Business as Usual Gets a New Coat of Paint

Marketplaces, both local and global, have grown exponentially over the last thirty years and as new players enter the market,  the slice of the sales pie has become smaller and smaller.   While competition is a good thing,  too much competition can easily cause personal and corporate ethics to fly the coop.  In other words,  the demand to keep ahead of the competition can result in unethical and often, downright fraudulent business practices.  When business as usual becomes fraught with non-compliance it’s time to revisit not only corporate culture, but what’s missing in the compliance programming. Static programming is no friend to corporations as the DOJ is cracking down on programs that cannot demonstrate efficacy. The White-Collar Wives Project is introducing a new approach to compliance which will be revealed in the coming weeks. This one’s a game changer!

Speaking of change, this is something that does not always come easily in the corporate world, especially when it comes to accountability. Executives can no longer hide behind “business as usual” when DPAs (Deferred Prosecution Agreements) and NPAs (Non-Prosecution Agreements) are being replaced with individual accountability. In other words, both executives and non-executives within a company who even marginally helped to facilitate non-compliance and or fraud,  whether intentionally or not, will be thoroughly investigated and if warranted, prosecuted. Holding individuals accountable is a giant step toward upholding deterrence as collecting fines and hand slapping  corporations is about a useless as swatting at ravenous misquotes.  It’s about time.

The last few years have been all about whistleblowing, but time will tell if this type of “policing” will make it’s way up the ladder. Hopefully the threat of individual liability will push companies further toward compliance, and away from the cookie jar.