Companies that produce and/or export products that use encryption take note: A new rule now in effect requires more attention to record-keeping and changes to current systems. The Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security has revised the encryption rules in the Export Administration Regulations, changing the conditions and procedures for exporting certain encryption hardware, […]
Melissa Klein Aguilar
Posted inRegulatory Enforcement
Former Deputy AG Seeks DoJ Enforcement Policy Change
Top Justice Department officials have long said companies reap “meaningful” benefits from voluntary disclosure. If federal prosecutors really want to convince companies and encourage self-reporting, a change in enforcement policy is needed, says one former U.S. Deputy Attorney General. Whether companies reap real benefit from self-reporting violations, particularly in the area of Foreign Corrupt Practices […]
Posted inFrom the Archive
Aerospace, Defense Sectors Take Up Ethics Effort
Aerospace and defense companies are launching a new, transnational effort to improve ethical business conduct and fight corruption. The initiative, dubbed the International Forum on Business Ethical Conduct, is being led by members from two trade associations representing aerospace and defense manufacturers: the Aerospace Industries Association in the United States, and the Aerospace and Defense […]
Posted inUncategorized
Congress Nails Down Governance, Compliance Reforms
Washington’s long-promised reforms to corporate governance, financial reporting, and regulatory compliance now seem at hand, thanks to the final 2,000-page bill settled by lawmakers late last week. The bill brings a slew of new rules for financial firms and new oversight of derivatives, and creates a new consumer financial protection agency. It also contains several […]
Posted inFrom the Archive
Supreme Court Reigns in Scope of Honest Services Fraud
The U.S. Supreme Court handed down a number of opinions this week, including rulings on the honest services fraud statute that significantly reign in its broad scope. In a case involving former Enron chief executive Jeffrey Skilling that could have far-reaching impact, the high court held that the statute, which is most often used in […]
Posted inRegulatory Enforcement
Conference Committee Reaches Agreement On Proxy Access
After much debate and numerous counter offers, the conference committee working on the financial regulation reform bill finally reached agreement Thursday night to adopt the original Senate bill language on proxy access, with a modification requested by Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) that would allow the Securities & Exchange Commission to exempt small businesses from the […]
Posted inRegulatory Enforcement
Proxy Access Up in the Air, Majority Voting Out
As negotiations on the massive financial reform bill continue this afternoon, what, if anything, the legislation will say about proxy access is still very much up in the air. The issue is one of few remaining items left for conferees to hammer out as they try to wrap up their work today, in an effort […]
Posted inEthics & Culture
Report Offers Hotline Benchmarking Data
A new report offers benchmarking data for compliance officers looking to see how their whistleblower hotline stacks up against their industry peers. According to the 2010 Corporate Governance and Compliance Hotline Benchmarking Report published by The Network and BDO Consulting, personnel management incidents, which include human resources issues and incidents related to wage and hour […]
Posted inFrom the Archive
Schapiro on Proxy Plumbing, Required Disclosures
Should proxy advisory firms should be subject to greater Commission oversight and if so, what should that look like? Should there be checks on the accuracy of the information provided by proxy advisers? Are advisers who provide services to both corporations and investors managing and disclosing the resulting conflicts of interest appropriately? Are self-regulatory organizations […]
Posted inFrom the Archive
Study Shows Serious Gaps in CEO Succession Planning
Is a lack of succession planning putting your company at risk? According to new research Heidrick & Struggles and Stanford University’s Rock Center for Corporate Governance, more than half of companies today can’t immediately name a permanent successor to their chief executive should the need arise. A joint survey of more than 140 CEOs and […]
