Oracle Accused of Overcharging U.S. Government
Citigroup Fined $1 for Every $500 in Subprime Exposure It Hid
SEC Seeks Comments on New Financial Rules
Jeffrey Hollender Discusses Sustainability with Big Think
GE to Pay $23.4 Million to Settle SEC Oil-for-Food Charges
Verbatim: How Businesses View Sustainability & CSR Reporting
GE Report Looks Toward “Pathway to Sustainability”
Books»
Using Facebook and Twitter to Change the World (3)
Basketball superstar LeBron James last week opened up a Twitter account and had 235,000 followers within a single day. In a new book, media technologist and consultant Deanna Zandt argues that while huge numbers like that may constitute success for mass media icons and idols, they mask the real potential of social media networks like Twitter and Facebook to accomplish social good.
Business Ethics»
Oracle Accused of Overcharging U.S. Government (0)
The U.S. Justice Department said it filed a complaint under the False Claims Act against Oracle Corporation alleging that company defrauded the federal government on a General Services Administration (GSA) software contract that was in effect from 1998 to 2006 and “involved hundreds of millions of dollars in sales.”
Compliance & Governance»
SEC Seeks Comments on New Financial Rules (0)
As the Securities and Exchange Commission prepares to deal with a deluge of new rule-making tasks tied to the Dodd-Frank financial reform law, agency Chairman Mary Schapiro announced a new system for soliciting public input on rules. “We are inviting public comment even before the various rules are proposed and before the official comment periods have begun,” she said.
Corporate Political Spending»
Fried Chicken, Krispy Kreme and Lobbying (0)
Last December, a $500 donation could buy a ticket to a fundraiser that, the invitation said, would feature “Bojangles’ Fried Chicken, Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, And Mel Watt, of course!” Two days later, Watt, a Democratic congressman from North Carolina, withdrew a provision from the House’s financial reform bill that would have regulated loans from car dealers.
CSR»
Jeffrey Hollender Discusses Sustainability with Big Think (0)
Jeffrey Hollender, Co-founder & CEO of Seventh Generation, discusses corporate responsibility and sustainability issues in an interview with Big Think.
EarthTalk - Consumer Info»
The Most Important Foods to Buy Organic (1)
Given the usual higher prices of organic versus conventionally-grown foods, it can be a challenge to get the biggest bang for our buck while eating healthy and avoiding the ingestion of synthetic chemicals along with our nutrients. One approach, say some experts, is to only buy organic when the actual edible parts of a non-organically grown food might come into direct contact with toxic fertilizers and pesticides.
Economy»
Bank of America to Pay $108 Million to Settle Countrywide Case (1)
The Federal Trade Commission said that when homeowners fell behind on payments and were in default on loans, Countrywide ordered property inspections, lawn mowing, and other services meant to protect the lender’s interest in the property. But rather than hire third-party vendors to perform the services, Countrywide created subsidiaries to hire the vendors, often marking up prices charged by 100 percent or more.
Education»
Bogus ‘Obama Mom’ Grants Lure Students (0)
Consumer advocates say they are alarmed by parallels between the subprime mortgage industry and for-profit schools, which also have come under fire for targeting low-income groups and signing up students for loans that can leave them buried in debt. Some schools earn nearly 90 percent of their revenue from federal student aid programs. Single moms, the critics say, are especially vulnerable.
Environment»
Would You Want to Do Business With This Man? (0)
Ventureneer CEO Geri Stengel says she judges people by the way they behave, with her and with others. Which makes her think that, despite the lofty environmental goals of a new start-up company in the dry cleaning industry, she won’t be doing business with that company any time soon.
Ethics Case Scenarios»
World Economic Forum: Will Many Take The Global Business Oath? (2)
It will be interesting to see how many of the 2,500 attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, will wind up taking The Global Business Oath. Yes, there is one – and you, too, can pledge.
Executive Compensation»
Financial Reform Bill Leaves Proxy Access Rules with SEC (2)
After days of intense political drama, House and Senate negotiators on the financial reform bill agreed to toss a key shareholder governance issue — proxy access — back to the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Featured Story»
Opinion: Choosing Business Leaders with Integrity (9)
A business executive who happens to also be a former Catholic monk has his own unique litmus test for gauging executive credibility and trust. “How can I tell if an executive is trustworthy?” he asks. “What are the signs to look for in promoting leaders in this new era of doubt and suspicion?”
