Governance (G)

Accent Ltd.

Governance Assessment Criteria (G)

  • Governance of Organizations based on ISO 37000
  • Anti-bribery Management based on ISO 37001
Governance of Organizations based on ISO 37000
The assessment shall focus on:
      1. Purpose and Values: This involves understanding the organization’s mission, vision, and core values. It’s about assessing whether the organization’s reason for existence and guiding principles are clear, meaningful, and well communicated.
      2. Strategy Alignment: This involves evaluating whether the organization’s strategic objectives and operational plans align with its stated purpose and values. It’s about ensuring that the organization’s actions are consistent with its mission.
      3. Stakeholder Engagement: This involves identifying key stakeholders, understanding their needs and expectations, and establishing effective communication and engagement mechanisms. It’s about ensuring that the organization listens to its stakeholders and considers their perspectives in its decision-making processes.
      4. Risk Management: This involves identifying potential risks, assessing their impact, and implementing measures to mitigate these risks. It’s about ensuring that the organization is proactive in managing risks and is prepared to respond effectively when risks materialize.
      5. Effective Oversight: This involves evaluating the role of the board of directors, the use of internal controls, and the effectiveness of the organization’s assurance processes. It’s about ensuring that the organization has robust oversight mechanisms in place to monitor its performance and compliance.
      6. Accountability: This involves assessing whether the governing body is accountable for the organization’s actions and decisions. It’s about ensuring that those in positions of authority are held responsible for their actions.
      7. Ethical Organizational Culture: This involves assessing whether the organization promotes ethical behaviour and decision-making among its personnel. It’s about ensuring that the organization fosters a culture of integrity and ethical conduct.
      8. Strategic and Responsible Use of Data: This involves assessing whether the organization uses data responsibly and strategically to support its operations and decision-making. It’s about ensuring that the organization respects data privacy and uses data in a way that adds value to its operations.
      9. Transparent Decisions: This involves assessing whether the organization’s decisions are transparent and aligned with societal expectations. It’s about ensuring that the organization is open and honest in its communications and that its actions reflect its stated values and principles.
Anti-bribery Management based on ISO 37001
The assessment shall focus on:
      1. Anti-bribery Policy: The organization should have a clearly articulated anti-bribery policy that outlines its stance against bribery. This policy should be communicated to all personnel and relevant third parties.
      2. Leadership Commitment: Top management should demonstrate a commitment to the anti-bribery policy. This could be shown through regular communication about the importance of the policy, allocation of sufficient resources to implement the policy, and leading by example.
      3. Risk Assessments: The organization should conduct regular risk assessments to identify and prioritize potential bribery risks. These assessments should consider the nature of the organization’s operations, the countries it operates in, and the sectors it deals with.
      4. Due Diligence: The organization should perform due diligence on third parties such as suppliers, contractors, and partners to assess their bribery risks. This could involve checking their reputation, their own anti-bribery measures, and any red flags that might indicate a risk of bribery.
      5. Control Mechanisms: The organization should have control mechanisms in place to prevent and detect bribery. This could include financial controls to prevent illicit payments, procurement controls to prevent bribery in the supply chain, and HR controls to prevent bribery in recruitment and promotion processes.
      6. Reporting and Investigation Procedures: The organization should have established procedures for reporting suspected bribery and for conducting investigations into alleged bribery. This should include a confidential reporting mechanism (or “whistleblowing” system) and a fair and impartial process for investigating reports.