South African corporate ethics codes : establishment and communication

Abstract: The focus of this study is on the top 500 companies in South Africa (as per the TopCo 2014 list) that have a code of ethics, in order to see the current state of development in this area after twenty years of focus by the government and business on making corporate South Africa a more ethical environment in which to conduct business. Methodology – A structured questionnaire survey method was used to gather the data, and it was directed to the company secretaries of these top 500 companies. Findings – Many companies in South Africa have a well-established set of protocols to enact the ethos of their code of ethics, indicating that they are becoming increasingly aware of the benefits to them of having a code. South African companies are therefore implementing both a code of ethics and strategies that contribute to creating an ethical corporate culture