King IV Code of Conduct

Overview

Draft or update a code of conduct aligned with King IV Principle 2 (ethics, ethical culture) for South African organisations.

Getting Started

Add your source materials to the project workspace, then activate the King IV Code of Conduct skill. The agent will guide you through the process step by step.

Example conversation

You: We need a code of conduct for King IV—values, conflicts of interest, gifts, and how people can report concerns without fear.

Agent: I’ll use the King IV ethics context from the skill reference and draft a code that covers: scope and leadership commitment; values and expected behaviour; conflicts of interest and declaration of interests; gifts and hospitality; treatment of stakeholders; use of assets and confidentiality; anti-bribery and compliance; protected disclosure (whistleblowing) and non-retaliation; consequences of breach. I’ll run validate_code_of_conduct_sections to check for expected sections and any placeholders before we finalise.

Output excerpt

Code of conduct excerpt

Conflicts of interest
You must avoid situations where your personal interests could conflict with the organisation’s interests. Declare any actual or potential conflict to your line manager and the Company Secretary. The board and senior management declare interests annually and at meetings when relevant. Do not participate in decisions where you have a material interest unless the board or committee has approved it.

Protected disclosure
We are committed to a culture where concerns can be raised safely. If you become aware of conduct that may be illegal, unethical, or in breach of this code, you may report it via [channel]. Reports are treated confidentially and we do not tolerate retaliation against anyone who reports in good faith. The board receives an annual summary of protected disclosure matters (anonymised where appropriate).

Consequences of breach
Breach of this code may result in disciplinary action up to and including dismissal. Serious breaches may be reported to the board and to regulators or law enforcement where required. The board approves this code and reviews it periodically.

Extension and validation

The skill includes validate_code_of_conduct_sections, which checks a code of conduct document for expected King IV-aligned sections: conflicts of interest (or declaration of interests), protected disclosure (or whistleblowing / reporting concerns), consequences (or breach / disciplinary), and values or expected behaviour. It also flags likely placeholders (e.g. TODO, TBD). Run it after drafting to ensure nothing is missing or left unfilled.