DineEquity (NYSE: DIN) is a United States company that both franchises and operates restaurants. Headquartered in Glendale, California, the company was founded originally as IHOP (International House Of Pancakes) and changed its corporate identity after it acquired Applebee's.[1] On July 16, 2007, IHOP Corp. announced its intent to acquire the bar-and-grill chain Applebee's International, Inc. in an all-cash transaction, valued at approximately US$2.1 billion. Under the deal, IHOP paid $25.50 per share for Applebee's. IHOP stated it would franchise most of Applebee's 500 company-owned stores. Applebee's has 1,943 restaurants overall worldwide, including those operated by franchisees.[2]
Julia Stewart, who originally worked as a waitress at IHOP and worked her way up through the restaurant industry, became Chief Executive Officer of IHOP Corp. She had previously been President of Applebee’s, but left after being overlooked for that company's CEO position. She became CEO of IHOP in 2001, and returned to manage her old company due to the acquisition. [3]
With a larger than 70% vote, Applebee's stockholders approved the takeover, which closed on November 29, 2007. The deal beat 26 other offers to purchase the economically slumping Applebee's. A number of executives from Applebee's voted against the offer, the chain's largest individual shareholder, Applebee's director Burton "Skip" Sack plans to take IHOP to court to demand a higher amount of money to be paid to him as the purchasing price that IHOP is giving is unfair to the shareholders of Applebee's. As part of the purchase, a brand re-marketing scheme and revitalization of the Applebee's image was undertaken
DineEquity, Inc., International House of Pancakes, LLC, Applebee’s International, Inc. and
their corporate affiliates and subsidiaries have always followed the highest principles of
business ethics. Our policies with respect to business conduct and responsibilities have
been clearly and frequently stated in the past, and, I believe, are well understood by each of
you. This Global Code of Conduct (the “Code”), represents the consolidation of the
Applebee’s and IHOP codes of conduct and has been approved by our Board of Directors.
It is consistent with, and is intended to support, our vision and values, and it sets forth the
fundamental principles and key policies and procedures that govern the way we conduct our
business. Because our business depends on the reputation of each of us for integrity and
principled business conduct, in many instances, the policies set forth or referenced in this
Code go beyond the requirements of the law.
All officers and employees of DineEquity, Inc., International House of Pancakes, LLC,
Applebee’s International, Inc. and all of the affiliates and subsidiaries of those companies,
are expected to comply with the policies set forth in this Code and must certify annually that
they have read this Code and understand it. If you have any questions about this Code, or if
you are in doubt about the best course of action in a particular situation, you should contact
your supervisor, the Compliance Office or any of the other resources identified in the Code.
This Code is designed to support the company’s vision and values by helping you understand
and follow the company's policies with respect to business conduct. We believe that it will
provide a useful guide to you in your day-to-day business activities.
This Code is a reaffirmation of the company's longstanding commitment to ethical business
conduct and the strict observance of all laws and regulations applicable to the company and its
business. The Code cannot provide definitive answers to all questions. For that, we must
ultimately rely on each person's good sense of what is right, including a sense of when it is
proper to seek guidance on the appropriate course of conduct. Thus, the Code is designed to
alert you to situations that may arise in the course of business, so that you will know when you
should obtain guidance. As used throughout this Code, the terms "DineEquity" and "company"
refer to DineEquity, Inc., International House of Pancakes, and LLC. Applebee’s Services, Inc.
and their subsidiaries and affiliates. The term “team member(s)” refers to all employees
(including officers) of the company.
Community Involvement – We are committed to improving the communities in which we
do business through such means as creating meaningful employment, contributing to
economic and social development, effective use of resources, and promoting and
supporting diversity among our associates, franchisees, suppliers and vendor partners,
reflective of the local community.
Employment Standards – Our associates are provided work environments free from risk
of physical harm and work conditions where they are fairly compensated and free from
exploitation, harassment, and discrimination. Responsible employment practices are
followed and enforced concerning areas such as wages and benefits, working hours,
child labor, prison labor, forced labor, health and safety, discrimination, disciplinary
actions, equal opportunity, diversity, and substance use or abuse.
Observance of High Ethical Standards – We aspire as individuals and in the conduct of
our business activities to the highest ethical standards. We place a great deal of
emphasis on personal integrity and honesty and believe that the balance of both shortand
long-term results while upholding our values is our best measure of performance.
