Hanafiah Hasin¹, Azlina Rahim¹, Enylina Nordin¹, Wan Shafizah Hussain¹, Nor Ashikin Alias¹ and Jamaliah Said<sup>2

1</sup>Faculty of Accountancy, Universiti Teknologi MARA Cawangan Melaka,
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²Accounting Research Institute, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia

Malaysia is one of many countries around the world that is besieged with the negative perception of being corrupt. As reported by Transparency International, Malaysia is the sixty-one least corrupt nation out of one-hundred seventy-five countries, according to the 2018 Corruption Perceptions Index. Therefore, that is important for the Malaysian public and the private sector to take the responsibility to clear the negative perception of the public towards the integrity system of the country. Since, a leader is the key person to organisational success, this study aimed to assess the roles played by a leader towards the implementation of a corporate integrity system in a government-linked company. Data was collected via questionnaires from hundred executives and managers of a GLC in Malaysia. The data was collected based on the respondents’ perception on the leadership elements of integrity by using a five-point Likert scale. Our findings confirmed that the case firm implemented good corporate integrity practices. Consistent with the literature, the findings suggest that managing ethically is considered as an essential leadership competency. In addition, the senior managers are seen as a role model for the leadership. Finally, this study is expected to provide evidence to assist policy makers to achieve their strategic plan to rebuild the good image of Malaysia.

Keywords: corporate integrity, leadership, government-linked companies (GLCs)