The Magazine of Corporate Responsibility

Archive for July, 2010

Adding Value and Values to the MBA

When students return to campus in coming weeks, so will debate about the purpose of management education and the role of ethics. Columnist Gael O’Brien wonders whether current business leaders will support training new leaders in skills and competencies that support new models of business – or will it be simply business as usual?

Oracle Accused of Overcharging U.S. Government

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.”

Citigroup Fined $1 for Every $500 in Subprime Exposure It Hid

Citigroup has agreed to pay the SEC $75 million to settle charges that the bank hid exposure to more than $40 billion in subprime CDOs. (That works out to roughly a $1 fine for every $500 worth of hidden exposure.)

SEC Seeks Comments on New Financial Rules

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.

Jeffrey Hollender Discusses Sustainability with Big Think

Jeffrey Hollender, Co-founder & CEO of Seventh Generation, discusses corporate responsibility and sustainability issues in an interview with Big Think.

GE to Pay $23.4 Million to Settle SEC Oil-for-Food Charges

The Securities and Exchange Commission charged that from 2000 to 2003 two GE subsidiaries — along with two other subsidiaries of public companies that have since been acquired by GE — participated in a $3.6 million kickback scheme with Iraqi government agencies to win contracts to supply medical equipment and water purification equipment.

Verbatim: How Businesses View Sustainability & CSR Reporting

Investment firm Walden Asset Management recently researched and compiled quotes from sustainability and corporate responsibility reports by several dozen companies in a wide range of industries. The exercise showed, says a Walden executive, that attention to such issues has become vitally important for a company’s business, and that transparent reporting is, as one CEO said, one of “the prices of doing business today.”

GE Report Looks Toward “Pathway to Sustainability”

GE’s 2009 corporate citizenship report – “Renewing Responsibilities” – sets forth a vision of addressing global concerns with confidence, integrating sustainability into the company’s core business strategy. “Our goals,” GE says, “are to make money, make it ethically and make a difference.”

The Most Important Foods to Buy Organic

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.

Bogus ‘Obama Mom’ Grants Lure Students

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.