The Magazine of Corporate Responsibility

Tag Archive for ‘OECD’

Business and Human Rights: Interview with John Ruggie

In July 2011, the United Nations Human Rights Council endorsed a set of principles designed to address human rights abuses by business. In an interview, the man who led development of those principles – Harvard professor John Ruggie – discusses their implications and explains why he thinks the newly-coined term “human rights due diligence” has already become a permanent entry in the lexicon of international business.

Corporate Governance in Middle East and North Africa

Even as political regimes in Tunisia, Egypt, Bahrain and Libya deal with ongoing pressure to change or adapt how they rule, a new study reports that a “second wave” of corporate governance appears to be forming among financial markets in the Middle East and North Africa.

OECD Report Finds Countries Fail to Punish Foreign Bribery

Only about one-third of the 38 countries that have agreed to prosecute foreign bribery cases under the Organization for Economic Development’s Anti-Bribery Convention have sanctioned individuals or companies since the Convention was adopted 10 years ago, according to a report issued by the OECD.

Holder Says More Individuals to Face Bribery Charges

Attorney General Eric Holder said the prosecution of individuals “is accelerating” amidst continuing evidence of transnational bribery. “Let me be clear, prosecuting individuals is a cornerstone of our enforcement strategy because, as long as it (bribery) remains a tactic, paying large monetary penalties cannot be viewed by the business community as merely ‘the cost of doing business,’ ” he said.

Report Cites “New Era” in Global Anti-Corruption Fight

Efforts to combat transnational bribery and corruption could be enhanced by the creation of a top level U.S. government task force with a mandate to develop diplomatic and other incentives for adoption of laws similar to the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), especially in developing countries, according to a new report published by The Conference Board.

Daimler Agrees To Pay $185 Million to Settle Bribery Charges

The maker of Mercedes cars and trucks is the latest company dealing with fallout from violations of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Transnational bribery and corruption are intensifying ethics and compliance concerns for companies doing business on a global basis as prosecutors pursue a record number of cases and penalties for offenses escalate dramatically.

US Likely to Broaden Anti-Bribery and Corruption Efforts

“The U.S. government – and not just the Justice Department, but the U.S. government more broadly – is going to focus on international corruption in a more comprehensive and even more rigorous way than it has in the past,” said Mark Mendelsohn, the Justice Department’s lead criminal prosecutor for violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.