In 2007 a Code of Conduct for transparency and disclosure was drawn up for the private equity industry in the United Kingdom. It was created, and still remains, as a voluntary code that firms can agree to sign onto at their leisure. Unfortunately, even after signing up voluntarily, many firms didn’t fully comply

Regular Ethisphere readers are aware of a number of issues that have affected Johnson & Johnson in the past, namely the (still ongoing) problems with their Ortho Evra birth control patch. Along those lines, Bloomberg published an interesting story claiming that Johnson & Johnson has paid – at a minimum – $68.7 million in private [...]

The U.S. Department of Justice announced new Departmental guidelines today that repeal restrictions to attorney-client privilege between corporations and their employees embroiled in federal cases. These new guidelines will

According to a new joint study from Stanford University and the University of California Santa Barbara, 97 percent of recent MBA grads are willing to chop $15,000 a year off their starting salary if their

Last year, we wrote about insider trading allegations against a number of current and former European Aeronautic Defense & Space (EADS) executives. This has been a huge issue in Europe for quite some time, as EADS is one of the largest defense contractors in the world and the parent of Airbus. The controversy is so [...]

Two weeks ago, in the last edition of Ethisphere Magazine we rated and ranked the ethics programs of some of the largest U.S. government contractors. IBM was

Tipping is an activity so fervently argued and debated in the United States that entire books have been published on tipping etiquette. Those who have worked for tips argue for it, those that haven’t argue against it, and both sides tend to leave the debate unsettled and more angry than when they started. But, generally [...]

Alcoa was sued yesterday by Aluminum Bahrain BSC in a U.S. federal court for allegations of overcharging, fraud and bribery. Aluminum Bahrain BSC, better known as Alba, says it was overcharged by Alcoa for alumina (pictured), a key ingredient in creating aluminum. The company says it paid excesses of about $65 million per year for [...]

Air France today announced a pledge to spend $3 billion annually (until 2020) to cut carbon emissions and noise levels for its aircraft. The company is also hoping to cut fuel consumption by 15 to 20 percent within five years. You can see a bunch of other numbers over

It seems the chemical and pharmaceutical industries haven’t exactly been the most ethically-minded these days. Both BASF SE and Bayer AG announced they will begin an internal probe into allegations by the World Bank that the two companies engaged in a price fixing scheme for an anti-mosquito pesticide sold

Chevron announced yesterday it will be giving its largest single donation in company history to the United Nations backed Global Fund, a program that helps to fight AIDS and other infectious diseases throughout the world. This also marks the largest single donation to the Fund by a company, which makes Chevron the Global Fund’s first

Target became the most recent retail company in the United States to announce it would end the use of polyvinyl chloride (more commonly known as PVC) in some of the products it sells, most notably children’s paraphernalia like eating utensils and lunch boxes. By 2008, the company wants to eliminate PVC from changing tables, bibs [...]

Two major settlements relating to oil spills were reached this week. Polar Tankers, a subsidiary of ConocoPhillips, was fined $2.5 million dollars for an oil spill in the Pacific Ocean in 2004. A criminal penalty represented $500,000 of the fine, and the other $2 million went to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, a nonprofit [...]

A new study discovered that U.S. and U.K. consumers want businesses to be more environmentally friendly, but have a hard time naming specific companies focusing on the issue. However, the study discovered a number of “big brands” in each country that are recognized for climate-change awareness more than others. In the U.K., those leaders include [...]

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has been cracking down on General Counsels this year more than ever, according to an article released today by the National Law Journal. Experts say the increased prosecution comes from the SEC’s backlash after a proposed regulation in the Sarbanes-Oxley Act was revoked.

Sonoco, a global supplier of industrial and consumer packaging, launched a new program today that provides manufacturers with “productivity savings by identifying ways to reduce waste materials going to landfills, and increase profitability by converting waste streams to revenue streams by finding alternative uses for a facility’s previously unrecycled wastes,”

Ethisphere Council member Freescale Semiconductor accepted the 2007 American Business Ethics Award from The Society of Financial Service Professionals (SFSP) yesterday in Montreal. The American Business Ethics Awards are given to U.S. companies “who exemplify high standards of ethical behavior in their everyday business conduct and in response to specific crises or challenges,” according to [...]

In 2007 the European Commission issed the largest fine in the EU’s history- a whopping €990 million (that’s $1.3 billion, folks). In spite of recent criticism, an EC spokesman revealed that the Commission intends to continue increasing fines. As EC spokesman Jonathan Todd explained, the Commission has “increased the level of fines . . . [...]

Paradigm BV, a provider of “enterprise software solutions” to the oil and natural gas industry, entered into an agreement with the Department of Justice (DOJ) yesterday regarding Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) violations. Illegal payments Paradigm made to China, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Mexico and Nigeria were self-reported to the Department of Justice by the company through [...]

London based Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing awareness on global climate change, released their annual Climate Disclosure Leadership Index (CDLI) today. The list, compiled from responses to a questionnaire CDP sent to over 2400 companies worldwide, compares FT 500 companies in each sector on how transparent they are on regarding [...]

Nine months of internal emails were stolen earlier this month from MediaDefender, an anti-piracy firm used by recording companies and Hollywood studios. A group devoted to countering anti-piracy measures, aptly named MediaDefender-Defenders, claimed responsibility for the theft. After obtaining the documents, MediaDefender-Defenders dispersed the emails digitally through peer-to-peer programs. Now the emails are posted on [...]

After Microsoft’s sound legal defeat at the hands of the EU’s Court of First Instance on Monday, experts debate the future impact and role of the European Commission (EC) in world business. The conflict stretches from legal experts in support of the ruling to U.S. government officials such as Thomas Barnett, the Assistant Attorney General [...]

A new study released today by Ethical Investment Research Service (EIRIS) revealed that, despite recent high profile abuses, U.S. companies still lag behind their European counterparts when it comes to doing business ethically. However, businesses have significantly improved corporate social responsibility (CSR) across the globe today than 25 years ago, the study says. As report [...]

Ethisphere Magazine’s Executive Editor Alex Brigham and Editor-in-Chief Stephen Martin will host a complimentary webcast on October 24, 2007, covering every step in the decision process of the 2007 Ethisphere’s ‘World’s Most Ethical Companies’ rankings. The 2-hour symposium will take place at 10 a.m. PST and discuss what was involved in deciding who qualified as [...]

Qwest announced an amended benefits plan for its new CEO Edward Mueller on Friday allowing his wife and stepdaughter use of the corporate jet. The plan was set in place in order to allow Mueller’s stepdaughter to fly between Denver and California where she is finishing high school. The agreement also gives Mueller and his [...]