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Pawtastic Friends - The Paw Talk

Pawtastic Friends – The Paw Talk – Nera, Baz & Gonzo

Welcome to Pawtastic Friends—The Paw Talk. In this podcast, host Tom Fox will visit with Michael and Melissa Novelli, co-founders of Pawtastic Friends and those who work with them at Pawtastic Friends. Michael and Melissa are dedicated to helping shelter and rescue dogs in the Las Vegas area become more adaptable through enrichment training, activities such as yoga and aquatics training, obedience, and agility. This podcast is sure to tug on your heartstrings; listen to how sweet this one dog is! Tune in to hear more from Michael and Melissa Novelli as they discuss their passion for helping needy pups. Get ready for an exciting episode of Pawtastic Friends: The Paw Talk!

In this podcast episode, the hosts discuss the benefits of nosework for dogs, a training activity that builds their confidence and provides mental stimulation. They explain how nose work involves searching for treats or scents and can be done anywhere, even at home. The hosts also share heartwarming stories of dogs like Baz and Gonzo, who found their forever homes after experiencing challenging circumstances. They emphasize the importance of understanding a dog’s needs and conditions when determining the appropriate amount of exercise, as pushing a tired dog can be harmful. The conversation concludes by mentioning an upcoming holiday party to support the facility’s mission of helping dogs change and save lives.

Dogs Featured: 

  • Nera
  • Baz
  • Gonzo

Quotes:

“We call them the super sniffers.”

“And that’s what’s great about this facility: we help the dogs trust people again. We help them build the confidence that’s so.”

“Listen to your dog.”

Resources

Pawtastic Friends

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31 Days to More Effective Compliance Programs

One Month to a More Effective Compliance Program: Day 18 – Operationalizing Compliance in the Middle

The DOJ has made it clear that middle management is critical to any compliance program’s success. While it does all start at the top, with the Board of Directors and senior executives setting the tone for the rest of the company, prosecutors are mandated, under the 2023 Evaluation of Corporate Compliance Programs (ECCP), to show how middle management, in turn, has reinforced those standards and encouraged employees to abide by them. Moreover, the ECCP posed several questions to middle management, including the following: What actions have middle-management stakeholders taken to demonstrate their commitment to compliance or compliance personnel, including their remediation efforts? Have they persisted in that commitment in the face of competing interests or business objectives?

The DOJ expects compliance to be operationalized down to the middle management level. Further experience has shown that employees prefer to speak to their direct supervisors about issues or potential compliance violations they become aware of. The question is: how can a corporate compliance function reach middle management? This is a key area of assistance that Human Resources can provide, as one of the ways that HR can help to operationalize compliance is to assist each level of an organization to have a proper tone, specifically the middle of an organization.
You must think about your communication lines and communication skills when conveying your message of compliance from the top into the middle of your organization.

Three key takeaways:

  1. While the tone at the top is critical, the middle tone can work to operationalize compliance more fully.
  2. How do you train middle managers?
  3. What compliance tool kit do you provide to middle managers?

For more information, check out The Compliance Handbook, 4th edition, here.

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Diabetes: The Metabolic Bully

Diabetes: The Metabolic Bully – Episode 2 – Exercise as Medicine

Welcome to “Diabetes: The Metabolic Bully,” where we delve deep into the world of one of the most prevalent chronic conditions that lurks in our society. Diabetes doesn’t just knock on our doors; it bullies its way into our lives, altering our metabolism and dictating our daily routines.

In each episode, we aim to unpack the science and myths surrounding diabetes. From understanding how our bodies succumb to this metabolic bully to the latest research and treatments, our podcast aims to provide listeners with comprehensive insights.

In this episode of “Diabetes the Metabolic Bully,” host Tom Fox hosts Dr. Byron Black, an advocate for living with and managing diabetes. Dr. Black shares his journey and how he became interested in diabetes while working as a fitness trainer. He emphasizes the importance of exercise in managing diabetes, aligning with the American College of Sports Medicine’s slogan, “Exercise is Medicine.”

Dr. Black explains the groundbreaking exercise approach to combat insulin resistance and high blood sugar. He recommends exercising four to seven times a week and aims to empower individuals to take control of their health. Tom and Dr. Black express their gratitude and anticipation for further dialogue, suggesting much more to be discussed on this topic.

Join us as we confront diabetes, empowering ourselves with knowledge, compassion, and resilience. Whether you’re newly diagnosed, a long-time warrior, or simply someone keen to learn, this podcast is your go-to guide in the vast world of exercise, diet, and beyond. Together, we’ll stand up to diabetes, the metabolic bully that has picked on too many for too long.

