The UK Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has published the results of
a survey of UK companies identifying the competition law compliance
measures that they adopt.
The results are included in a study published by the OFT on 7
December 2011. The study considers what drives businesses to comply
with competition law and what deters them from trying to infringe
it ("The impact of competition interventions on compliance and
deterrence" [December 2011; document OFT1391]). The study identifies three key
pillars that drive competition law compliance: knowledge and
awareness of the law, sanctions and enforcement by regulators, and
voluntary compliance measures.
Based on a survey of more than 800 companies in the UK, the
study lists the most common compliance measures used by businesses.
For small companies (fewer than 200 employees), the top four
measures are, in order: taking external legal advice, carrying out
a competition risk assessment, having a formal competition law
