Code of Conduct
Policy Statement
Wilson & Assoc is committed to the highest standards of ethics and integrity in our business conduct and relationships.
This Code ensures we behave in a manner consistent with our values.
Scope
This Code of Conduct (the Code) applies to all Wilson & Assoc personnel. Ethical conduct is the responsibility of everyone.
Purpose
This Code provides a set of guidelines to ensure we act in accordance with our ethical values and professional ethical requirements.
We uphold our ethical standards and consistently demonstrate our values in every interaction and on a continual basis, in order to build deeper and enduring partnerships with clients, suppliers and employees.
In our view, ethical business is sustainable business for the long run.
Our Values
Our values is in the essence of everything we do. They guide all our conducts and behaviours. We live and work by, and continuously cultivate our values. Our core values are:
- Integrity
- Clarity
- Agility
- Resilience
- Growth
Integrity
We hold ourselves accountable to the highest standard of ethics and integrity, in particular:
Ethics
We uphold professional standards, adhere to laws and regulations, and fulfil ethical obligations while delivering high-quality service and innovative solutions.
We provide only services we can deliver. We serve only clients that we’re competent to serve, who value our service and uphold an acceptable standard of integrity.
We compete fairly. We do not engage in collusive or restrictive practices.
We play by the rules and do not engaging in bribery and corrupt practices.
Transparency
We are transparent and upfront with our fees and terms of service. We negotiate respectfully and honour agreements written or verbal, with all parties we deal with.
Accountability
We are accountable for our commitments and see them through. We work to deadlines and provide regular and timely progress updates. We take ownership and continuously build on our experience. We show respect preserve dignity in all interactions with others and amongst our team.
Authenticity
We live and work by our values, whilst being conscious that is what ultimately brings out the best of our services and solutions to our clients.
What it means to our clients
To our clients, suppliers and staff, integrity means we do the right thing for and by them at all times.
Clarity
We constantly strive for clarity – the ability to see things clearly and accurately as it is, free from bias, emotions or preconceptions. To develop and maintain clarity, we strive to cultivate the following qualities:
Evidence
We rely on verifiable evidence to arrive at fact-based conclusions free from preconceptions. We strive to remain objective and impartial in our work. We are wary of personal beliefs, opinions, emotions and biases in order to avoid their influence on our conclusion.
Objectivity
We strive to be objective and impartial. We strive to evaluate information without giving in to personal biases or external pressures, but based on its own merits, to ensure we form independent judgement and evidence-based views.
We use our experience as a check-point for verifying results, rather than to dictate conclusions. Where the outcome is inconsistent with our prior experience, we perform rigorous testing of the data, the methods employed and any causal relationships, even those that might have proven to be true previously.
Critical thinking
We can be guided by intuition and experience, but test them rigorously against evidence. We analyse information from their raw data to reveal patterns and linkages and gain insights of a situation or problem.
Empathy
Being able to see things from another person’s perspective can help to gain a deeper insight into the stakeholders’ motivations and fears, which can in turn open up options for solutions and implementation.
Curiosity
We approach every client and problem with curiosity and open-mindedness, and the willingness to explore new ideas and perspectives in order to formulate a holistic and effective view without prejudice or pre-conception.
Humility
We are eager for new knowledge and open to questioning the currency of our experience even though it has proven to be right. We allow ourselves to learn and grow. We build robust reviews and cross-checking procedures into our work processes to ensure the highest standards of quality, care and vigilance.
Clear communication
We strive to develop clarity of and maintain alignment between perception, thoughts, speech and action.
What it means to our clients
Clarity allows for fact-based assessment, holistic context, responsive consideration, and as a result optimal and practical response plans.
Clarity allows a balanced perspective and reveals potentialities whilst minimising conjecture and speculation, and the stifling fears and anxieties that come with it.
With clarity of opportunities and risks, we can formulate appropriate response plans. With clarity of response comes clarity of outcome. Clarity of outcome in turn builds confidence to drive strategies and operations, and navigate change.