Key Highlights:

  • The Power of Exercise in Controlling Diabetes
  • Exercise as Medicine
  • Diabetes and Exercise Solution
  • Continuing the Conversation

Resources

Medical Fitness Clinic of Kerrville

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The ESG Report

The ESG Report – Ernest Anunciacion on Driving Positive Change: The Power of Stakeholder Engagement

Tom Fox hosts the ESG Report podcast. Looking for innovative solutions to tackle climate change? Look no further than The ESG Report! In this episode, Tom speaks with Ernest Anunciacion, Senior Director of Product Marketing at Workiva, about how Workiva uses ESG to drive stakeholder engagement.

The conversation between Tom and Ernest explores the importance of stakeholder engagement in driving ESG initiatives. Workiva, a leading platform in ESG reporting, has a comprehensive roadmap focusing on innovation, the environment, philanthropy, and people. They aim to be a leading-edge technology by 2025 and achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2040. Workiva emphasizes the convergence of ESG and financial transformation and provides tools and resources for effective ESG reporting. They stress the need for consistent and decision-useful data to build trust among stakeholders. The conversation also discusses the growing importance of ESG considerations for investors, banks, and insurance companies and the potential of Gen AI in the workforce. Overall, the conversation highlights the importance of stakeholder engagement, ESG reporting, and adapting to technological advancements in driving positive change in the business world.

Key Highlights:

  • ESG Stakeholders
  • Workiva’s ESG Roadmap
  • ESG reporting and risk management
  • The Impact of ESG Strategies on Investment Decisions
  • The Potential of Gen AI

Resources

Ernest Anunciacion

Workiva

Tom Fox 

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Everything Compliance

Everything Compliance – Episode 122, The Auditors Edition

Welcome to the only roundtable podcast in compliance as we celebrate our second century of shows. Everything Compliance has been honored by W3 as the top podcast talk show. In this episode, the quartet of Jay Rosen, Jonathan Marks, Matt Kelly, and Karen Woody, with Tom Fox hosting, consider various topics that caught their collective interest and conclude with the fan favorite Shout Outs and Rants section.

1. Matt Kelly looks at the PCAOB proposal requiring auditors to look into fraud, compliance, and legal issues during an audit. Matt balances the charges against former Harvard professor Francesca Gino, who is charged with falsifying research.

2. Karen Woody looks at whether, when a corporation says litigation is ‘without merit’, this creates a securities law violation if it later loses at trial. Karen shouts out to the Women’s World Cup.

3. Tom Fox shouts out to Montana District Court Judge Kathy Seely for her opinion in Held v. Montana and Mary Shirley for her book Level Up.

4. Jay Rosen unpacks the recent push for an International Anti-Corruption Court. Rosen shouts out penalty kicks as the ultimate approach for ending a tie game, particularly as practiced in the Women’s World Cup.

5. Jonathan Marks considers key issues facing auditors in 2023. Marks shout out to both fruit and baseball in extolling the Savannah Bananas.

The members of the Everything Compliance are:

•       Jay Rosen– Jay is Vice President, Business Development Corporate Monitoring at Affiliated Monitors. Rosen can be reached at JRosen@affiliatedmonitors.com

•       Karen Woody – One of the top academic experts on the SEC. Woody can be reached at kwoody@wlu.edu

•       Matt Kelly – Founder and CEO of Radical Compliance. Kelly can be reached at mkelly@radicalcompliance.com

•       Jonathan Armstrong –is our UK colleague, who is an experienced data privacy/data protection lawyer with Cordery in London. Armstrong can be reached at jonathan.armstrong@corderycompliance.com

•       Jonathan Marks can be reached at jtmarks@gmail.com.

The host and producer, ranter (and sometimes panelist) of Everything Compliance is Tom Fox, the Voice of Compliance. He can be reached at tfox@tfoxlaw.com. Everything Compliance is a part of the Compliance Podcast Network.

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Riskology

Infortal on Risk Intelligence Part 3: Corruption Intelligence with Chris Mason

In part 3 of this week’s five-part special, Tom Fox discusses corruption intelligence with Chris Mason. Chris returns to talk about how organizations can mitigate corruption within their corporate environments and the steps they can take to ensure they comply with regulations.

Chris Mason is with Infortal Worldwide, a global risk firm that provides due diligence services to support key investment decisions. Infortal Worldwide supports many private equity investments, mergers, acquisitions, and any risk scenario a business may face.

