Size of CEO ego huge warning sign for fraud

Wednesday, October 5th, 2011

Apparently, the most reliable indicator of financial fraud is not good corporate governance practises, but rather, the ego of the chief executive. “Governance doesn’t seem to matter,” says Michel Magnan, one of three authors conducting further studies into financial reporting fraud in Canada. “It looks good but it doesn’t substantively have the impact we’d hope [...]


EU oil sands ranking disturbs

Tuesday, October 4th, 2011

By: Claudia Cattaneo You’d think that the European Union has enough on its hands dealing with the sovereign debt crisis that it doesn’t have the capacity to fire up a new one. Yet the European Commission did just that when it approved this week a green ranking of fuels that singles out Canada’s oil sands [...]


IHRP Releases Guide “On Disputed Ground” for reviews of mining, oil, gas CSR

Friday, August 26th, 2011

From: University of Toronto – Faculty of Law The International Human Rights Program (“IHRP”) at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law is pleased to announce the release of a plain-language guide to assist affected communities to access the Review Process of the Office of the Extractive Sector Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Counsellor for Canada [...]


UK firms look set to fail to meet board gender targets

Wednesday, August 24th, 2011

By: Simon Read, Personal Financial Editor Leading companies are failing to tackle gender diversity at board level, experts warn.  That’s despite a government deadline demanding they publish proposals to boost the number of female board members.  In February Lord Davies called on FTSE 350 companies to achieve “urgent change” and announce aspirational goals within the [...]


In Praise of Leading From Behind

Tuesday, August 23rd, 2011

By: Anne Applebaum Finally, the Libyan revolution ended the way it was supposed to. “A few sharp victories, some conspicuous acts of personal bravery on the Patriot side and a colorful entry into the capital,” as Evelyn Waugh would have put it. That was the Western policy for the war—except that the war went on longer [...]


How employees know when to break the rules

Tuesday, August 23rd, 2011

By: John Warrillow Recently, I saw a “pop-up” concert performed by my friend Lenni Jabour at big-box book retailer Indigo in downtown Toronto. A pop-up show is an unannounced event in a public space, and Ms. Jabour has been choosing to commandeer pianos sitting unattended in public places. The shows are one part civil disobedience and three [...]


IFC’s updated Sustainability Framework, approved by our Board of Directors on May 12, 2011

Sunday, August 21st, 2011

From: International Finance Corporation The Sustainability Framework articulates IFC’s strategic commitment to sustainable development and is an integral part of our approach to risk management. Originally adopted in 2006, the Framework was updated following an 18-month consultation process to incorporate valuable lessons from IFC’s implementation experience and feedback from our stakeholders and clients. The updated [...]


Bearspaw First Nation sweeps out old council leadership in contested election

Thursday, August 11th, 2011

Calgary Herald By: Jamie Komarnicki A political veteran elected chief of the Bearspaw First Nation says he must first address the fractured family clans — and costly legal bills — left behind from the vote. Darcy Dixon landed the band’s top job from embattled former chief David Bearspaw in an election that saw voters make [...]


Romney to Hecklers: ‘Corporations Are People’

Thursday, August 11th, 2011

By: Ashley Parker DES MOINES, Iowa — Mitt Romney, who likes to promote his years in the private sector when out on the stump, offered a glimpse into his own business perspective at the Iowa State Fair on Thursday, telling a group of hecklers, “Corporations are people, my friend.” Mr. Romney was speaking at the fair’s [...]


CSR is dead, long live social enterprise

Tuesday, August 9th, 2011

Guardian Professional By: Dermot Egan Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has been around as a term since the 60s but it really came to prominence in the last decade when large multinationals began to adopt the phrase to demonstrate that they were serious about delivering a positive social impact on the communities in which they operated. [...]