Ethics
Creating a Culture of Ethics & Compliance in the Workplace
No matter your industry, your long-term success as a company strongly correlates to how well you’ve managed to define your ethics and compliance, both inside and outside the organizational structure. A mistake made by many businesses – small or large – is to leave this in the realm of the abstract. Conflicts and confrontations seem to be part of almost...
A New Way of Thinking About Ethics and Culture
The Business Case for a Strong Culture of Ethics Culture and ethics are all the rage in management theory and compliance discussions, but we never see them discussed as absolutely dependent on one another. If the ethics of the organization aren’t right, the culture will never be right. We explore this new way of thinking about this critical component of business...
Where Are Boards of Directors When Ethics Oversight is Involved?
Ethics and compliance are far too often neglected by boards at big firms, even though it's settled law and policy that boards are required to oversee company compliance. In fact, a survey of 26 past and present Chief Ethics and Compliance Officers reveals that most feel their boards don't fully understand the ethics and compliance programs they should be overseeing...
Global Workplace Survey: Ethics & Compliance Programs, At Any Level, Create Significant ROI and Improved Culture
Vienna, VA (June 28, 2018) – The Ethics & Compliance Initiative (ECI), the oldest ethics research and best practice community in the U.S., today released the second installment of the 2018 Global Business Ethics Survey (GBES). The report's findings focus on the impact that an ethics and compliance (E&C) program has in the workplace, and the return on investment (ROI) for...
Managing Corporate AI
Morrison & Foerster's Stephanie Sharron and Andy Serwin discuss the legal and ethical concerns of using AI. The impacts could be far-reaching and potentially include issues such as unlawful bias and discrimination, violations of privacy laws and uncertainty about legal liability and accountability for harms caused. with co-author Andrew Serwin Artificial Intelligence has the potential to reshape our world as...
Organizations Increase Compliance Training for Boards Following High-Profile Sexual Harassment Scandals
Training for boards jumps by nearly 30 percent compared with 2017 findings, but major training gaps persist despite a volatile ethics and compliance environment Portland, OR (July 19, 2018) – Leading ethics and compliance software and services company NAVEX Global® today announced the release of findings from its 2018 Training Benchmark Report. In the wake of a series of high-profile sexual harassment...
Using Culture to Manage Complexity and Ethical Risk
Organizations must re-architect the context (culture) in which employees make decisions, simplifying ethical dilemmas and increasing ethical capacity. SAI Global’s Strategic Culture Framework provides a robust approach to achieving these objectives. Disruptive technologies, unexpected market shifts, widespread political uncertainty, conflicting stakeholder expectations and a host of other forces are reshaping today’s business landscape. Confronted with mounting challenges and unprecedented levels...
Dear CCOs: What is Your Mandate??
Detect, Fix or Prevent Problems Before They Become a Crisis Donna Boehme, the "Lion of Compliance," explains the singular imperative of a clear, written mandate for effective compliance programs, and offers a Sample Mandate, below. One of the most important features of any compliance program is its written Mandate. The correctly scoped mandate, approved by the Board and understood by...
When are Anti-Money Laundering Program Deficiencies a Crime?
Criminal Actions Brought Against Rabobank and US Bank Kerry Zinn identifies stipulations to evaluating anti-money laundering programs and the importance of cooperating with regulators. In early 2018, the Department of Justice (“DOJ”) brought two criminal actions relating to Anti-Money Laundering (“AML”) program deficiencies. This article examines the criminal actions brought against Rabobank National Association (“Rabobank”) and US Bank National Association...
Auditing the Due Diligence Process
Given its tendency to be overshadowed by the more exciting aspects of the M&A process, internal auditors can contribute significant value by ensuring that a vibrant due diligence process is in place and operating as intended. A rigorous audit of the M&A due diligence process can help companies take advantage of legitimate new business opportunities, while at the same time...
Superstar Harasser: Is Anyone Really Too Big to Lose?
Addressing Sexual Harassment In The #MeToo Era, Part 3 The #MeToo movement has brought to light allegations of misconduct by members of countless industries. As a result, in workplaces and on social media, we’re beginning to discuss in earnest what constitutes workplace harassment and employers’ obligations to combat it. In the third installment of this four-part series from Vedder Price’s...
Key Challenges for CECOs
Justifying the Role to Strengthen the E&C Function Compliance as a profession continues to grow globally. Compliance departments expand in response to every corporate scandal. Following increased regulatory scrutiny, the chief ethics and compliance officer role is becoming more elaborate and sought-after. However, inside organizations, CECOs still face a number of challenges. Vera Cherepanova offers practical ways to address concerns...
