At the governance crossroad

Guest Editorial

The recent announcement of a criminal investigation at a leading pharmaceutical company drives the issues of governance and compliance home. Today's front-page headlines scream the failures of trusted organizations, and such failures affect everyone, directly and indirectly. Public outrage and government intervention will ensure that boards of directors and senior executives of offending corporations are held accountable and liable for business practice violations. The result may include new legislation requiring additional reporting and organizational modifications that will increase business costs. The regulatory risk paradigm is changing - standards are rising …