ACCA ‘Walk the Talk’ Treasure Hunt Provides Experiential Learning on Ethics and Professional Skills

Kuala Lumpur – The ACCA ‘Walk the Talk’ Treasure Hunt brought together 84 participants from 21 learning institutions and employer partners to put their physical and mental skills to the test as they raced around Klang Valley solving puzzles that called on their ethical thinking.

• 84 participants from 21 learning institutions and employer partners participated in the 6-hour hunt
• Prize-giving luncheon featured Paramount Corporation Berhad Group CEO Jeffrey Chew sharing experience and actual commercial case studies

Excitement accelerated right at the flag off as the ACCA students rushed to the first challenge of the Treasure Hunt. Participating teams were taken through six activities that were created based on ACCA’s Ethics and Professional Skills Module (EPSM) :

1. Ethics and Professionalism
2. Personal Effectiveness
3. Innovation and Scepticism
4. Commercial Awareness
5. Leadership and Team Work
6. Communication and Interpersonal Skills

After completing each activity, teams were given clues for them to solve at the end of the hunt. The first challenge involved participants being tasked with solving an exciting rebus word puzzle set to figure out everyday phrases that are commonly used. The participants then painted the Avenue K area red by giving out hundreds of ACCA balloons and taking pictures with passersby who were early morning office workers commuting to work in the surrounding areas.

For the third challenge, ACCA students had to solve a crossword consisting of names of shops found in Central Market. To push their out-of-the-box thinking, the fourth challenge literally involves a box in a circle, testing not only their creativity but also their team work! Participants had to do a case study on ethics in Station Five and for the final challenge, the participants pushed themselves to outdo each other in accurately identifying the fakes in real news articles. Finally, to complete the Treasure Hunt, participants had to piece all six clues collected throughout the race.

Head of ACCA Malaysia Edward Ling said, “Based on the report by ACCA on “Ethics and trust in a digital age” released in July 2017, 9 out of 10 professional accountants agree that ethical behaviour helps to build trust in the digital age. This report underscores the importance of moral uprightness in any practice. To help ensure that ACCA graduates are equipped with skills that will add value to any organisation, we introduced the Ethics and Professional Skills Module (EPSM) in October last year.

The introduction of the module is in line with ACCA’s focus on the criteria required to shape an efficacious accountant. Through this module, we can enlarge the learnings beyond technical capabilities for ACCA graduates. The interactive and experiential learning exemplified during the Treasure Hunt drives home the unequivocal need for critical thinking, ethical decisions and the upholding of integrity among accountants, in a fun way for our students.”

Another notable highlight of the ACCA ‘Walk the Talk’ Treasure Hunt was the keynote address by the Group Chief Executive Officer of Paramount Corporation Berhad, Jeffrey Chew. He shared his experience and insights as a practising accountant and leader of organisations, emphasizing the importance of ethics and professional skills at the workplace.

“Transparency, honesty, accountability and fair dealings are important traits not just among the accountants but also members of the workforce in any organisation. In order to be an effective leader, one must have the ability to think, evaluate and act fairly to make informed decisions. Leadership is about doing the right thing, even if it may seem to be going against the tide. Hence, ethics plays a vital role in steering the moral compass of individuals even in challenging times,” Chew said.

The ACCA ‘Walk the Talk’ Treasure Hunt provided the inaugural opportunity for participants from various learning institutions who are taking the same qualifications, to compete and learn at the same time through fun and meaningful activities.