27 (b) Clearly communicates the expectation of top management as to how all personnel, as well as business partners and others the enterprise works with, should act; (c) Triggers the development of internal procedures and systems necessary to meet the commitment in practice; (d) Is the first essential step for embedding respect for human rights into the values of the enterprise. This Principle states that the policy commitment should stipulate the enterprise’s human rights expectations also of business partners and other parties directly linked to its operations, products or services. Doing so provides a starting point from which the enterprise can better leverage respect for human rights in these relationships, should this be necessary. For example, it can facilitate the inclusion of provisions for the respect of human rights in contracts with suppliers and partners; and it can provide the basis for auditing or monitoring performance and for factoring the results into decisions on future business relationships. Conversely, if it is not clear that these expectations with regard to human rights are a firm policy of the enterprise, they can easily become “negotiable” and be sidelined in particular relationships or circumstances. This weakens the ability of the enterprise to ensure it is not involved in human rights abuses by others, which in turn increases its own risks. Q 22. How detailed should a policy commitment be? An enterprise’s policy commitment will typically remain static for an extended period of time, although it may be updated as lessons are learned. It is a constant reference point for employees, parties with which the enterprise works and its wider stakeholders. It sets the foundational expectation from which the operational policies and processes for its implementation follow. It is therefore not the place for details of policy and process that are likely to shift frequently as circumstances change. So the degree of detail in a policy commitment may vary. It may simply be expressed as a general commitment to respect all internationally recognized human rights and an expectation that those with whom the enterprise works do the same. It could also include a summary of those human rights that the business recognizes as likely to be the most salient for its operations and information