  • Combating organizational corruption starts with setting the right cultural tone. Establishing your organization’s culture and how it will navigate anti-corruption regulations is critical to avoiding illegal and costly behavior.
  • To conduct business overseas successfully, you must understand the culture of the country you wish to do business with. “Without really taking a holistic view of what’s going on on the ground level, you’re not going to truly understand what the business culture is that you’re jumping into,” Chris says.
  • A key to due diligence is understanding who you’re doing business with. It would be best to dive deeper to understand who you partner with overseas. Basic checks aren’t enough. You need to know what’s happening on the ground.
  • Using local resources when researching international markets is important to familiarise yourself with local customs and business culture.
  • This will be critical for your team to be able to interpret any market intelligence collected.

KEY QUOTE

“Understanding who you partner with overseas is key to avoiding unnecessary corruption risks.” – Chris Mason 

Resources

Infortal Worldwide | Email | Tel: 1.800.736.4999

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Daily Compliance News

Daily Compliance News: August 23, 2023 – The End of DD in China Edition

Welcome to the Daily Compliance News. Each day, Tom Fox, the Voice of Compliance brings to you compliance-related stories to start your day. Sit back, enjoy a cup of morning coffee, and listen in to the Daily Compliance News. All, from the Compliance Podcast Network. Each day we consider four stories from the business world, compliance, ethics, risk management, leadership, or general interest for the compliance professional.

  • Is due diligence over in China? (FCPABlog)
  • Ukraine institutes whistleblower bounty program. (BusinessInsider)
  • Nigerian ex-Energy Minister arrested for corruption by FCA. (Reuters)
  • Ex-Vitol employee to face FCPA charges. (WSJ)
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31 Days to More Effective Compliance Programs

One Month to a More Effective Compliance Program: Day 17 – Promotions to Operationalize Compliance

Welcome back as we dive into the role of HR in compliance and ethics. Today, we will explore the significant role of HR in operationalizing compliance within organizations. Join us as we uncover practical advice and data-driven insights on how HR can promote ethical behavior and create effective internal controls. According to the Department of Justice, promotions demonstrate a company’s commitment to compliance and ethics. By using advertisements to reinforce these values, organizations can showcase their dedication to fostering a culture of integrity and accountability.

The role of HR in corporate compliance programs should be more recognized. Suppose your company has a culture where compliance is perceived to compete or, worse yet, antithetical to HR. In that case, the company must hit all cylinders and may be moving towards dysfunction. Another way you can operationalize compliance is through HR’s involvement in employee promotion. Such compliance embedded into the promotion process can also be considered an internal compliance control. By doing so, your compliance may work to create an effective internal controls regime as mandated by the FCPA and other anti-corruption laws.

Three key takeaways:

  1. Denying a promotion or award due to an employee’s ethical lapses.
  2. Use promotions to reinforce your company’s commitment to compliance and ethics.
  3. Should you wait for great?

For more information, check out The Compliance Handbook, 4th edition here.

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Blog

Infortal Worldwide Geopolitical Risk Intelligence 2023 Outlook: Part 3-Corruption Intelligence

I recently had the opportunity to visit with, Chris Mason, VP Global Compliance & Investigations at Infortal Worldwide and Dr. Ian Oxnevad, Director, Geopolitical Risk at Infortal Worldwide for a sponsor podcast on Infortal Worldwide’s Geopolitical Risk Intelligence 2023 Outlook. Over this series we consider business intelligence, ESG intelligence, corruption intelligence, sanctions intelligence and supply chain intelligence. In today’s post, I visited with Chris Mason as we consider how to protect your business from corruption, and learn how to stay in compliance with international regulations.

Here are the steps you need to follow to also get compliance, collaboration, knowledge.:

1. Setting a company’s cultural outlook on anti-corruption regulation.

2. Understanding the local business culture in the jurisdictions where business is conducted.

3. Having boots on the ground intelligence to understand local customs, business norms, and risk.

1. Setting a company’s cultural outlook on anti-corruption regulation.

Setting a company’s cultural outlook on anti-corruption regulation is an essential part of ensuring compliance with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). This outlook should be set from the top down, so that it is clear to all employees that the company is committed to upholding anti-corruption regulations. Additionally, it is important to understand the local business and cultural norms of the jurisdictions in which the company is doing business. Companies should take an open source, intelligence-based approach to collecting information on the local landscape, and they should also consider having boots on the ground to get a better idea of how the third parties they work with are conducting business. Finally, companies should be aware of the differences between their own local laws and regulations and those of the jurisdictions in which they are doing business, as well as the differences in attorney-client privilege. With these steps, companies can ensure that they are setting a strong cultural outlook on anti-corruption regulation.

