Corporate integrity practices: findings from a Malaysian Government-Owned Company

Abstract

Integrity violation in Malaysia is not a new scenario and this situation has worsened in recent years as shown by a series of high-profile corruption scandals that involve government owned companies (GOC). As an alternative to mitigate this concerning situation, corporate integrity practice has been promoted and urged to be adopted into the companies’ system. This study aims to explore corporate integrity practices of a Malaysian Government-Owned Company (GOC) to understand how the practices implemented align with the national governance objective. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews supplemented by document reviews. The findings suggest four critical components of corporate integrity practices, namely, integrity education, internal control, whistleblowing and core values. Furthermore, integrity education and awareness were found to be the most prominent practice that need to be strengthened for a better integrity compliance. Additionally, the understanding of core values facilitates the process of embedding integrity as part of the organisational culture. Our findings offer a novel contribution to the existing literature and practice in the domain of corporate integrity by identifying the specific components of corporate integrity practices. The study has also highlighted the dominant practices of integrity that can be a useful tool for managers to refine organisations policy and changes that align with the integrity enhancement objective.