Integrity and ethical conduct--both on and off the job--is necessary because we
represent our business in the marketplace, and our conduct may directly impact the
success of our business and our brand.
Compliance with Applicable Laws – Our business activities and conduct comply with all
legal requirements relevant to the communities in which we conduct our business.
In an attempt to avoid misunderstandings, complaints of favoritism, and employee morale
problems that could result from personal or social relationships involving co-workers, company
policy prohibits managerial or supervisory team members from:
�� Directly (or indirectly through the line of supervision) managing or supervising a member
of his or her family. “Family members” include spouses, children, sisters, brothers,
mothers, fathers, domestic partners, and in-laws.
�� Dating a team member in his or her direct line of supervision, while employed by the
company.
Efforts will be made to transfer one of the parties involved if it can be done without undue
disruption of the company’s business. If a suitable transfer is not possible, one of the parties
will be required to terminate his or her employment with the company
Proactively seek end user input to evaluate, monitor, and establish new processes to improve the desktop/laptop corporate user experience, including leading and participating in focus groups
Communicate and build relationships with internal and external business partners
Develop and enforce the IT Security and data retention policy
Oversee Client Services team to ensure adherence to published SLA’s
Track key performance indicators and metrics for the Client Services group and suggest methods for improving performance, reliability and other business measures
Maintain vendor relations and clear communication paths for issue escalation
Manage incoming ticket queues for Client Services and act as point of escalation for production support issues
Organize, delegate, review and sign-off on Client Services team members’ work
Perform capacity planning for phone systems and voice mail, recommend actions
Analyze, develop and implement solutions to complex problems and requirements related to corporate desktop/laptop and telecommunications systems
May lead project teams across technical disciplines
Monitor compliance with internal policies and external regulations
Participate in the planning and development of infrastructure roadmaps, best practices, and methodologies, including, but not limited to the following technologies: current and future desktop and laptop technologies, remote administration and security patching for operating systems, office suites and internet browsers
Obtain regular briefings on vendor directions, development, and engineering plans for Client Services technologies. Use this information to contribute to Technology Roadmaps and IT Strategic Plans.
Oversee the implementation of any system changes or new capabilities to ensure compliance with SOX requirements and IT policies. Participate in the design of new solutions to mitigate identified SOX deficiencies and violations of IT Policies. Work with the peers within the IT dept to ensure that effective security systems conform to business requirements and application privacy and security standards.
Collaborate with IT team members to support disaster recovery planning and execution
Julia Stewart, who originally worked as a waitress at IHOP and worked her way up through the restaurant industry, became Chief Executive Officer of IHOP Corp. She had previously been President of Applebee’s, but left after being overlooked for that company's CEO position. She became CEO of IHOP in 2001, and returned to manage her old company due to the acquisition. [3]
With a larger than 70% vote, Applebee's stockholders approved the takeover, which closed on November 29, 2007. The deal beat 26 other offers to purchase the economically slumping Applebee's. A number of executives from Applebee's voted against the offer, the chain's largest individual shareholder, Applebee's director Burton "Skip" Sack plans to take IHOP to court to demand a higher amount of money to be paid to him as the purchasing price that IHOP is giving is unfair to the shareholders of Applebee's. As part of the purchase, a brand re-marketing scheme and revitalization of the Applebee's image was undertaken
DineEquity, Inc., International House of Pancakes, LLC, Applebee’s International, Inc. and
their corporate affiliates and subsidiaries have always followed the highest principles of
business ethics. Our policies with respect to business conduct and responsibilities have
been clearly and frequently stated in the past, and, I believe, are well understood by each of
you. This Global Code of Conduct (the “Code”), represents the consolidation of the
Applebee’s and IHOP codes of conduct and has been approved by our Board of Directors.
It is consistent with, and is intended to support, our vision and values, and it sets forth the
fundamental principles and key policies and procedures that govern the way we conduct our
business. Because our business depends on the reputation of each of us for integrity and
principled business conduct, in many instances, the policies set forth or referenced in this
Code go beyond the requirements of the law.
All officers and employees of DineEquity, Inc., International House of Pancakes, LLC,
Applebee’s International, Inc. and all of the affiliates and subsidiaries of those companies,
are expected to comply with the policies set forth in this Code and must certify annually that
they have read this Code and understand it. If you have any questions about this Code, or if
you are in doubt about the best course of action in a particular situation, you should contact
your supervisor, the Compliance Office or any of the other resources identified in the Code.
