Business ethics covers the areas of moral principles and decision-making, governance issues, and codes of conduct for a business. Beverungen and Case (2011) argue that “we might find that ethics in business involves a basic dislocation relating to phenomenal experiences arising when things are out of place” (Beverungen and Case, 2011:229). When identifying practices that reflect business ethics, we find ourselves in the territory of morality and a definition of what constitutes morality. Business actions will then be judged not by what is efficient or effective but by what is morally defensible (Wozniak 2011).

Business ethics is understood as a concept that is mutating, changing in the context of new technologies, new ways of resource mobilisation and utilisation, evolving societal practices, and growing towards a perpetually connected global business network. Growing universal awareness of the finiteness of natural resources, the growing wealth divide, and the pervasive presence of businesses in the individual citizen's life through technologies such as big data and cloud computing bring business ethics to the forefront of the conversation on societal norms.

However, is it easy to identify business ethics as a set of norms practiced by a firm? Is it an amorphous concept difficult to codify, or is it a translatable theory with the ability to be taught as a discipline in business schools? (Beverungen and Case 2011). If the norms are followed to ensure legal compliance, will they in reality reflect the day-to-day practices followed by the firm? (Painter-Morland 2010). These practices need to be incorporated into the activities done in organisations to pursue the objectives of the organisation. Marketing and advertising are key activities undertaken to promote their offerings and, hence, their core business. On the other hand, consumers have the ability to'make a difference’ through everyday consumption, which can be seen as a form of activism (Bryant & Goodman, 2004). This must be complemented by activities by business entities in their marketing and advertising endeavours.

This proposal presents the background to a study that seeks to develop a framework that establishes or emphasises ethical business behaviour in consumer marketing and advertising in the Southern African region. The objectives and research questions are also highlighted, and the justification for the need for such a framework is provided. The proposal briefly reviews the literature on the subject under study and presents the proposed methodology for undertaking the study.