Global companies have been embracing socially responsible spending projects to build stronger relationships with local communities. The idea makes a lot of sense and real projects can result in real benefits. As with any significant source of money, there are risks. Major global companies have been caught in some embarrassing situations, some of which can have real legal and reputational consequences. Think of the irony...
Corruption risks follow the money. If a company has effective controls over money, then the company has a good chance of mitigating corruption risks. A key indicator of a company’s internal controls is to ask if the company has suffered any significant fraud in the last five years. If your company has experienced a high fraud rate, the company’s controls may be weak and corruption...
Some things go together. Chocolate chip cookies and milk, Hepburn and Tracy, Lewis and Martin (I know, I am showing my age, but you get the point), and many other favorite combinations. So, you get the point – in the world of anti-bribery compliance, and another in my series of profound grasps of the obvious – fraud and bribery go hand in hand. One of...
Volkov Law TV announces new subscription options and pricing for on-demand Webinars. We know our scheduled webinars do not always fit your busy schedule: Learn What You Want, When You Want It! Volkov Law TV Here We now offer pricing for individual webinars and have reduced our subscription fees. In addition, we offer Flexible Enterprise Rates for companies and organizations if needed. Individual Webinars are...
It is often hard to convince people that receiving money can be a problem. Everyone likes to receive money, especially when they are being paid for something they did. In the area of compliance priorities, companies do not normally treat third-party payments as a high-risk activity. However, with increasing focus on illicit proceeds and tightening of AML/Terrorist Financing requirements, companies have to focus on this issue....
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....
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...
You can always count on lawyers to ring alarm belles and warn businesses. The line between accurate reporting and fear-mongering sometimes blurs when lawyers write so-called “alerts” to inform businesses of new or increasing risks. When it comes to the False Claims Act, I always try to “stick to the facts.” For healthcare, pharmaceutical/medical device, and defense companies, the False Claims Act is usually the...
We all know our favorite things and people who fit together well – milk and cookies, peanut butter and jelly, chips and salsa, Tracy and Hepburn, Martin and Lewis, Abbott and Costello, and many other great combinations. In the corporate compliance world, chief compliance officers and internal auditors are natural allies. They often report to the same board committee, share a common perspective on corporate...
