Ethics & Culture

Picture the scene: It’s the end of the quarter, and your compliance report is due for inclusion in the board materials. You and your staff have been busy crunching the numbers; so far they’re looking pretty good. The board is going to be pleased, you say to yourself. Fewer helpline calls this quarter. Theft numbers […]

The phone rings; it’s a call to the compliance helpline. You greet your caller, and you are pleased to meet a well-spoken and seemingly responsible employee. She proceeds to tell you her problem. The caller is a fairly senior employee in the company’s procurement division, and part of her responsibility is to assist with the […]

When it comes to corporate ethics, technology may again be playing an important role in leveling the playing field, and helping to create more consistent policies and standards in companies across the globe. “We live in an age of information, where there are no secrets, and no places to hide,” says Keith Darcy, chief operating […]

A top Securities and Exchange Commission enforcement official tells Compliance Week the regulator will likely close out a large number of its options backdating cases in the near future without taking any enforcement action. And in a break from its recent practice, the official, Walter Ricciardi, deputy director of the Division of Enforcement, said the […]

If in-house counsel advise their coworkers based anywhere in the European Union on a competition matter, the conversations, e-mails, and documents aren’t protected by attorney-client privilege, according to a controversial decision handed down on September 17, 2007. General counsel across Europe roundly condemned Akzo Nobel Chemicals Ltd. v. Commission, which found that attorney-client privilege in […]

Picture the scene: You arrive home late from work, again. You’re exhausted and searching for something to eat when the phone rings. A very excited friend blurts out: “I’ve got two free tickets right behind home plate at the game tomorrow afternoon! Come on, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!” You say yes right away, thinking […]

I got scolded by the SEC’s John White once. Seriously: I got a verbal slapdown from a regulator—and I think I deserved it. The incident occurred in May of this year. White, who is the director of the Division of Corporation Finance at the Securities and Exchange Commission, had agreed to deliver the opening keynote […]

Many large (and not-so-large) companies have embraced a measure of responsibility for social needs, based in part on the premise that the corporation owes its existence to the state, or society, and consequently should be a good citizen. Few would argue with this. The term “corporate social responsibility” typically begins with a focus on such […]

The first criminal conviction of a corporate executive over backdated stock options has Corporate America buzzing about what the government’s victory bodes for the many, many other companies embroiled in the backdating mess. Earlier this month, a California jury convicted Gregory Reyes, former chief executive of Brocade Communications Systems, on 10 counts of conspiracy, securities […]

As a Compliance Week reader, you know well the difference between taking an action that’s legal and one that’s ethical. “Legal,” of course, includes acting according to written laws and related regulations, as well as what is deemed legally correct by the judicial system. Acting ethically involves going beyond what is legal, focusing on principles […]