This Code is designed to support the company’s vision and values by helping you understand
and follow the company's policies with respect to business conduct. We believe that it will
provide a useful guide to you in your day-to-day business activities.
This Code is a reaffirmation of the company's longstanding commitment to ethical business
conduct and the strict observance of all laws and regulations applicable to the company and its
business. The Code cannot provide definitive answers to all questions. For that, we must
ultimately rely on each person's good sense of what is right, including a sense of when it is
proper to seek guidance on the appropriate course of conduct. Thus, the Code is designed to
alert you to situations that may arise in the course of business, so that you will know when you
should obtain guidance. As used throughout this Code, the terms "DineEquity" and "company"
refer to DineEquity, Inc., International House of Pancakes, and LLC. Applebee’s Services, Inc.
and their subsidiaries and affiliates. The term “team member(s)” refers to all employees
(including officers) of the company.
Community Involvement – We are committed to improving the communities in which we
do business through such means as creating meaningful employment, contributing to
economic and social development, effective use of resources, and promoting and
supporting diversity among our associates, franchisees, suppliers and vendor partners,
reflective of the local community.
Employment Standards – Our associates are provided work environments free from risk
of physical harm and work conditions where they are fairly compensated and free from
exploitation, harassment, and discrimination. Responsible employment practices are
followed and enforced concerning areas such as wages and benefits, working hours,
child labor, prison labor, forced labor, health and safety, discrimination, disciplinary
actions, equal opportunity, diversity, and substance use or abuse.
Observance of High Ethical Standards – We aspire as individuals and in the conduct of
our business activities to the highest ethical standards. We place a great deal of
emphasis on personal integrity and honesty and believe that the balance of both shortand
long-term results while upholding our values is our best measure of performance.
Integrity and ethical conduct--both on and off the job--is necessary because we
represent our business in the marketplace, and our conduct may directly impact the
success of our business and our brand.
Compliance with Applicable Laws – Our business activities and conduct comply with all
legal requirements relevant to the communities in which we conduct our business.
In an attempt to avoid misunderstandings, complaints of favoritism, and employee morale
problems that could result from personal or social relationships involving co-workers, company
policy prohibits managerial or supervisory team members from:
�� Directly (or indirectly through the line of supervision) managing or supervising a member
of his or her family. “Family members” include spouses, children, sisters, brothers,
mothers, fathers, domestic partners, and in-laws.
�� Dating a team member in his or her direct line of supervision, while employed by the
company.
Efforts will be made to transfer one of the parties involved if it can be done without undue
disruption of the company’s business. If a suitable transfer is not possible, one of the parties
will be required to terminate his or her employment with the company
Proactively seek end user input to evaluate, monitor, and establish new processes to improve the desktop/laptop corporate user experience, including leading and participating in focus groups
Communicate and build relationships with internal and external business partners
Develop and enforce the IT Security and data retention policy
Oversee Client Services team to ensure adherence to published SLA’s
Track key performance indicators and metrics for the Client Services group and suggest methods for improving performance, reliability and other business measures
Maintain vendor relations and clear communication paths for issue escalation
Manage incoming ticket queues for Client Services and act as point of escalation for production support issues
Organize, delegate, review and sign-off on Client Services team members’ work
Perform capacity planning for phone systems and voice mail, recommend actions
Analyze, develop and implement solutions to complex problems and requirements related to corporate desktop/laptop and telecommunications systems
May lead project teams across technical disciplines
Monitor compliance with internal policies and external regulations
Participate in the planning and development of infrastructure roadmaps, best practices, and methodologies, including, but not limited to the following technologies: current and future desktop and laptop technologies, remote administration and security patching for operating systems, office suites and internet browsers
Obtain regular briefings on vendor directions, development, and engineering plans for Client Services technologies. Use this information to contribute to Technology Roadmaps and IT Strategic Plans.
Oversee the implementation of any system changes or new capabilities to ensure compliance with SOX requirements and IT policies. Participate in the design of new solutions to mitigate identified SOX deficiencies and violations of IT Policies. Work with the peers within the IT dept to ensure that effective security systems conform to business requirements and application privacy and security standards.
Collaborate with IT team members to support disaster recovery planning and execution