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Caution should be observed in placing any reliance upon any information contained in this e-mail, which is not intended to be a representation or inducement to make any decision in relation to Ideology Agency Pty (Ltd). Any decision taken based on the information provided in this e-mail, should only be made after consultation with appropriate legal, regulatory, tax, technical, business, investment, financial, and accounting advisors.

The e-mail address of the sender may not be used, copied, sold, disclosed or incorporated into any database or mailing list for spamming and/or other marketing purposes without the prior consent of Ideology Agency Pty (Ltd).

Neither the sender of the e-mail, nor Ideology Agency Pty (Ltd) shall be liable to any party for any direct, indirect or consequential damages, including, without limitation, loss of profit, interruption of business or loss of information, data or software or otherwise.

No warranties are created or implied that an employee of Ideology Agency Pty (Ltd) and/or a contractor of Ideology Agency Pty (Ltd) is authorized to create and send this e-mail.

1. Introduction
   • This disclaimer governs the use of this newsletter. By using this newsletter, you accept this disclaimer in full. We will ask you to agree to this disclaimer before you can access the newsletter.
2. No advice
   • The newsletter contains information about marketing strategy and related subjects. The information is not advice, and should not be treated as such.
   • You must not rely on the information in the newsletter as an alternative to marketing advice from an appropriately qualified professional. If you have any specific questions about any marketing matter you should consult an appropriately qualified professional.
3. No representations or warranties
   • To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law and subject to section 5 below, we exclude all representations, warranties, undertakings and guarantees relating to the newsletter.
   • Without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing paragraph, we do not represent, warrant, undertake or guarantee:
   • that the information in the newsletter is correct, accurate, complete or non-misleading;
   • that the use of guidance in the newsletter will lead to any particular outcome or result; or
4. Limitations and exclusions of liability
   • The limitations and exclusions of liability set out in this section and elsewhere in this disclaimer: are subject to section 5 below; and govern all liabilities arising under the disclaimer or in relation to the newsletter, including liabilities arising in contract, in tort (including negligence) and for breach of statutory duty.
   • We will not be liable to you in respect of any losses arising out of any event or events beyond our reasonable control.
   • We will not be liable to you in respect of any business losses, including without limitation loss of or damage to profits, income, revenue, use, production, anticipated savings, business, contracts, commercial opportunities or goodwill.
   • We will not be liable to you in respect of any loss or corruption of any data, database or software.
   • We will not be liable to you in respect of any special, indirect or consequential loss or damage.
5. Exceptions
   • Nothing in this disclaimer shall: limit or exclude our liability for death or personal injury resulting from negligence; limit or exclude our liability for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation; limit any of our liabilities in any way that is not permitted under applicable law; or exclude any of our liabilities that may not be excluded under applicable law.
6. Severability
   • If a section of this disclaimer is determined by any court or other competent authority to be unlawful and/or unenforceable, the other sections of this disclaimer continue in effect.
   • If any unlawful and/or unenforceable section would be lawful or enforceable if part of it were deleted, that part will be deemed to be deleted, and the rest of the section will continue in effect.
7. Law and jurisdiction
   • This disclaimer will be governed by and construed in accordance with South African law, and any disputes relating to this disclaimer will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of South Africa.
8. Our details
   • In this disclaimer, “we” means (and “us” and “our” refer to) Ideology Agency Pty (Ltd) a company registered in the Republic of South Africa under registration number 2016/407878/07.

Foreword

At Ideology, we are committed to achieving sustainable performance and delivering added value to our customers and shareholders without compromising our ethical standards, conduct expectations and trusted reputation.

Our Code of Conduct (Code) clearly states the standards of responsibility and moral conduct expected. Maintaining professional and ethical conduct at all times is the obligation of every employee (permanent and temporary), as well as any contractors, consultants or directors working at Ideology.

The Code is underpinned by trust and a belief that all company representatives and customers should be treated with deference and dignity and is bolstered by real case examples and a number of more detailed policies to help you comprehend the conduct expected and the consequences of breaching the Code.

Breaches of the Code will be investigated and may bring about disciplinary consequences and/or termination of employment with Ideology.

It is crucial that you become familiar with the Code. We urge you to take the issues and scenarios in the Code seriously and any questions you may have should be referred to the Operations or Managing Directors.
 

Our Guiding Principles

1. We act with integrity in all that we do.
2. We treat everyone with trust, dignity and respect.
3. We are fiercely loyal to our company and our clients.
4. We always act in the best interests of Ideology.
5. We encourage diversity and open communication.
6. We are personally accountable for keeping our commitments.

Our Personal Commitment

Honesty and integrity are fundamental to how Ideology conducts itself as a corporate citizen. Integrity and commitment to and compliance with this code of ethics and all laws applicable to our business is required of all employees, officers and directors of Ideology and is essential to our continued success. By acting with integrity, we reflect positively on the image and reputation of our agency.

