Update Autumn 2013
GoodCorporation launches Compliance Support Programme
Autumn sees the launch of GoodCorporation’s Compliance Support Programme designed to assist companies as they embed robust anti-corruption procedures throughout their organisations, particularly in emerging markets.
We know that in some sectors, companies are struggling to get effective compliance programmes up and running, particularly when entering a new country. Therefore we have developed a range of support services to help businesses do this.
Included is the provision of Interim Compliance Managers – people with compliance expertise who are on the ground to help our clients design and deliver a local compliance programme. We have a global network of associates that respond appropriately to local needs, especially in high-risk emerging markets.
We have helped clients with the development and deployment of anti-bribery management systems including policy formation, due diligence, contractor training and whistleblowing handling.
We would be delighted to hear from anyone wishing to learn more about these services. Please contact us.
Also in this edition of Update we comment on recent government initiatives, share examples of best practice and give details of the conferences where we will be speaking.
Michael Littlechild
Managing corruption in India
India is one of the most popular countries for foreign investment.It offers businesses low labour costs, a stable political climate, an efficient financial system, excellent transport and good communications.
Yet it is dogged by corruption.Transparency International ranks it 94th out of 176 in its Global Perceptions Index. Public procurement, public utilities, tax and customs, the police and the judiciary are all known to be susceptible to bribery. Even cricket is mired by allegations of match fixing.
Demands for bribes are commonplace in both the domestic and corporate arenas. In the business world, the recent multi-billion dollar scandals such as the mis-selling of telecoms licences and the alleged corrupt purchasing of defence equipment showed that corporate corruption has reached epic proportions.
Indeed, such high-profile scandals have made corruption worse further down the chain, with officials assuming they can ask for smaller demands if those higher up the pecking order are getting away with larger scams.
Against this background is the emergence of a large-scale movement of public outrage that is forcing the government to act. It may be a slow process, but there are steps that companies can take to avoid paying bribes and ensure that their businesses comply with international legislation.
Click here to read the article in full.
GoodCorporation leads the debate on anti-corruption and ethical culture
GoodCorporation is speaking at a number of conferences this Autumn on ethical corporate culture and anti-corruption.
Adequate procedures and combating corruption remain high on the corporate agenda. The Serious Fraud Office is making its position clear on enforcement and prosecutions are said to be imminent.
However, increasingly businesses recognise that the issue goes beyond prosecution. Any accusation of corrupt behaviour is immensely costly in terms of management time and reputation. What we are seeing in response to this is a growing focus on ethical corporate culture.
When we spoke on corporate behaviour, ethics and culture at the annual conference of the Chartered Institute of Internal Auditors in September, there was a ten-fold increase in the number of delegates attending this particular workshop. As compliance departments work hard to implement robust anti-corruption policies to demonstrate adequate procedures, they can see how a properly embedded culture of ethical conduct can be the bedrock of their activity. As the tick-box approach of too many sectors has shown, simply complying with the rules is no guarantee of good behaviour.
We will be debating these issues as well as adequate procedures, anti-corruption due diligence and managing third party suppliers at the Third Party and Counter Party Relationships Risk event on Paris on October 10 and at Compliance Week Europe in Brussels on October 14-15.
In Brief...
GoodCorporation's expertise in global anti-corruption compliance continues to grow
Since the start of the year, GoodCorporation has been asked to test ABC procedures in yet more of the word’s ethically challenging environments.
Countries where this work has been conducted include China, Kazakhstan, UAE, South Africa, Senegal, Egypt, and Tanzania.
We have now conducted ABC assessments in 15 countries. Managing corruption in India (left) is the latest in our series of articles designed to share the knowledge we have learned in order to promote best practice.
How far should companies go to combat corruption?
Leo Martin will be leading a debate on combating
corruption when he hosts the keynote session on day one of the Compliance Week Europe conference in Brussels on October 14. The discussion format is based on the highly popular GoodCorporation Business Ethics Debates.
Panelists will explore how much companies should do, and can do, to combat corruption.
The business of human rights
The UK has become the first country to develop an action plan on business and human rights, following the publication two years ago by the United Nations of John Ruggie’s Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
This is a welcome move from the UK. Ruggie’s Guiding Principles added clarity for companies as to the respective roles of state and business in protecting and respecting human rights.
As William Hague said; “Doing business with respect for human rights matters. It’s good for people, for prosperity and the UK”.
Businesses can test whether they comply with UK guidance by assessing their procedures against the GoodCorporation Human Rights Framework.
Contact us for information
It matters where you shine the light
If the Prime Minister is serious about creating “the most open and transparent government in the world” then the Lobbying Bill should cover the whole of the UK’s £2bn lobbying industry, not just the one per cent included in the draft legislation.
Unless the government is prepared to shine a light on the whole of the industry it will be a wasted opportunity, preserving the status quo and paving the way for more scandal and reputational damage.
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