Agility
We adapt strategies and operations in response to changes in our environments under all conditions. To develop agility, we cultivate:
Value for client
Clients are our first priority and pivotal focus. Value for client drives everything we do. We are on the constant lookout for opportunities and savings for our clients. Our measure of success is bringing greater values to greater number of clients who will benefit greatly from our services, including startups, local and international, and businesses going through challenging transitions.
Adaptability
We are quick to recognise and adapt to changes that are outside our control and influence, such as market conditions, customer needs, and new technologies.
Flexibility
We are nimble and resourceful. We adapt our processes to deliver customised solutions to meet each client’s specific needs.
We anticipate contingencies and respond to external changes quickly and decisively with pre-considered choices. We are open to new directions and new approaches that would render the best outcomes.
Expediency
We act decisively with urgency, precision and speed, delivering pragmatic solutions, whilst ensuring compliance and minimising risks.
Collaboration
We value collaboration and teamwork, through which we develop joint missions and a close and strong partnership with with clients and suppliers. Through collaboration, we gain a deeper understanding of their business and concerns, so we can better serve their needs.
Innovation
We are always on the look-out for new values and creative solutions for our clients. We continuous innovate our business systems and processes to improve our service quality and efficiency.
We take every challenge as an opportunity to learn and grow. We incorporate a continuous do-learn-grow cycle into all business processes.
What it means to our clients
We are nimble and resourceful. We have flexible work processes to provide customised solutions to clients’ specific needs.
Our focus and advice are forward-looking to help you move forward and optimise outcomes, rather than merely reciting history.
In planning, we allow for multiplicity of scenarios and outcomes, and have a broad response plan for each, while focusing on the most desired and achievable outcome.
Resilience
We are proactive to anticipate and quick to respond to changes in our environments.
Agility
We respond to changes with adaptable and flexible processes while maintaining client focus and ensuring commercial expediency, continuous innovation and close engagement with stakeholders through collaboration. Refer also the Agility section.
Proactive Change Management
We have a proactive approach to risk management, with business recovery and continuity plans for contingency scenarios.
Robust Infrastructure
We have a strong business framework, reliable technology, robust processes, and a strong team culture.
Strong Leadership
We have the benefit of having worked through numerous business transitions of all kinds in large corporates and small businesses. We have the strong leadership to navigate us through any challenges.
Our team builds trust and loyalty through principled, transparent, communicative, empowering and inclusive team practices.
Collaborative culture
We have a collaborative and supportive culture where our team works together to generate creative solutions and individuality is respected, creativity is encouraged and diversity is celebrated.
Continuous Learning
We are always seeking to learn and grow as an organisation and as individuals. They are open to new knowledge, ideas and feedback. Our team is committed to continuous professional development. Refer also to Growth.
What it means to our clients
By applying agile and resilient methodology to our client work, we effectively transfer agility and resilience to the client and embed it in our solutions, such that they become agile and robust, and can thrive under all conditions.
Growth
Learning and growth is our philosophy, culture, and our way of doing things through the Do-Learn-Grow model (DLG) .
DLG is developed by our team at Wilson & Assoc Chartered Accountants. It is a continuous and reiterative cycle of doing, learning, and growing that is embedded in business processes at all levels.
It is an agile framework designed to increase a business’ responsiveness to changes in the business environments. It enables quick adaptation of strategies, policies and processes as necessary.
DGL is goal-oriented, forward-looking and data driven. Strategies are cascaded to actionable plans. Performance are measured and analysed to provide insights to business drivers in order to formulate and adapt strategies operations to influence outcome going forward.
Key lessons distilled from the analytical insights are internalised into incremental strategies and processes, often evolving and at times transformational.
What it means to our clients
DLG is the working model we apply when designing solutions for clients. As a result, DLG is embedded in and transferred to clients’ processes.
It is worth noting that whilst model is effective in embedding DLG in our solutions, it takes a growth mindset for it to continue to build and flourish for the client.
Conflict of interest
We do not provide audit service and therefore, do not envisage any circumstances giving rise to a conflict of interest with our tax and advisory services.
Personnel is required to reveal any situation that may present a conflict of interest. Such personnel will be either removed from the situation or from their engagement.
Breach of Code
Any conduct in breach of the Code should be reported to the Director. If confirmed, the non-compliant staff may be subject to disciplinary action or dismissal for serious offences.