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Corporate Governance
« Previous Entries Next Entries »So, how civil is the state of the Union?
Tuesday, January 25th, 2011President Obama will deliver his State of the Union address this evening, playing to a packed house of legislators, judges, and other luminaries. The Members of Congress have announced their intention to demonstrate their commitment to greater civility by sitting mixed together instead of divided by party affiliation. It’s a nice gesture, but [...]
Let’s improve civility in business, too
Monday, January 10th, 2011Last weekend’s shooting rampage in Arizona, in which six people were killed and fourteen others - including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords - were wounded, has sparked a firestorm of debate here in Washington. The question on everyone’s mind seems to be whether Jared Lee Loughner, the alleged shooter, was whipped into a violent frenzy [...]
WikiLeaks’ supporters should leave e-vendors alone
Wednesday, December 8th, 2010It’s been a busy couple of days for me, as I’ve appeared on BBC World’s “Have Your Say” and Public Radio International’s “The Take Away” radio shows to discuss the WikiLeaks situation. Sounds like there’s a full scale cyber-war going on out there, with Amazon, Mastercard, Visa, PayPal and other e-service providers having decided [...]
Did U.S. Foodservice pay enough for its alleged fraud?
Monday, September 13th, 2010The Wall Street Journal reported today that U.S. Foodservice, a food distribution company, has agreed to pay $30 million to settle civil charges that it fraudulently inflated the prices it charged the U.S. government for food products purchased over a five-year period. According to the Journal, prosecutors claim that U.S. Foodservice created shell companies [...]
Should CEOs be rewarded for laying off their workers?
Wednesday, September 1st, 2010MSNBC reports today that CEOs who laid off more workers than average raked in more money than their peers. According to a new report issued by the Institute on Policy Studies, the fifty CEOs who led the charge on laying off rank-and-file employees during the recent economic turndown received $12 million on average in [...]
Why did HP give Mark Hurd a $37 million severance package?
Tuesday, August 10th, 2010When former CEO Mark Hurd resigned from Hewlett-Packard Co. last week, he joined a lengthy list of top business executives who have stepped down after being accused of personal ethical lapses. Of course, this isn’t HP’s only recent scandal. HP suffered considerable public embarrassment just a few years ago when its chairwoman, Patricia [...]
Consider becoming a B Corporation
Friday, July 2nd, 2010Continuing my Friday series on keeping your business out of court, let’s talk about a new kind of corporation that may offer a safer vehicle for doing well while doing good. Let’s presume that you’re the head of a publicly traded company. You’re also something of a social activist, and you want to [...]
Let your employees have a life
Sunday, June 13th, 2010Returning to my series on keeping your business out of court, let’s talk about a mistake that employers make all too often, especially when times are hard and unemployment is running rampant. Some companies may find it very, very tempting right now to come down hard on employees who seem to put their work [...]
Predictable heartbreak at the Upper Big Branch Mine
Wednesday, April 7th, 2010Once, just once, I’d love to be able to tell the story of a company that, when confronted with safety violations by its regulators sometime in the last five years, brought in the right consultants, spent the necessary money to correct the problems, and became a model of good practice for the rest of [...]
Will 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 [...]
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