This research was conducted in the Australian and Swedish private sectors. The objective of the study was to describe the use of codes of ethics in the marketplace by the top companies operating in Australia and Sweden. The outcome of this research shows that large organisations in both Australia and Sweden indicate a substantial interest in using codes of ethics in the marketplace in conjunction with current business activities. There are also differences in the ways that the companies in each country implement their codes of ethics in the marketplace. © 2015, Academy of Marketing Science.