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External Controls: Fining, Stock Dilution, Changing Internal Governance, Court Ordered Adverse Publicity, and Community Service

22 July, 2019 - 10:09
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Table 6.2 Classifications of Corporate Punishments from French and Fisse This table summarizes material from Brent Fisse, "Sanctions Against Corporations: The Limitations of fines and the enterprise of Creating Alternatives." This article is found in the book, Corrigible Corporations and Unruly Law and provides a taxonomy of different forms of punishment for corporations. It helps rate a corporate punishment in terms of whether it targets the guilty, produces a positive change within the corporation, avoids Cofee's deterrence trap, and minimizes interference in what Stone terms the corporate black box. For full reference to book see bibliography below.
 

Description

Example

Target of Punishment

Deterrence Trap Avoided?

Non-financial Values Addressed?

Responsive Adjustment

Interference  with Corporate Black Box

Monetary Exaction

Fines

Pentagon Procurement Scandals

Harms innocent

Fails to Escape

Few or None Targeted

None

No interference

Stock Dilution

Dilute Stock and award to victim

 

Stockholders (Not necessarily guilty)

Escapes by attacking future earnings

Few or None

Limited

No interference

Probation

Court orders internal changes (special board appointments)

SEC Voluntary Disclosure Program

Corporation and its Members

Escapes since it mandates organizational changes

Focuses on management and subgroup values

Passive adjustment since imposed from outside

Substantial entry into and interference with corporate black box

Court Ordered Adverse Publicity

Court orders corporation to publicize crime

English Bread Acts (Hester Prynne shame in Scarlet Letter)

Targets corporate image

Escapes (although adverse publicity indirectly attacks financial values)

Loss of prestige / Corporate shame / Loss of Face/Honor

Active adjustment triggered by shame

No direct interference (corporation motived to restore itself)

CommunityService Orders

Corporation performs services mandated by court

Allied chemical (James River Pollution)

Representative groups/individuals from corporation

Escapes since targets non-financial values

Adds value to community

Passive or no adjustment: sometimes public does recognize that cs is punishment

None

 

Requirements of Sarbanes-Oxley (From Dyrud: 37)

  • Provide increased protection for whistle-blowers
  • Adhere to an established code of ethics or explain reasons for non-compliance
  • Engage in "full, fair, timely and understandable disclosure"
  • Maintain "honest and ethical" behavior.
  • Report ethics violations promptly
  • Comply with "applicable governmental laws, rules, and regulations"
  • Dyurd cites: ELT, Ethics and Code of Conduct, n.d.; http://www.elt-inc.com/solution/ethics and code of conduct training obligations.html

Ammended Federal Sentencing Guidelines (Dyrud 37)

  • Establishing standards and procedures to prevent and detect criminal conduct
  • Promoting responsibility at all levels of the program, together with adequate program resources and authority for its managers
  • Exercising due diligence in hiring and assigning personnel to positions with substantial authority
  • Communicating standards and procedures, including a specific requirement for training at all levels
  • Monitoring, auditing, and non-internal guidance/reporting systems
  • Promiting and enforcing of compliance and ethical conduct
  • Taking reasonable steps to respond appropriately and prevent further misconduct in detecting a violation