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

26 July, 2019 - 12:01
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Table 4.3 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.
  Descript-
ion
Example Target of Punish-
ment
Deter-
rence Trap Avoided?
Non-
finan-
cial Values Addres-
sed?
Respon-
sive Adjust-
ment
Inter-ference with Corpor-
ate Black Box
Mone-
tary
Exact-
ion
Fines Pentagon Procure-
ment Scandals
Harms innocent Fails to Escape Few or None Targeted None No inter-ference
Stock Dilut-
ion
Dilute Stock and award to victim   Stock-holders (Not necess-
arily guilty)
Escapes by attacking future earnings Few or None Limited No inter-ference
Probat-
ion
Court orders internal changes (special board appoint-ments) SEC Voluntary Disclosure Program Corporat-
ion and its Members
Escapes since it mandate organiz-ational changes Focuses on manage-
ment and sub-
group values
Passive Adjust-
ment since imposed from outside
Substan-
tial entry into and inter-ference with corpor-
ate black box
Court Ordered Adverse Public-
ity
Court orders corporat-
ion 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/ Corpor-
ate shame /
Loss of Face/
Honor
Active adjust-
ment triggered by shame
No direct inter-ference (corpor-
ation motive to restore itself)
Commu-
nity Service Orders
Corporat-
ion performs services mandated by court
Allied chemical (James River Pollution) Represent-
ative groups/
individ-
uals from corporat-
ion
Escapes Since targets non- financial Adds value to commu-
nity
Passive or no adjust-
ment: some-
times public does recognize that cs is punish-
ment
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
  • Promoting and enforcing of compliance and ethical conduct
  • Taking reasonable steps to respond appropriately and prevent further misconduct in detecting a violation