Q4-2008 – Issue Focus: Pharmaceutical & Biotech and Aerospace & Defense

// by Joseph Spinelli, Scott Moritz and Jay Perlman “Of particular concern to the DOJ and the SEC is whether companies are properly ‘vetting’ their third-party business partners to ensure that those individuals and entities are not violating the FCPA in their activities on the company’s behalf and thereby subjecting their business partners to liability.” [...]

//By Alexandra Wrage Many in the business community are frustrated with what they perceive to be a lack of clarity and predictability surrounding enforcement of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). Most understand that bundles of cash paid to government officials in exchange for new business is a criminal act—or soon will be—in most [...]

CEOs may set the ethical tone from the top, but they need a capable supporting cast to tend to the day-to-day implementation of the company’s compliance and ethics programs. What are these leaders on the front lines talking about and doing these days? 01 // WHAT IS YOUR OVERALL ROLE IN SEMPRA’S ETHICS AND COMPLIANCE [...]

// by Daniel Tehrani, Kenyanna Scott & Andrew Weissmann The 2004 indictment of two high-ranking Computer Associates employees sent shockwaves through the criminal defense bar. The full import of that indictment in terms of decisions a company must make at the outset of an internal investigation has not yet been explored. This article fills that [...]

// By Scott McAusland This year’s 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a timely reminder to us all of the responsibilities different parts of society have in furthering the advancement of human rights. Since the end of the Second World War much has been done to develop the understanding of the [...]

by // Carolyn Y. Woo Reminded daily of the market debacle and human folly that caused it, it is easy to lose faith in human beings and the sense that care for the common good prevails in our society. It is in such moments that we must also note evidence to the contrary. More important [...]

Ethisphere recently caught up with Ben W. Heineman, Jr., former General Counsel for General Electric and author of the recent book, High Performance with High Integrity, to discuss his background and experience as General Counsel for one of the largest corporations in the world. E: Your most recent book, High Performance with High Integrity talks [...]

// By Ben W. Heineman, Jr. Bad and unethical business decision making is the primary cause of the financial meltdown and, in turn, the global recession. The failure to fuse high performance with high integrity—to achieve the foundational goals of the modern corporation—has eroded trust in the free enterprise system and created a crisis in [...]

// By Will Oulton Today, environmental markets are estimated to represent around $250 billion in value. The sectors representing environmental markets include renewable energy, energy efficiency, water technology and waste and pollution control. These markets are expected to continue to grow in both size and scope in the long term, notwithstanding the current financial market [...]

// By Richard H. Girgenti, Kpmg Llp Multi-national corporations and individuals doing business globally have reason to be more concerned and vigilant than ever about their business practices in foreign jurisdictions. For nearly 25 years, the U.S. enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) was the primary, if not exclusive, effort to investigate and [...]

By // Dan Amos Disclaimer: The opinions and viewpoints expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or viewpoints of the management or editors of Ethisphere. These are challenging times for Americans and for America’s business community. Global stock volatility and headline-making economic issues have touched everyone [...]

// BY Fernanda Arreola & Gregory Unruh, Lincoln Center for Ethics at Thunderbird School of Global Management Poland, a country that dates back to the 10th century, has a history of linking the East and West of the European Continent. It’s been involved in many European power struggles, most recently emerging from decades of communist [...]

In the arrogant culture of one institution, those with oversight responsibility were at the bottom of the barrel–called “pollution” that would slow down everyday business–and viewed as an unnecessary nuisance.

Another busy year in the world of business ethics went by and left us with plenty to talk about. But not all was bad in 2008. For that, we created this year’s list of the 100 Most Influential People in Business Ethics.