International»
Italian Firm and Unit to Pay $365 Million to Settle Bribe Charges (0)
The settlement is the latest related to a four-company joint venture that was awarded $6 billion in contracts to build liquid natural gas facilities on Bonny Island, Nigeria. U.S. officials said a total of $1.28 billion in penalties has been obtained to date in connection with the Bonny Island bribery scheme.
Leadership»
The Ethical Risk of Business as Usual (0)
Columnist Gael O’Brien wonders what it will take to convince corporate leaders to build into their risk management strategies the capacity to ask crucial questions about ethical liability, as is done with legal liability. Such a step, she says, would be hardly radical and would have the objective of putting ethical conduct on the table as a deliberate outcome.
Media»
Ethical Lapse Costs Susan G. Komen Goodwill, Credibility (0)
The basic benefit of cause-marketing — good publicity for both partners — certainly hasn’t materialized. The cancer-causing contents of KFC chicken are being widely publicized and the brand of SGK has been tarnished.
Michael Connor»
Supreme Court Ruling Leaves Sarbanes-Oxley “Fully Operative” (0)
The Court ruled that an accounting board created by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act was unconstitutional but said the board could continue to function as the result of changes stemming from the court’s decision. The justices also ruled that the broader Sarbanes-Oxley Act “remains fully operative as a law.”
NGOs»
GlaxoSmithKline, Merck, Novartis Top Access to Medicine Report (0)
The Access to Medicine Index seeks to rank pharmaceutical companies based on their efforts “to enhance global access to medicines.” The report cited particular problematic medical areas including a need for new pharmaceutical products to address neglected tropical diseases and the lack of viable markets for pediatric HIV/AIDS drugs.
Opinion»
Opinion: The Corporate Responsibility Commitment (0)
The rhetoric surrounding corporate responsibility can be off-putting to companies with many firms assuming they can never live up to such grand claims. But taken in achievable steps, every company can embark upon the corporate responsibility journey. Patrick Jelly, managing director of Pitney Bowes UK, assesses the reality of corporate responsibility adoption and outlines some of the do’s and don’ts of such a strategy.
Philanthropy»
Community Involvement Programs: Continuing Despite the Economy (0)
Despite the economic crisis, businesses have maintained community involvement efforts as part of their corporate citizenship programs, according to the results of a new survey of more than 300 North American companies.
Podcast»
PODCAST: The Failure of Corporate Boards and the Price We All Pay (0)
If you’re one of the many trying to determine where blame might lie for the financial and economic crises of the last two years, John Gillespie would suggest you look in the corporate boardroom. Gillespie is co-author of a new book – Money for Nothing: How the Failure of Corporate Boards Is Ruining American Business and Costing Us Trillions – which is rich with unfortunate detail about the performance of corporate boards. Download a Business Ethics podcast featuring an interview with John Gillespie.
Poverty»
Businesses Confront the Water Quality Challenge (0)
For many in the so-called developed world, the ability to turn on the tap for clean, fresh water to drink, cook and wash with is taken for granted. The stark truth, however, is that over a billion people in the world have little choice but to use potentially harmful sources of water. What are companies doing to respond? And is it enough?
Recent Stories»
SEC Explores Changes to U.S. Shareholder Proxy System (0)
The commission outlined a concept release seeking public comment on proposals to “promote greater efficiency and transparency in the U.S. proxy system and enhance the accuracy and integrity of the shareholder vote.” And SEC Commissioners, with no debate, unanimously approved issuing the concept release for a 90-day public comment period.
Regulation & Legislation»
Securities and Exchange Commission Fact Sheet on U.S. Proxy System Inquiry (0)
This is a complete text of the July 14, 2010 fact sheet issued by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission seeking comment on the U.S. proxy system.
Socially Responsible Investing»
Proxy Advisors Find Themselves in the Spotlight (0)
Proxy advisory services play a key role because institutional holders turn to them for advice when voting billions of shares at annual meetings. Questions are now being raised about the influence of the services and whether more formal oversight is needed. As a result, proxy advisory services may be about to start receiving their own report cards for a change.
Sustainability»
Is There a Link Between Volcanic Activity and Global Warming? (1)
The amount of greenhouse gases emitted by even a large and ongoing volcanic eruption is but a drop in the bucket in comparison to our annual output of industrial and automotive carbon emissions.
Video»
VIDEO:Analyst Who Warned on Madoff Talks to Jon Stewart (2)
Harry Markopolos, the analyst who tried in vain to persuade the Securities and Exchange Commission that Bernie Madoff’s investment company was a Ponzi scheme, is interviewed by Comedy Central’s Jon Stewart.
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