Update Winter 2013

Season's Greetings from GoodCorporation

It has been another busy year, for which we are grateful. We have conducted over 40 assessments in 21 countries on six continents and our business is continuing to grow. Consequently, we are recruiting further senior support to lead some of our assessment projects.
Much of this work has been in the area of anti-corruption compliance, which continues to be a focus for many companies. We are seeing many new initiatives in this area, some of which we share below.

From all of us at GoodCorporation, have a happy, successful and prosperous 2014.

GoodCorporation joins BSI Consultancy Programme to support BS10500 

GoodCorporation is delighted to announce that it has been invited by BSI to join its Associate Consultancy Programme as one of only two consultants so far working with BSI on the BS10500 anti-corruption standard.

GoodCorporation was appointed on the strength of its expertise in assessing and developing anti-corruption programmes. Much of this work is based on the GoodCorporation Framework on Bribery and Corruption which was felt by BSI to map closely with BS10500.

International Anti-Corruption Day - is collective action the way forward?

Corruption remains a significant obstacle to economic and social development. According to the World Bank, every year $1 trillion is paid in bribes, while an estimated $2.6 trillion is stolen annually through corruption – a sum equivalent to more than five per cent of global GDP.

While the UN urges governments and businesses to take action, we are seeing an increasing amount of anti-corruption activity in the corporate world.

At our Business Ethics Debates we hear a lot about the difficulties of putting some of this into practice in some of the world’s more ethically challenging locations. What has been interesting to note this year is the development of collective action in several of the countries where we have conducted assessments.

In Senegal, Tanzania, Egypt and Kenya we have seen groups of businesses collaborating to develop effective solutions that support a zero tolerance towards corruption. We support these initiatives and encourage businesses to spread this best practice in other areas of their operation.

The Banknote Ethics Initiative (BnEI), for which we have developed the industry scheme, is a good example of how an industry can work together to reduce corruption. Similar collective initiatives are to be supported and we are keen to share our expertise with other sectors thinking along these lines.

Business Ethics Debates: Prosecution and enforcement of the UK Bribery Act

We were delighted that David Green CBQC, Director of the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), was able to lead our Autumn Business Ethics Debate on the UK Bribery Act. The debate focused on prosecution and enforcement and started with a reminder of the starting point for any action. The SFO will always apply the Full Code Test for Crown Prosecutors before any proceedings commence, ensuring that there is sufficient evidence to prosecute and that prosecution is in the public interest.

The debate looked at the moral imperative for reporting and the case for risk management. However, many were concerned that negative publicity, reputational damage, impact on share price and the ensuing process would deter such action.

Others, however, agreed with David Green that there is a moral case for self reporting and that it is indeed a risk-management exercise; better to be transparent and come forward rather than hide and be found out.

Adequate procedures were also discussed in detail and again the room was divided. Some felt that it still wasn’t clear what adequate procedures were and that even their advisers were unsure. Others stated that good professional advisers made the situation very clear and gave practical advice.

Read the full debate summary here.