Business standards

As responsible business professionals, it is not enough to intend to do things right, we must also do them in the right way. That means making business decisions and taking appropriate actions that are ethical and in compliance with applicable legal requirements. As we make these decisions, World Franchise Associates’s values must shine through in all our interactions. The Standards of Business Conduct are an extension of World Franchise Associates’s values and reflect our continued commitment to ethical business practices and regulatory compliance.

World Franchise Associates’s Standards of Business Conduct summarize the regulatory requirements and business practices that guide our decision making and business activities. The Standards contain basic information about our policies as well as information about how to obtain guidance regarding a particular business practice or compliance concern.

We manage our business in compliance with applicable laws and regulatory requirements. The World Franchise Associates Standards of Business Conduct are a general guide to the company’s standards of business practices and regulatory compliance. Its requirements apply to World Franchise Associates Corporation, to all subsidiaries, or Associates, and to all directors, officers, and employees of each. World Franchise Associates is a global company, and our business operations are subject to the laws of many different countries.

World Franchise Associates employees doing business internationally must comply with applicable laws and regulations and uphold the Standards of Business Conduct at all times. Cultural differences or local laws and customs may require a different interpretation of our Standards.

Our Commitment: Integrity in All Our Actions

Each day we interact with a variety of individuals and groups including our customers, partners, competitors, co-workers, shareholders, vendors, government and regulatory agencies, and the communities in which we operate. We are committed to interacting with all of these audiences in a respectful, ethical manner and in compliance with applicable laws and regulatory requirements. We manage our business in compliance with applicable laws and regulatory requirements.

Regulatory Compliance

We are aware of and obey the laws and regulations that govern the global management of our business. We are responsible for understanding these laws and regulations as they apply to our jobs and for preventing, detecting, and reporting instances of non-compliance to a member of World Franchise Associates management, Human Resources, Law and Corporate Affairs.

Regulatory Investigations, Inspections, and Inquiries

We are direct, honest, and truthful in our discussions with regulatory agency representatives and government officials. During investigations, inspections, and inquiries we work with World Franchise Associates’s Law and Corporate Affairs members and cooperate by responding to appropriate requests for information.

International Business Activities

World Franchise Associates acknowledges and respects the diverse cultures, customs, and business practices it encounters in the international marketplace. World Franchise Associates will comply with both the applicable laws and regulations that govern its operations and local laws wherever it does business.

Responsible Leadership

We manage our business responsibly in order to maintain the confidence, respect, and trust of our customers, consumers, partners, shareholders, and other audiences. We are committed to acting with integrity, investing in new product and services development, being responsive and accountable to our customers and partners, and remaining a leader in our field.

Product and Service Quality

World Franchise Associates’s products and services are developed and managed to meet the expectations of our customers, consumers, and partners for high quality and exceptional service. We continually seek new ways to improve our products, service, and responsiveness.

Communication

We establish and maintain clear, honest, and open communications; listen carefully; and build our relationships on trust, respect, and mutual understanding. We are accountable and responsive to the needs of our customers, consumers, and partners and take our commitments to them seriously. Our advertising, sales, and promotional literature seeks to be truthful, accurate, and free from false claims.

Obtaining Competitive Information

World Franchise Associates has an obligation, and is entitled, to keep up with developments in our industry, including obtaining information about our competitors. We obtain information about our competitors through honest, ethical, and legal methods.

Financial Integrity

We honestly and accurately record and report business information. We comply with all applicable local, state, and federal laws regarding record completion and accuracy. We require that financial transactions be executed in accordance with management’s authorization, and recorded in a proper manner in order to maintain accountability for World Franchise Associates’s assets. Our financial information reflects only actual transactions and is in compliance with World Franchise Associates and other applicable accounting practices.

Use and Protection of Assets

We wisely use and protect the assets of the company, including property (both physical and intellectual), supplies, consumables, and equipment. We use these assets exclusively for World Franchise Associates’s business purposes.

Use of Information Technology

At all times, we should use good judgment and common sense; conduct ourselves ethically, lawfully, and professionally; and follow applicable authorization protocols while accessing and using company-provided information technology and its contents. In using these company assets and systems, we do not create, access, store, print, solicit, or send any material that is intimidating, harassing, threatening, abusive, sexually explicit, or otherwise offensive or inappropriate, nor do we send any false, derogatory, or malicious communications.

Intellectual Property

We comply with the laws and regulations that govern the rights to and protection of our own and others’ copyrights, trademarks, patents, trade secrets, and other forms of intellectual property.

Creation, Retention, and Disposal of Records and Information Assets

We create, retain, and dispose of our business records and information assets, both written and electronic, as part of our normal course of business in compliance with World Franchise Associates policies and applicable regulatory and legal requirements.

Confidential and Proprietary Information

We respect our ethical and legal responsibilities to protect World Franchise Associates’s confidential and proprietary non-public information and communicate it only as necessary to conduct World Franchise Associates’s business. We do not use this information for our personal advantage or for non-World Franchise Associates business use, and maintain this confidentiality even after World Franchise Associates no longer employs us.

Purchasing Decisions and Practices

In our purchasing decisions, negotiations, contract development, and contract administration we comply with the applicable laws and regulations that govern those relationships.

We promote a diverse, cooperative, and productive work environment

Openness, Honesty, and Respect in our relationships with each other, we strive to be open, honest, and respectful in sharing our ideas and thoughts, and in receiving input.

Diversity

World Franchise Associates promotes and supports a diverse workforce at all levels of the company. It is our belief that creating a work environment that enables us to attract, retain, and fully engage diverse talents leads to enhanced innovation and creativity in our products and services.

Equal Employment Opportunity

World Franchise Associates promotes a cooperative and productive work environment by supporting the cultural and ethnic diversity of its workforce and is committed to providing equal employment opportunity to all qualified employees and applicants. We do not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, colour, sex, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, marital status, age, disability, or veteran status in any personnel practice, including recruitment, hiring, training, promotion, and discipline.

Safety and Health

A safe and clean work environment is important to the well-being of all World Franchise Associates employees. World Franchise Associates complies with applicable safety and health regulations and appropriate practices.

Respect for the Environment

World Franchise Associates respects the environment and protects our natural resources. We comply with applicable laws and regulations regarding the use and preservation of our land, air, and water.