BulletProofBlog the blog on crisis communications

Each week, Bulletproof Blog features exclusive interviews with thought leaders on issues of critical importance to companies and countries. This week, as an increasing number of indicators point to impending economic recovery, we spoke with Greg Farrell, a reporter for the Financial Times who had a ringside view of the best and worst financial communications strategies deployed during the economic crisis. Mr. Farrell believes that communications was a key contributing factor to the survival or failure ... READ MORE

Before the era of globalization fully took hold, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) lay virtually dormant as U.S. prosecutors invoked the act in just a handful of cases between 1977 and 2000. But today, as barriers to global commerce have disappeared, FCPA strictures are required reading for thousands of companies. The scope of the law is broad, its reach is substantial, and its enforcement has now become a top priority at the Department of ... READ MORE

President Obama last week announced his intention to end Bush Administration rules that were written to protect companies from product liability litigation in state courts. While consumer advocates and trial lawyers cheered this move against federal preemption, business leaders widely see it as a full-employment act for the plaintiffs' bar that will likely result in a significant uptick in lawsuits and the reputational liabilities that go along with them. What many businesses find most troubling about ... READ MORE

After years of playing defense during the Bush Administration, the plaintiffs' bar is back on the attack. Empowered by the election of President Obama and Democratic gains in Congress, trial lawyers are poised to tap populist furor - and the media's passion for it - to pass legislation that will likely reshape civil litigation for years to come. And as if that weren't enough to keep general counsels in the financial, insurance, healthcare, and other industries ... READ MORE

Each Monday, Bulletproof Blog now features exclusive interviews with thought leaders on issues of critical importance to companies and countries. Today, with corporate reputation playing an increasingly significant role in risk management, we interview Raymond J. Alletto, Vice President for Risk Management with United Rentals. Mr. Alletto has more than 20 years of experience in risk management, serving as a risk management director for GTE Corporation, Purdue Pharma LP and Hubbell Incorporated prior to his work ... READ MORE

An article in the April 1 edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association calls for the dissolution of ties between doctors and companies that could potentially create conflicts of interest. Specifically, the article notes relationships between drug and medical device manufacturers and the physicians who write guidelines that direct how patients are treated. But before codifying prohibitions on legitimate partnerships that could ultimately save lives, the AMA would be wise to consider a far ... READ MORE

Each Monday, Bulletproof Blog now features exclusive interviews with thought leaders on issues of critical importance to companies and countries. This week, we interviewed Ken Handal, the Executive Vice President for Global Risk & Compliance and the Corporate Secretary at CA - one of the world's largest IT management software providers. Prior to joining CA, Ken was Associate General Counsel and served as Compliance Counsel for Altria, then the parent company of Kraft Foods and ... READ MORE

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner took to Capitol Hill yesterday to unveil the government's plan for a massive expansion of how the marketplace is regulated - an effort the likes of which have not been seen since The Great Depression. Today, the financial industry is face-to-face with a total overhaul of how markets operate. Wall Street's ways of the past and perceived sense of entitlement have now ushered in a shift from freewheeling capitalism to an environment that ... READ MORE

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has long had regulations in place that limit how advertisers can use endorsements and testimonials. Under the current guidelines, an advertiser can stay clear of false advertising claims simply by adding benign disclaimer phrases such as "experience may vary" or "results not typical." But that may be about to change. The FTC is in the process of re-writing its endorsement guidelines, in part because of the increasing significance of online marketing. ... READ MORE

The Era of Accountability has set the stage for sweeping reforms in the ways that regulators do business. From the financial services and defense contracting industries, to the manufacturers of everything from helicopters to toys, no company is immune to the reputational and compliance challenges that regulatory overhauls and investigations are likely to bring about as the Obama Administration and Congress seek to burnish their watchdog credentials. In this month's edition of High Stakesâ„¢, we examine ... READ MORE