Category: General

IAP Worldwide FCPA Settlement: The Power of “Voluntary” Disclosure

IAP Worldwide FCPA Settlement: The Power of “Voluntary” Disclosure

Okay, everyone take out their tea leaves and let’s get started on the IAP corruption case – DOJ announced a Non-Prosecution Agreement with IAP Worldwide Services and the criminal plea of a former executive who funneled bribes through a third-party to a Kuwait government official. When you read the facts, the case is like many other FCPA fact patterns. Illegal bribes were paid to a...

Employee Surveillance and Monitoring

Employee Surveillance and Monitoring

To state the obvious (and this shows my age), we are way past George Orwell’s 1984. Yes, I know 30 years past it. But we are way past the privacy concerns expressed in Orwell’s book; we are in a new era where technology and instant communications have collided with new privacy concerns. Companies are fast becoming enamored with quick and easy detection systems for employee...

The Dangerous “Cult” of CEO Rock Stars

The Dangerous “Cult” of CEO Rock Stars

Everyone needs a hero, someone they can look up to and admire, and project feelings of positive personality. The world’s history is replete with “great” leaders who instilled in people a feeling of connection, commitment and admiration. History also tells us that the “leadership dynamic” can also be used for negative purposes. We all have our list of horrible and evil “leaders” who led countries...

Antitrust Update: The Aggressive Global Enforcement Network

Antitrust Update: The Aggressive Global Enforcement Network

Companies face lots of risks – the soup du jour has been anti-corruption enforcement and compliance. Like any consistent restaurant you might visit regularly, one risk continues to grow, quietly and significantly – antitrust criminal enforcement. Sure, I could have written a posting about the recent foreign exchange current price-fixing conspiracy among many of the large financial institutions, and trumpeted the $3.2 billion settlements recently...

Good People Do Bad Things

Good People Do Bad Things

It is good to be an optimist. I am sure that optimistic people are happier, more loving and tend to live longer. All of this rings true. But not everyone is an angel, and not everyone at your company is a “good person.” When we refer to someone as a “good person,” that is our gut instinct speaking about our specific interactions with a person....

Crossing a New Bridge: Compliance Officers and Financial Controls

Crossing a New Bridge: Compliance Officers and Financial Controls

Compliance officers face plenty of challenges. The list of close allies always includes the General Counsel, Internal Audit, Human Resources and Procurement officials. In two recent surveys (here and here), CCOs reported that they do not have a strong working relationship with the CFO and typically do not get involved in the design and implementation of financial controls. That is a real significant problem. Lets start...

Warning: Keeping Compliance Simple

Warning: Keeping Compliance Simple

If you can’t explain it to a six-year-old, you don’t understand it yourself. — Albert Einstein Compliance professionals are in a heady state these days. Their stock is rising; they are gaining influence and authority, and even some additional resources. When given the time, compliance professionals can come up with new and innovative strategies for compliance programs. But I see a danger lurking in the...

Whistleblowers – Tracking Ups and Downs

Whistleblowers – Tracking Ups and Downs

One of many things about life – just when you think you know something, it turns out you do not. Or another trite way to say the same thing – Life is full of surprises. The evolution in the treatment and legal protection of whistleblowers over the last five years has been remarkable. Just when you think there is one trend, out comes another. What...

A New Era of Sanctions Enforcement

A New Era of Sanctions Enforcement

I recently posted an article on International Trade Matters — International businesses beware, the United States has entered a new era of sanctions enforcement –– the article is located here. Check out the site — TradeReady — located here. Thanks.