If company directors want to create an ethical culture in their organization, they need to ask 10 questions:

1.Does the board have a policy to deal with unethical behavior?

2.How does the company go about addressing the main ethical challenges to the organization's industry, products and services?

3.How does the board go about developing and safeguarding an ethical culture independent of the CEO?

4.Is the CEO responsible for safeguarding the organization's values and ethics?

5.Does the organization provide ethics training or ethics awareness programs? When was the last time that happened?

6.Can the board clearly articulate the benefits of working in an ethical environment? Can the board back it up with evidence from the bottom line?

7.What ethical considerations does the board take into account when considering policies and strategies that might have an impact on ethical behavior? e.g. organizational re-engineering, overseas investment, links with governments, new products, workforce management, reward and recognition policies, links with the community.

8. How does the board ensure that management takes ethical considerations into account when making decisions?

9.What steps has the board taken to ensure the code of ethics is a living and breathing document, and not just a compliance tool?

10.Does the board regularly review the code of ethics and make sure it's up to date? Does the board regularly commission reviews of the external and internal perceptions of the organization's ethical standing?