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Abstract
Enterprise management often encourages their marketing personnel to offer gifts to purchasers of clients but will not allow the purchasers of the company to accept gift. This double standard creates an atmosphere of dishonesty in the company. When considering that purchasers fulfilling the procurement function for a company are the major spenders of company funds, that purchasers are frequently tempted to accept gifts, and prevailing double standards within the company, it is no wonder that they sometimes succumb to unethical behavior. However, the cause of unethical behavior is not necessarily the individual's lack of moral standards. Research has shown that the actions of managers, the ethical climate in the enterprise, and the absence of a company policy on the matter are all contributing factors toward unethical behavior. An analysis focuses on ethics, procurement ethics, and unethical behavior among purchasers in general, as well as more specifically on the situation in South Africa, and makes recommendations for establishing codes of conduct, other procedures, and policies for improving the situation of the purchaser in the enterprise.