 2. Understanding the local business culture in the jurisdictions where business is conducted.

Understanding the local business culture in the jurisdictions where business is conducted is a critical step when expanding operations abroad. It is important to gain a holistic view of the business culture before entering a new market. To do this, companies should take a top-down approach to set a corporate culture outlook and expectations for compliance. Additionally, companies should research the local business customs, norms, and legal systems to ensure they are abiding by the laws. It is also important to build relationships with local resources to do in-country searches and gain an understanding of the culture. This is especially important when entering countries with different legal systems, such as the United Kingdom. The Department of Justice and other foreign prosecutorial powers have also worked together on enforcement actions, such as in Brazil, where US. Federal law enforcement backed up the Brazilian authorities in bringing down webs of corruption. In order to gain a comprehensive understanding of local business culture, companies should utilize open source intelligence to gather information and have boots on the ground to understand the risk profile of individuals and companies. Doing this due diligence can help companies to understand the local culture and make informed decisions on how to operate in the new jurisdiction.

3. Having boots on the ground intelligence to understand local customs, business norms, and risk.

Having boots on the ground intelligence to understand local customs, business norms, and risk is a critical aspect of conducting business in overseas markets. To ensure that a business is not engaging in any unethical or illegal practices, it is important to have a thorough understanding of the local customs, business norms, and risk associated with the market. One way to do this is by utilizing a “boots on the ground” intelligence approach. This approach involves having an in-country source do an in-depth research into the local business and cultural norms. This research should include public record searches, courthouse searches, media searches, and other in-depth research. This type of research will help businesses understand how their third-party agents and vendors conduct business in the local jurisdiction. Additionally, it will help businesses identify any potential risks associated with the local market. By utilizing a boots on the ground intelligence approach, businesses can ensure that they are following all applicable laws and regulations, and that they are engaging in ethical business practices.

In order to combat corruption and stay in compliance with international regulations, companies must set a corporate cultural outlook on anti-corruption regulation from the top down, understand the local business culture in the jurisdictions where business is conducted, and have boots on the ground intelligence to understand local customs, business norms, and risk. With these steps, companies can ensure that they are setting a strong cultural outlook on anti-corruption regulation and that they are operating within the law. With the right mindset and approach, companies can protect their business from corruption and enjoy the rewards that come with international expansion. So don’t be afraid to go global – with the right due diligence and research, you can achieve success while staying in compliance with international regulations.

Join us tomorrow where we take up Sanctions Intelligence.

Check out Chris on the Riskology by Infortal podcast here.

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The Hill Country Podcast

The Hill Country Podcast: Dr. Brent Ringo – Building Bridges: Creating a Stronger School – Community Connection

Welcome to the award-winning The Hill Country Podcast. The Texas Hill Country is one of the most beautiful places on earth. In this podcast, Hill Country resident Tom Fox visits with the people and organizations that make this the most unique area of Texas. Join Tom as he explores the people, places, and activities of the Texas Hill Country. In this special episode, Tom is joined by Kerrville Independent School District Superintendent Dr. Brent Ringo as a guest. Additionally, Andrew Gay and Gilbert Paiz join Tom as special co-hosts for this episode.

Dr. Brent Ringo, the new superintendent of the Kerrville Independent School District in Texas, believes that community outreach is essential for schools as they reflect the values of the community. Through a listening tour, Dr. Ringo understands the community’s needs and the role the KISD Foundation and community support play in providing resources and assistance. Challenges such as teacher recruitment, funding, and issues of disrespect and abuse are being addressed through collaboration, innovation, and safety measures. Innovative pathways for students, including certification programs and alternative schools, are being implemented to support diverse student needs. Dr. Ringo also discusses the misconceptions surrounding charter schools and the controversial topic of vouchers. Parents are encouraged to use the hashtag #Kisdinspires to showcase the positive aspects of the district.

 Key Highlights:

  • Dr. Brent Ringo: New KISD Superintendent
  • KISD Foundation and Community Support
  • Challenges in Teacher Recruitment and Funding
  • Addressing Challenges in Education
  • School Safety Measures
  • Innovative Pathways for Students

 Resources:

Dr. Brent Ringo

KISD

Tom Fox

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