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Corporate Governance
« Previous EntriesWill special interests abuse campaign contributions?
Monday, January 25th, 2010The Supreme Court stunned the nation last week with its decision to allow corporations to exercise free speech rights by running election campaign ads. Suddenly, huge companies and unions with millions to spend will be able to innundate voters with a tidal wave of attack ads targeting candidates who oppose their interests. Less [...]
Write your rules with care
Friday, December 18th, 2009Continuing my Friday series on keeping your business out of court, let’s talk about an area that frequently catches companies off guard. Most companies know that there are laws that govern their operations and that they need to comply with those laws to stay out of court. What they don’t always realize, however, [...]
And that goes for your employees, too!
Wednesday, November 4th, 2009On Monday, I wrote about the importance of having a personal life to making good ethical choices at work. This topic is important enough to make a corollary point. You need to have a life to keep a reasoned perspective on your work … and so do your employees.
In all too many industries, [...]
One year later, what have we learned?
Thursday, September 10th, 2009It’s been just about a year since the subprime mortgage debacle brought the world economy crashing to its knees. For the past year we’ve suffered through a miserable recession, watching home values plummet, jobs vanish, and investments tumble to a fraction of their former value. It’s been just plain awful, and even the [...]
Business apology tip #12 - Learn from your apologies
Friday, June 19th, 2009I’m going to conclude my Friday series of tips on effective business apologies with a tip that can make a huge difference to the future success of your business. After you’ve made your apology and resolved things with your unhappy customer or client, take some time to learn from your apology. Was the [...]
To foster strong business ethics, put your money where your mouth is!
Tuesday, June 16th, 2009It’s my privilege to be a member of the Society for Corporate Compliance and Ethics, a non-profit organization that trains and supports certified compliance and ethics professionals. (Yes, I’m one of them.) SCCE provides reams of great materials on business ethics and, from time to time, conducts surveys to see how well companies [...]
Hard financial times can provoke employment lawsuits
Monday, June 1st, 2009As the recession continues and unemployment rates stay above 10% in some regions, it’s no surprise that America’s businesses are seeing an uptick in employment lawsuits. Claims against employers were on the rise anyway, with wage-and-hour suits in particular becoming increasingly common. The recession has only made things worse because, when people lose [...]
Small business owners - how big is your commitment to ethics?
Monday, May 4th, 2009It’s National Small Business Day, a day to celebrate businesses that provide everything from dog walking services to boutique clothing. There’s a lot to be said for the talented entrepreneurs who have the courage, ambition and drive to envision, start up and operate small businesses. It’s a great day to cheer them on!
It’s [...]
Have you updated your company’s gift and entertainment policy?
Tuesday, April 21st, 2009AIG’s use of federal bailout money to pay lavish bonuses has made the embattled insurer a favorite target for public disgust over corporate excess. It’s not that AIG was doing anything illegal, you understand. It’s just that funding personal luxury with taxpayer funds is in very, very bad taste.
You’d think that other companies [...]
Goldman Sachs wants to repay its TARP money … are we okay with that?
Tuesday, April 14th, 2009The Wall Street Journal reported today that Goldman Sachs Group Inc. has announced positive earnings ahead of schedule, hoping that its good news will provide a platform for a major stock sale. According to the Journal, Goldman hopes to raise $5 billion in stock to pay back the $10 billion in Troubled Asset Relief [...]
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