"Integrity" is the most important core value of VisEra and the top priority in the Company's business philosophy. VisEra upholds integrity in all business activities and does not permit corruption or any form of fraud. The Company established the "Ethical Corporate Management Best Practice Principles" and "Code of Professional Ethics" as the foundations for the Company's corporate culture for ethical management and healthy development. Ethical corporate management is implemented based on the regulations of the Company's internal control system. The Audit Department regularly audits the compliance of the accounting system and internal control system and reports results to the Board of Directors.
Professional ethics and legal compliance
VisEra has established the Company's professional ethics and legal compliance system based on honesty and integrity. The system includes the identification of laws, establishment of company regulations, thorough implementation, self-evaluation and review, open whistleblowing channels, and whistleblower protection. The management also holds themselves accountable for comprehensive topdown implementation.
The Human Resource Department is the dedicated unit responsible for establishing and supervising the implementation of the ethical corporate management policies and prevention programs. It regularly reports to the Board of Directors (at least once a year) and implements comprehensive training and awareness campaigns for employees to continue to strengthen the corporate culture of integrity. We work with external customers and the supply chain to implement ethical corporate management in the industry for common growth and prosperity and become reliable partners.
VisEra does not permit any violation of professional ethics or related regulations. Any employee or manager who violates our ethical standards shall be subject to severe penalties in accordance with the Company's Rewards and Penalties Regulations regardless of their seniority. Penalties include dismissal and legal action will also be taken in the event of a violation of laws.
Anti-corruption
VisEra has a zero-tolerance policy for corruption and does not tolerate any bribery, fraud, extortion, abuse, misappropriation of company assets, or personal gain at the expense of the Company. The Company has established a comprehensive anti-corruption risk assessment system to identify regulations and classify corruption patterns. We established operating procedures and regulations for different businesses and require all employees to comply and implement the regulations. Plants and departments conduct annual self-evaluations and reviews and we establish smooth internal and external reporting channels and a whistleblower protection policy for early detection of anomalies and prevention of corruption.
All operations of the Company are in Taiwan. In 2023, plants and departments conducted self evaluations and reported information and investigation results. No significant corruption risks were found and there has been no incidents of corruption in recent years.
Suppliers are crucial for the implementation of VisEra's professional ethics and legal compliance. We established the "VisEra Supplier Code of Conduct" for suppliers to understand and comply with VisEra's Code of Professional Ethics. We expand the core values of integrity across the supply chain in all business activities.
Political donations
The Company stated in the Ethical Corporate Management Best Practice Principles that the Company may not provide political donations. All donations or sponsorship provided by the Company must meet related regulations and internal operating procedures and the Company shall not surreptitiously engage in bribery.
Identification of laws and establishment of company regulations
VisEra continuously monitors changes in laws to evaluate the potential risks and impact of such changes on the Company. We also use the identification of regulations to review whether changes must be made to existing internal regulations and ensure the appropriateness and adequacy of related policies and regulations. In 2023, VisEra did not commit any material violations of social or economic regulations.
Note: VisEra disclosing threshold for significant violations is when a single fine reaches NT$ 1 million or more. For the number of cases and the amount fined for regulatory violations in 2023, please refer to 2023 Annual Report Chapter 5 Operation Overview for Environmental Protection Expenditures.
Annual professional ethics and legal compliance training
To increase employees' awareness of professional ethics and legal compliance, we provide every new employee with training on anti-corruption, professional ethics, and legal compliance. For current employees, we provided the "annual professional ethics and legal compliance" (0.5 hour online course). The content covers a variety of important compliance information, including ethics and anti-corruption, avoidance of conflicts of interest and reporting, prevension of sexual harrasment, export controls, personal data protection, and insider trading prevention. We offer a variety of training courses for each business function, including intensive face-to-face courses, face to-face seminars as well as posters in plant areas, company internal website pages, and educational articles. The Company provides regulatory compliance guidelines and frequently asked questions for employees to obtain new knowledge of regulations at any time and strengthen their knowledge of various issues. As of 2023, 1,407 employees completed the annual training programs (the completion rate was 100%):
Mandatory courses for professional ethics and legal compliance in 2023
We also use the contractor conference to communicate the RBA Code of Conduct and key issues such as labor rights, environmental protection, and occupational safety to suppliers and share our experience. A total of 188 contractors attended the conference in 2023.
Antitrust
We organize periodic and ad hoc training programs for the Fair Trade Act and antitrust laws to enhance employees' awareness of regulations. We organized two sessions of antitrust courses for senior executives and business personnel in 2020. Related courses were not held due to the impact of the pandemic in 2021. To address this issue, we recorded digital courses in 2022 and requested managers and personnel of related businesses to take the courses. The number eligible trainees were 44 and the completion rate was 100%. In 2023, VisEra updated the courses and such courses were continuously taken by relative sales managers and personnels to enhance their awareness of newly promulgated fair trade laws or relative regulations. In 2023, VisEra was not involved in litigation pertaining to anti-competitive behavior and antitrust laws that were ongoing or concluded.
Whistleblowing and protection
VisEra heeds the feedback from both internal and external sources through a variety of reporting channels to protect the interests of stakeholders and the Company. We set up a reporting/ complaint/ response channel on the internal and external websites to accept anonymous and named reports. The Human Resource Department processes the feedback and communicates it to the relevant department and top management based on its nature. The reports received in the Company's internal and external reporting channels are adequately recorded and tracked. The identity of the whistleblower is kept confidential to prevent retribution.
In 2023, there were 2 cases of illegal infringement and 2 cases of sexual harassment in the workplace. After the verification and review of the investigation team, we instructed the employer unit to provide communication assistance and training on peer-to-peer and conflict management.
We assign a dedicated unit to investigate reported cases based on the nature of the case. We adopt a serious and prudent approach in handling these cases. For confirmed cases, we take legal actions including penalties for violations, termination of employment contracts, or necessary legal actions based on actual conditions. We use a variety of method for communication including announcements or communication seminars to increase employees' awareness and prevent the recurrence of similar cases.
Classification of reported cases and data
