of other companies is prohibited.
Each director, officer and employee should endeavor to respect
the rights of and deal fairly with the Company’s customers,
suppliers, competitors and affiliates. No director, officer
or employee should take unfair advantage of anyone through manipulation,
concealment, abuse of privileged information, misrepresentation
of material facts or any other intentional unfair-dealing practice.
To
maintain the Company’s valuable reputation, compliance
with our quality processes and safety requirements is essential.
In the context of ethics, quality requires that our products
and services be designed to meet our obligations to customers.
All inspection and testing documents must be handled in accordance
with all applicable laws, rules and regulations.
10.
Protection and Proper Use of Company Assets.
Directors,
officers and employees should endeavor to protect the Company’s
assets and ensure their efficient use. Theft, carelessness and
waste have a direct impact on the Company’s profitability.
Any suspected incident of fraud or theft should be immediately
reported for investigation. Company equipment including computers
may not be used for non-Company business, though incidental
personal use of items such as telephones may be permitted pursuant
to written policies approved by the Board of Directors.
The
obligation of directors, officers and employees to protect the
Company’s assets includes its proprietary information.
Proprietary information includes intellectual property such
as trade secrets, patents, trademarks and copyrights, as well
as business, marketing and service plans, engineering and manufacturing
ideas, designs, databases, records, salary information and any
unpublished financial data and reports. Unauthorized use or
distribution of this information would violate Company policy.
It could also be illegal and result in civil or criminal penalties.
11.
Discrimination and Harassment.
The
diversity of the Company’s directors, officers and employees
is a tremendous asset. We are firmly committed to providing
equal opportunity in all aspects of employment and will not
tolerate any illegal discrimination or harassment of any kind.
Examples include derogatory comments based on racial or ethnic
characteristics and unwelcome sexual advances.
12.
Health and Safety.
The
Company strives to provide each director, officer and employee
with a safe and healthful work environment. Each director, officer
and employee has responsibility for maintaining a safe and healthy
workplace for all other persons by following safety and health
rules and practices and reporting accidents, injuries and unsafe
equipment, practices or conditions.
Violence
and threatening behavior are not permitted. Directors, officers
and employees should report to work in condition to perform
their duties, free from the influence of illegal drugs or alcohol.
The use of illegal drugs or alcohol in the workplace will not
be tolerated.
13.
Waivers and Amendments of the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics.
A
waiver of any provision of this Code may be granted to any director,
officer or employee only by the Company’s Board of Directors,
and such waiver promptly will be publicly disclosed to the extent
required by law or stock exchange regulations.
This
Code can be amended only by the Board of Directors, and any
such amendment promptly will be publicly disclosed as required
by law or stock exchange regulations.
14.
Enforcement of the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics.
A
violation of this Code by any director, officer or employee
will be subject to disciplinary action, including possible termination
of employment. The degree of discipline imposed by the Company
may be influenced by whether the person who violated this Code
voluntarily disclosed the violation to the Company and cooperated
with the Company in any subsequent investigation. In some cases,
a violation of this Code may constitute a criminal offense that
is subject to prosecution by federal or state authorities.
15.
Compliance Procedures; Reporting Misconduct or Other Ethical
Violations.
Directors,
officers and employees should promptly report any unethical,
dishonest or illegal behavior, or any other violation of this
Code or of other Company policies and procedures, to our Outside
Counsel. Our Outside Counsel’s name is David Ficksman
and his telephone number is (310) 553-4441 x 290, and his address
is Troy & Gould, 16th Floor, 1801, Century Park East, Los
Angeles, CA 90067. If you ever have any doubt about whether
your conduct or that of another person violates this Code or
compromised the Company’s reputation, please discuss the
issue with our Outside Counsel.
The
Company’s Audit Committee has established procedures for
(i) the receipt, retention and treatment of complaints received
by the Company regarding accounting, internal accounting controls
or auditing matters and (ii) the confidential, anonymous submission
by employees of concerns regarding questionable accounting or
auditing matters. The Company has distributed a copy of the
procedures to all directors, officers and employees.
The
Company’s policy is not to allow retaliation for a report
of unethical, dishonest or illegal behavior, or of any other
violation of this Code or of other Company policies and procedures,
if the report about another person’s conduct is made in
good faith by a director, officer or employee. Directors, officers
and employees are expected to cooperate in internal investigations
regarding possible unethical, dishonest or illegal behavior
or any other possible violation of this Code or of other Company
policies and procedures.
If
you have any questions regarding the best course of action in
a particular situation, you should promptly contact the Outside
Counsel. You may choose to remain anonymous in reporting any
possible violation of this Code of Ethics by doing the following:
•
calling the whistleblower hotline at 1-213-443-1186 or
• sending an anonymous e-mail via the Whistleblower Anonymous
E-Mail Notification System which may be accessed at www.fulcruminquiry.com/tix.
If
you wish to express concerns relating to questionable accounting,
audit or related matters, you may use either the whistleblower
hotline or Whistleblower Anonymous E-Mail Notification System
to report such concerns to the Audit Committee of Tix Corporation
Board of Directors. The Audit Committee consists of members
of the Board of Directors.