Compliance programs of the last 20 years have taken the firmest roots in industries that are by definition highly-regulated or in those which have most potential for widespread damage from wrongdoing. These range from pharmaceutical companies in the former group to financial services firms in the latter group. Current trends indicate, however, that many other industries’ practices are being assertively investigated by the media, concerned citizens, and filmmakers. These investigations bring to light processes and practices that are governed by insufficient controls and often unethical cultures.
- Doping in professional sport is under increased public scrutiny in the aftermath of scandals such as state-sponsored cheating by Russian athletes in the Olympics and the dramatic fall from grace of Lance Armstrong, who cheated without detection for years; as society deals with the fallout of these discoveries, far-reaching change in anti-doping programs is necessary: Icarus: A Doping House of Cards Tumbles Down
- Evolving tech company organizational culture is under fire again, this time at Google, with an employee-authored document questioning diversity initiatives going viral and suggesting that gender inequality and treatment of people of color remain systemic problems in Silicon Valley that current corporate governance systems are insufficient to address. The employee in question was dismissed immediately, and Google leadership immediately started disclaiming the statements and apologizing, but it remains to be seen what substantive steps might be taken to actually address the root causes of this conduct and openly analyze the culture of compliance at Google. Hopefully a self-appraising, progressive conversation can take place in Silicon Valley rather than denial of the systemic issues that lead to these events time after time: Google Employee’s Anti-Diversity Manifesto Goes ‘Internally Viral’
- Cybersecurity grows all the time as a risk factor to businesses, with hackers constantly outpacing efforts to prevent their intrusions; now moving beyond breaking into office e-mail servers or ransoming files from zombie computers, these cyber-thieves are exploiting differences in national laws and vulnerable devices to rig slot machines in casinos around the world: Meet Alex, the Russian Casino Hacker Who Makes Millions Targeting Slot
- Campaign finance laws are a perennial hot issue in US politics; these laws are often intended to avoid corruption and increase transparency, but with the number of committees, groups, and shell companies participating in election fundraising constantly growing, following the money is becoming harder, complicating along with it efforts to establish accountability: Soft Money Is Back — And Both Parties Are Cashing In
- Fascinating intersection of business and politics, with all the risks inherent in both, as consumer technology giant Samsung struggles against an increasingly complicated government relationship, intense corporate work culture, legal dramas, and public protests, despite an impressive commercial rebound: Summer of Samsung: A Corruption Scandal, a Political Firestorm—and a Record Profit
All the foregoing represents many growth areas for the welcome expertise of compliance practitioners and a possibility to drive change toward a society that places a higher value on accountability and integrity.