Archive | Private sector RSS feed for this section

GRI: Germany’s corporate reports do not deliver what they promise

Sustainability reporting is a marketing instrument. In order to enhance their image, companies pride themselves on reporting on their environmental and social impact in accordance with the GRI Guidelines. The Guidelines of the Global Reporting Initiative are the leading standard of sustainability reporting worldwide and Application Level A is the highest stage of the system. […]

Read full story Comments { 2 }

How Can We Curb Corruption in Supply Chains?

In a series of blog posts curated by the World Economic Forum’s Partnering Against Corruption Initiative (PACI), a number of leading voices will present their perspectives on anti-corruption in the run-up to World Anti-Corruption Day on 9 December. In the following post, Elaine Dezenski, Senior Director and Head of PACI, World Economic Forum, underlines the […]

Read full story Comments { 4 }

Corruption and the fate of the people who make your clothes

Let the buyer beware: cheap clothing sometimes comes at a high price. Since the fire that killed 112 clothing workers in a Bangladesh factory last month,  the big global retailers supplied by the factory are being asked what they do to make sure the products we buy come from safe factories? How much is corruption […]

Read full story Comments { 17 }

Finland’s hidden corruption

Recently, there have been three cases of alleged corruption in Finland that have challenged the consensus on our country’s low corruption rates. This has shaken citizens’ understanding on what is acceptable and what is not, and contributed to our understanding of what might be called “structural corruption,” the non-transparent ways of doing business in Finland […]

Read full story Comments { 14 }

Can we restore integrity to the financial sector?

Integrity, trust and culture can seem like the most intangible and abstract of concepts in a hard-edged business environment – until they disappear. As the finance industry has discovered in recent years, failing to tend to a culture of integrity can cost you dearly. There are the record fines of course – such as those […]

Read full story Comments { 3 }

Please mind your own business, France!

“Our country is a good student when it comes to passing laws. What is missing is their implementation because of the lack of political will” says Daniel Lebègue, chair of Transparence France. One of the world’s biggest exporters, France is not doing nearly enough to fight and prevent foreign bribery, say the OECD’s and Transparency […]

Read full story Comments { 1 }

The power of journalism as an anti-corruption tool

From 7-10 November 2012, more than 1,000 people from around the world will gather in Brasilia for the 15th International Anti-Corruption Conference. Brazil is a particularly interesting setting for the conference. Whilst discussing and debating some of the most pertinent corruption problems and solutions, one of Brazil’s biggest corruption cases in history – the Mensalão […]

Read full story Comments { 1 }

Corporate accountability in the food chain – where spin stops and deception begins

There is no such thing as an average consumer. The choices we make are shaped by our means, aspirations and priorities. We all give different weight to price, quality, convenience and ethical considerations. But it is impossible for us to evaluate all the products we buy and something we all share is that, ultimately, our […]

Read full story Comments { 2 }

How can business battle corruption?

President Barack Obama, speaking to the United Nations General Assembly about the true nature of democracy, mentioned corruption and bribery several times. I was particularly struck by this line: True democracy demands that citizens cannot be thrown in jail because of what they believe, and that businesses can be opened without paying a bribe. Unfortunately, […]

Read full story Comments { 0 }

Why do business people doubt their companies’ anti-corruption policies?

Last week we released data which found that just over half of the business people we surveyed said that their company has an anti-corruption policy in place. Whilst there is clearly much room for improvement on this result, it is nevertheless encouraging to see that many businesses around the world recognise the importance of the […]

Read full story Comments { 1 }