We are dedicated to the Ideology Guiding Principles which serve as the foundation for how we are to interact with customers and fellow employees. We are further committed to being informed about the laws applicable to our individual roles in the organisation and are equally committed to avoiding any action that violates the law or enables another person or entity (such as a customer or supplier) to violate the law. Violations of the law can carry substantial criminal and civil penalties for the Company and any individual who causes or permits a violation.

You are responsible for your own conduct in complying with this Code of Ethics. Any attempt (successful or not) by another to influence you to violate the Code of Ethics is itself a violation. If you are a supervisor or manager, it is also your responsibility that your employees understand and comply with our Guiding Principles and this Code of Ethics. Cooperate with any investigation of a reported violation of this Code of Ethics or the law, whether internal or external. Failure to cooperate may itself be deemed a violation and subject to discipline. If you are ever in doubt of what does or does not constitute a violation, please ask your supervisor.

Any attempt (successful or not) by another to influence you to violate the Code of Ethics is itself a violation. If you are a supervisor or manager, it is also your responsibility that your employees understand and comply with our Guiding Principles and this Code of Ethics. You must promptly report any suspected violation of this Code of Ethics. In fact, failure to report a known violation of this Code of Ethics is itself a violation and subject to discipline, including termination. See How to Report a Violation of This Code of Ethics.

Our Personal Commitment to Employees

Diversity

We are committed to fostering, cultivating and preserving a culture of diversity and inclusion. You are expected to embrace and encourage our employees’ differences in age, colour, disability, ethnicity, family or marital status, gender identity or expression, language, national origin, physical and mental ability, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, veteran status, and any other characteristics that make our employees unique. Diversity of thought and life experience are valued at ideology.

Each and every one of us has a responsibility to treat one another with dignity and respect at all times. All employees are expected to exhibit conduct that reflects inclusion during work, at work functions on or off the work site, at all other company-sponsored events, and in all online activities. Any employee found to have exhibited inappropriate conduct or behaviour against others may be subject to disciplinary action, including termination.

 
Drug-Free Workplace

Drugs and alcohol in the workplace affect everyone’s safety and will not be tolerated. You must report to work free from the influence of any drugs or alcohol, must not manufacture, distribute, sell or possess illegal drugs at any time on our Company premises, and must not use or be under the influence of illegal drugs or substances or misuse legal drugs at any time on our Company premises, while on Company business, or while driving any vehicle owned, rented or leased by the Company.

 
Equal Employment

We recruit and hire, train, compensate, promote and fulfil all other conditions of employment based on merit, qualifications and competency, without discrimination on the basis of race, colour, religion, sex, age, sexual orientation, national origin or ancestry, disability, medical condition, marital status, veteran status or any status protected by law and not listed here. Fulfilment of our commitment to and promotion of equal employment opportunity requires the commitment of all employees.

Ideology is committed to transformation and equal employment in accordance with the Equal Employment Act (No.55 of 1998). We are seriously committed to transforming our business landscape from within by ensuring that we are a Level 2 BEE Employer. For further information please refer to Ideology’s Business Profile or BEE Certification.

 
Harassment

We provide a work environment that is pleasant, professional and free from intimidation, hostility or other offences which may interfere with work performance. We do not tolerate harassment of any sort. Harassment can take many forms and includes but is not necessarily limited to unwanted physical contact, comments, jokes, epithets, and exclusion.

Most harassment is directed at an individual because of that individual’s protected category, which is that individual’s, race, colour, religion, sex, age, sexual orientation, national origin or ancestry, disability, medical condition, marital status, veteran status, or any other status protected by law and not listed here. Harassment does not have to be focused on an individual’s protected category to be inappropriate or a violation of the Ideology Guiding Principles.

If you feel personally harassed, we encourage you to make it clear to the harasser that the behaviour is unacceptable and unwelcome and that it must stop immediately. If, however, you are not comfortable doing so, it is essential that you report the harassment to your supervisor.

 
Notice of Criminal Conviction

In some circumstances, if an employee engages in unlawful conduct outside of work, such conduct may be detrimental to our business interests and reputation. As a result, we require that you notify your supervisor and the Operations Director in writing, as soon as practicable but no later than 5 business days, if you are convicted of: (1) any violation of a criminal drug statute; (2) any crime which has led or may lead to registration as a sex offender in any state; (3) any violent crime including assault, battery, rape, harassment, stalking, etc.; (4) any federal crime; or (5) any other felony. A conviction during employment will not automatically disqualify you from continued employment, but a conviction may be grounds for disciplinary action, up to and including termination. We retain full discretion to evaluate the conviction information and require your full cooperation in order to assess the significance of any such conviction.

