This article introduces the Global Survey of Business Ethics as field of Teaching, Training and Research. For the purpose of the survey the world was divided into nine regions that cover all countries of the world. This special edition of the African Journal of Business Ethics only focuses on the findings of the Global Survey in one of the nine world regions, viz., Sub-Saharan Africa. This introductory article provides an overview of the Sub-Sahara African region and the four sub-regions in which the 44 countries of Sub-Saharan Africa were divided for the purpose of this survey. A brief overview of existing literature that reflects on training, teaching and research in the field of Business Ethics in the Sub-Sahara African region is given, after which the research process and methods that were used in the survey are introduced.

The increase in corporate malfeasance has lead to a rising interest in Business Ethics in general and a particular focus on Business Ethics as an academic field, but the proliferation of Business Ethics as an academic field on a global scale is not yet as well known. This paper forms part of the global survey of Business Ethics that has been commissioned to gain a better understanding of the prevalence and scope of teaching, training and research in the field of Business Ethics. The paper provides a summary of the survey and research results regarding the current status of Business Ethics as an academic field in the East African region. The findings lead to a conclusion that Business Ethics has gained momentum and is having an increased presence in the region, but that it is far from well established as an academic field.

This article has been written within the framework of the Global Survey of Business Ethics 2010. It is seemingly the first attempt to investigate Business Ethics as academic field in Francophone Africa. After a discussion of methodological considerations, the article provides an overview of how Business Ethics is distributed in Francophone Africa. Even though, it is not well established in that part of Africa, some interesting data have been found in some countries like Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ivory Coast, Rwanda and Senegal. Business Ethics has been investigated in three areas: teaching, training and research. In Francophone Africa, teaching Business Ethics does not seem to be a reality in traditional faculties of Economics, Management or Commerce. Training in Business Ethics, however, is a reality in Francophone Africa, notably with the non-governmental organizations that deal with political and economic governance, development, and women and gender issues. Research on Business Ethics can be found in journals, bulletins, consultancy reports, university term papers, seminars and colloquia as well as in books.

Few studies have been done on Business Ethics as field of training, teaching and research in Southern Africa. This article details the methodology and findings of the survey of Business Ethics in Southern Africa. Findings, among others, indicate the preferred terminology used to refer to the field of Business Ethics. It also shows that most expertise in the field is found in South Africa, centered mainly at the meso-economic level, with most research being done on CSR, corporate governance and economic justice. Future challenges identified for the field of Business Ethics are mainly at the macro-level, especially related to the economic system and ecology where little research or expertise is currently focused.

Business Ethics as a field of teaching, training and research has appeared on the scene, as a panacea after several negative incidents of unethical global business practices, to offer sound principles and elucidate on the fact that the increase in corporate and individual corruption leads to a general decay of society. It is indeed in the interest of all to have a balanced society founded on business practices which are alongside other factors, ethical and therefore sustainable. This article is a modest attempt to provide the results of a survey conducted in the sub-Saharan region of West Africa, elucidating on attempts to gain a better understanding of the prevalence and scope of teaching, training, and research in the field of Business Ethics. The conclusion shows gaps in the study of Business Ethics within the region, but also portrays the available existence, practice and prevalence of Business Ethics within traditional African culture in West Africa.

This article provides a comparative summary of the findings of the survey of Business Ethics as field of Teaching, Training and Research across the four sub-regions in Sub-Saharan Africa (Western Africa, Southern Africa, Eastern Africa and Francophone Africa). The article commences with a discussion on the terminology that is used to refer to Business and Economic Ethics in Sub-Saharan Africa. It then provides an overview of the prevalence and distribution of Business Ethics as field of Teaching, Training and Research in Sub-Saharan Africa that demonstrates the substantial growth in the field of Business Ethics since 2000 when an earlier survey was conducted. The focus areas in the field of Business Ethics are identified as well as the major themes that were found with regard to Teaching, Training and Research in Business Ethics. Also the major challenges that are foreseen in the field of Business Ethics over the next five year are discussed. Finally a number of concluding remarks are made that highlight unique features and challenges in the current state of Business Ethics in Sub-Saharan Africa.