Ethics and Compliance: Active Board Involvement Is a Must
Establishing and supporting a corporate compliance program is widely recognized as one of the fundamental responsibilities of a corporate board of directors. But merely seeing that there is a compliance program in place is by no means an adequate effort. The Board must also actively oversee that function. Active oversight is essential if a company’s business plan includes strategies, practices, or other elements that could be considered high-risk. Such situations call for even more involvement and active engagement by the Board.
2020 Top 10 Articles on Fraud, Compliance, and Risk Management
Happy New Year, and thank you to the more than 100,000 people that visited Board and Fraud in 2020! With everything that happened last year, fraud, compliance, and risk management have arguably become more important than ever.
A Violation of Trust: Fraud Risk in Nonprofit or Not-for Profit Organizations
The risk of fraud is a serious concern for all types of enterprises, but fraud can be particularly damaging to a nonprofit or not-for-profit organization, for which a damaged reputation can have devastating consequences.
Bribery Schemes and Their Compliance Responses
This writing will highlight some of the more unusual bribery schemes described in 2019 Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) enforcement actions and also consider their impact on compliance programs, what they mean for the compliance professional and how the government could potentially use these cases to require more effective compliance programs going forward.Fraudsters are always looking for loopholes and weak spots to exploit. The same is true for those engaged in bribery and corruption. The role of every compliance professional is to prevent, detect and remediate. By following some of the approaches I have outlined, you can move towards more robust detection.
Speaking and Training on Fraud, Compliance, Ethics, and More...
Welcome to my site. I have spoken and been the keynote speaker for many conferences, including the ABA, ACC, ACFE, IIA, and IMA to name a few. I have designed customized training for the board, senior leadership, legal, compliance, internal audit, and others for some of the world's largest organizations.
Skepticism - A Key Tool in the Fight Against Fraud
“Trust but verify” could be a downright dangerous approach when applied to audit procedures in particular. A much better slogan for fraud deterrence would be, “Trust is a professional hazard.”The implication is that because financial management plays a leading role in detecting financial fraud, it is incumbent on executives – not just auditors – to exercise appropriate levels of professional skepticism. Board members and particularly audit committee members also must take care to exercise a skeptical approach to financial reports and supporting information.
Jonathan T. Marks, Baker Tilly Partner, is Speaking Today at the First Chair Event in Chicago on Triaging Whistleblower Allegations
Spotting an Ethical Meltdown!
How can you increase your odds of detecting an ethical meltdown, or worse, a fraud?
PHorensically Speaking Podcast Feed is Live!
With the help from a true friend, Tom Fox, I am entering the world of Podcasting. I will be developing at least three Podcasts per
Combating Fraud Through Effective Internal Controls
“Fraud is not an accounting problem; it is a social phenomenon.” Joe WellsMost companies will not readily admit that their organizations may be vulnerable to fraud.According to the 2020 Report to the Nations published by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (“ACFE”), which contains an analysis of approximately 2,500 cases of occupational fraud that were investigated between January 2018 and September 2019, organizations lose 5% of their annual revenues to fraud. While this number is only a general estimate based on the opinion, it represents the collective observations of anti-fraud experts who together have investigated hundreds of thousands of fraud cases. Based on the ACFE’s study, the median loss caused by frauds was $125,000, with 21.0% of the cases resulting in losses of at least $1 million.
Fraud tip Friday! The Grand Illusion
Collusion, Conflicts of Interest, and Corruption!
Fraud and Related Party Transactions
Board Member Composition: Participants, Passengers, and Prisoners?
As the organization's ultimate decision-making body, the board of directors plays two critical roles: overseeing management on behalf of shareholders and other constituencies; and advising management, albeit with limited involvement in everyday company operations - nose in, hands off! The board should not attempt to run the organization's operations; it should oversee how management runs the company. I am amazed at how many members are disengaged, which reminded me that one of the traits of an effective leader, or Pilot, is being a good team builder. But how can you build a good team if you don't understand the players? I'm not speaking about understanding their skills; I am speaking about understanding their level of engagement. That is an amorphous concept most ignore.
Compliance Thought Leaders You Should Be Following
Compiling a list of thought leaders in ethics and compliance is fun, but so challenging. There are simply too many thoughtful people in this field — which is itself enormous and wide-ranging — to call out everyone worth following. So below is a small slice of the thinkers in corporate ethics and compliance that I try to follow.
Today’s General Counsel: White Collar Crooks Share Certain Characteristics
FCPA - Cash, Bribes, and the “Four Eyes Principle”
News Release: Baker Tilly Strengthens Growing Forensic Litigation Valuation Services Practice with Addition of Industry Leader Jonathan T. Marks
Putting the Freud in Fraud - Part Two
While we can't get into the mind of the white collar criminal, we can take a closer look at high-profile individuals who have perpetrated massive fraud at corporations and instances of fraud identified in practice, as well as some research, to help is identify a pattern of similar behavioral elements common to white-collar crooks and cultural elements common to their environments.