 
Privacy

We protect our employees’ personal information. At a minimum, that means we comply with all laws that protect the privacy of our employees’ personal information, such as laws protecting health information. If your job requires you to have access to other employees’ private health information or other private or confidential information about your coworkers, you must take all reasonable steps to protect the privacy of that information.

Please remember, however, that all email messages and electronic records you create or receive using our computer systems (including personal email messages) are Company property. The practice of using passwords should not lead you to expect privacy with respect to messages or files sent, received or stored on any Company computer system. Also, you should be aware that email messages may be retained indefinitely, even after you have deleted them. Email messages and other electronic records are routinely accessed and read by authorised personnel and sometimes by persons outside our Company.

File cabinets, desk drawers, Company vehicles, lockers or any other storage devices, including your computer, cell phone and other electronic resources issued by Ideology, are the property of the Company and subject to inspection by management at any time. So, do not bring personal property or materials to work if you do not wish for the information to be made known. While it is not our intention to learn information you may wish to keep private, we must sometimes search file cabinets, desk drawers, lockers and computers for documents in connection with the operation of our business. You should have no expectation of privacy of information stored or kept at work.

 
Retaliation

We do not tolerate retaliation or the threat of retaliation against any person for refusing to violate this Code of Ethics or for reporting in good faith a known or suspected violation of this Code of Ethics. If you are ever aware of an instance or threat of retaliation, immediately report it to your supervisor, the Operations Director or Managing Director. Any employee who commits an act of retaliation will be subject to disciplinary action up to and including termination.

 
Violence in the Workplace

Acts or threats of violence interfere with our commitment to health and safety and will not be tolerated. Never commit or threaten to commit any violent act against a co-worker, applicant, customer, supplier or another person you may come into contact with in connection with Company business. Also, never assume a threat is not serious. If you are subjected to or threatened with violence by a  co-worker, customer, supplier or any other person you come into contact with in connection with Company business, or if you become aware that one of our employees has harmed or threatened any other employee or any person on our premises, any employee of a customer or supplier, or any other business associate, you must immediately report this information to your supervisor or manager, as soon as possible.

We also prohibit employees and all other persons (other than law enforcement and authorised security personnel) from bringing firearms, ammunition, explosives or other weapons of any kind onto Company property at any time, unless specifically allowed by the state law where our facility is located. In those states where limited possession is allowed, even the discussion of weapons in an employee’s personal vehicle may be seen as a violation of this Code of Conduct. Likewise, no employee should possess a firearm, ammunition, explosive or any other weapons at any time while driving any Company vehicle or performing any other off-premises work for our Company.

 
Confidential Information

Information about our Company must be maintained. Confidential information is any information of a confidential, proprietary or secret nature related to our business. It includes, among other things, confidential business processes, practices or results of operations, trade secrets, manufacturing techniques, including proprietary technical and nontechnical information, research and development information, business plans or forecasts (including plans with respect to proposed acquisitions of other companies or their assets), long-range strategic plans, budgets, customer lists or other sales data, marketing plans, certain customer, supplier and personnel information, and information concerning any pending or threatened litigation or claim against our Company. You must not, directly or indirectly, disclose or use our confidential information for the benefit of any person, firm, corporation or other business organisation.

Confidentiality of any such information we may have about our customers, business partners, suppliers, distributors and others with whom we do business must also be maintained. Our business partners place a great deal of trust in us and we are committed to maintaining that trust. You must not disclose to us, or any other third party, confidential information or trade secrets you may have acquired while working for another employer. And you must not use any confidential business information to advance your personal interests or those of any third party through investment activities or otherwise.

Never disclose confidential information to outsiders, including family members, customers, suppliers, press representatives or internet message boards, and even to other employees who do not have a business need to know such confidential information. Use extreme caution when using email to transmit information which may contain our Company trade secrets, business plans or any other confidential or proprietary information, since email messages can easily be forwarded to other individuals.

Remember that all right, title and interest to any and all products, services, or processes whatsoever discovered, invented or conceived during the course of your employment with the Company, relating to the subject matter of or which may be directly or indirectly utilised in connection with our business is considered Company property. All writings produced in the course of your employment, including any copyrights for those writings, are assigned to the Company.

 
Conflict of Interest

Always act in the Company’s best interests, independent of any personal considerations or relationships, in discharging your job responsibilities. Any financial interest or business relationship, such as with a competitor, supplier or customer of our Company, that may interfere with your effective job performance, or is in any way adverse to the interests of our Company, is strictly prohibited, except for investment in securities issued by a publicly traded company or an investment or relationship that is approved (as described below). Avoid any financial or other business relationship that could create even the appearance of conflicting loyalties or interests.

