Complimentary Diagnostics

Instantaneous publication of all sorts of information is—for better and worse—the reality of today’s workplace and the mentality of a growing majority of employees. Without a strong and well-administered social media policy, an employee’s errant use of social media could become legally and financially harmful to almost any business. No company is immune from the…

“Without a complete, documented and func­tional compliance program, companies from all industries are increasingly vulnerable to the emerging effects of Dodd-Frank.” The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 (“Dodd-Frank” or the “Act”) includes provisions for whistleblower protection that provide organiza­tions an opportunity to re-examine their ethical culture and implement any needed…

“A well-written and designed Code of Business Conduct is the focal point of an effective compliance and ethics program.” A properly assembled and distributed code of conduct is the single most effective and impactful part of any compliance and ethics program. Such a code is a written record of not only an organization’s expectations, but…

“Despite the “green light” given to corporations under Citizens United, the question remains whether it behooves a corporation to throw its weight behind a particular cause or candidate.” On January 21, 2010, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a century‟s worth of doctrine regarding corporate giving to federal campaigns with its decision in Citizens United v.…

“The challenge for boards and compliance officers is to view the increased scrutiny and enhanced standards not merely as a host of new legal requirements, but also as an opportunity to review and enhance their corporate governance and compliance practices and set a true “tone from the top.”" The expansion of director responsibility has risen…

“With increased global activity and the prevalence of social media as a means of discussing brands and company reputation, there is little doubt that companies must look hard at formalizing behavioral expectations for their third-party partners.” As companies increasingly rely on third-party relationships as a means to maximize profits and facilitate global expansion, the compliance…

“It is important to note that the Guidelines, unlike the regulations promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission in response to SOX, in no way discriminate between publicly traded and privately held or closed corporations.” Since 2000, there has been an extraordinary level of interest in the issues of corporate governance, corporate ethics, and appropriate…

“In response to the changes to the FAR, many small- to mid-size government contractors are scrambling to piece together makeshift ethics and compliance program to serve as stopgaps. While this approach may be sufficient in the short term, these “ad hoc” programs may later prove inadequate in the event of third-party examination.” In light of…

The biennial survey is jointly administered by ACC and Corpedia and was conducted during July and August of 2011. The survey was conducted online and all response data was kept confidential and respondents remained anonymous. Respondents were asked to identify their organization’s industry, global reach, annual revenues, and workforce size, as well as to specify…

The Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) and Corpedia Corporation (Corpedia) jointly administered the biennial Compliance Program and Risk Assessment Benchmarking Survey during November and December of 2009. The results were analyzed and reported on in 2010. Some Key Findings: More organizations are communicating with their Board on compliance-related issues, yet fewer are training their Board…