If you are an executive officer or director of Ideology, you must report any potential conflict to the legal support team, so that the conflict may, if necessary, be considered by the Board of Directors. If you are not an executive officer or director, you must report any potential conflict of interest to your supervisor. Any such potential conflict will be approved only if it is determined that the consideration or relationship will not hinder your ability to perform your duties in the best interests of the Company.

Avoid personal relationships that may improperly influence, or appear to improperly influence, your business decisions. You may not have direct reporting responsibility for an immediate family member and should also avoid indirect reporting relationships. In this instance, “family member” means your spouse, domestic partner, parents, children, siblings, in-laws or anyone who lives in your home. Similarly, you should not put other employees in the position of having direct or indirect reporting responsibility for their family members. If such a situation arises, disclose it to your manager. Also, disclose to your manager any intimate relationship you have with a person who directly or indirectly reports to you. If you are a manager and learn of such a situation, you are to advise senior management of the situation and your plan for resolving it.

Our Commitment to Clients

Client Services

At Ideology, we pride ourselves in our client services and support. In order to consistently live up to our own high expectations, we apply a list of principles of good customer service:

1. We provide customers with the best service we can in a timely manner. We try to bear in mind that our clients do not have the time to be kept waiting. If we promise a product or service within a certain amount of time, we ensure to provide it within the agreed time frame, or offer the customer an alternate solution, should a time extension be required. We see ourselves as a business that keeps its promise to deliver on time – always.
2. We place the customer’s needs first, by taking notice of what they really want. Companies that listen to their customers are more likely to hear what the customer wants and thus are able to respond effectively. We listen to the client’s needs and respect any requests or recommendations. Given the nature of our business and our reason for existence, we do however also offer alternate solutions or ideas where we see an opportunity to better the results and returns for the client.
3. We are willing to provide corrections or replacements if our product or service is not what the client wants and we work hard to please our customers.
4. We try to suggest new technologies where appropriate. The latest and greatest technological advances are not necessary for every business, but some elements of technology can prove to be very useful in providing our clients with more successful campaigns, strategies, events, or communications.
5. We pride ourselves in responding almost immediately to clients’ questions and comments and give a guarantee to act on all inbound communications within one (1) working day. Due to the nature of our business, the staff is often on site or travelling across Southern Africa and therefore some wait time might be necessary at times, but we are sure to keep the wait time as short as possible to demonstrate to our clients that we prioritise their communications.

Responsible Sourcing
We only use suppliers who share our ethical values and commitments. We expect our suppliers to follow the same standards we uphold and therefore, we ask our suppliers to sign the same code of conduct as our employees prior to starting any business engagements.

Our staff may only use pre-approved suppliers and follow established protocols that support our Company’s commitment to responsible sourcing. For further information hereto, kindly contact info@ideology.agency.

Reporting Breaches to the Code

Reporting a suspected violation of this Code of Conduct may be somewhat sensitive or even uncomfortable. Please remember that any violation could have a profoundly adverse effect on the communities in which we live and work, our investors, our customers, consumers and co-workers, and our very livelihood, both individually and as a company. All suspected violations of this Code of Conduct are to be promptly reported. In fact, failure to do so will, itself, be treated as a violation. Every violation of the Code of Conduct constitutes a valid ground for dismissal and, depending upon the nature of the violation, civil and/or criminal action may also result. Ideology does not tolerate acts of retaliation against anyone who makes a good faith report of known or suspected ethical or legal misconduct. A “good faith” report means that you have provided all information you have and believe to be true. The Company also does not tolerate retaliation against anyone who participates in the investigation of such reports in good faith.
 

Reporting on an Accounting Problem

If you are aware of or suspect a breach of this Code of Conduct that in any way involves our Company’s financial statements or accounting practices, you must report it immediately to our Operations Director, the Managing Director or the Board of Directors.

Reporting Other Violations of this Code of Ethics

If you are aware of or suspect a breach of this Code of Conduct that does not involve our Company’s financial accounting practices or any other violation of law, you should report it to your immediate supervisor or the Operations Director.
 

Cooperation with Law Enforcement

It is our policy to cooperate with law enforcement agencies. Senior management of our Company, in consultation with the General Counsel and the Board of Directors, will conduct reviews and make necessary determinations as to whether or not certain activities should be disclosed to law enforcement or regulatory agencies for further investigation. If you believe you have information that should be disclosed to a law enforcement agency, contact your supervisor or Operations Director.

Contact Details

304 Cedar Creek Estate, Chartwell, Johannesburg, 2191, South Africa.

Marketing Director: Paul Ingram
079 892 4352 | paul@ideology.agency
Operations Director: Dina Schwulst
072 593 9862 | dina@ideology.agency
Web: https://ideology.agency
info@ideology.agency