Money, Politics, and Corporate Risk - Day 2

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More about the Program

Day two of Corporations, Politics and the Role of the Director comprised of two sessions that examined how directors acquire and use information regarding a company's political activities. It focussed on the decision-making process within companies for making political contribution and expenditure decisions. Special attention was given to the respective roles of the public affairs office, the general counsel, senior management and directors in these decisions. It assessed how a company can go about assuring compliance with applicable law, and consistency with company policy while balancing short term political expediency and the long term interest of the company.

The session explored how to create procedures within a company that allows it to withstand the pressure that it is often brought to make a political contribution and that affords a company the opportunity to make political decisions in more deliberate manner. The use of corporate codes of conduct, political action committees and internal and external reporting to create a culture of accountability were discussed. The role and importance of directors in inculcating this culture of accountability was highlighted in the workshop.

Money, Politics, and Corporate Risk - Day 2 Agenda*

Director's Workshop: Creating Accountability

I. The Director's Role - 9:00 a.m. to 10:15 a.m.
This session addressed how directors can create a culture of accountability and carry out their independent oversight responsibility.

Chair: WILLIAM C. THOMPSON, JR, New York City Comptroller
JEFF KAPLAN, Partner, Kaplan & Walker LLP
STEPHEN PEPPER, Professor of Law, University of Denver College of Law
ALAN RUDNICK, Program Director, The Conference Board Directors' Institute; Counsel, The Conference Board Commission on Public Trust and Private Enterprise; Principal, Masters-Rudnick & Associates, LLC

II. In the Spotlight - 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
The second session focussed on directors in the media spotlight and coverage of their role and responsibilities in corporate accountability.

Chair: JOHN BYRNE, online editor, Business Week
CAROL BOWIE, head of the Governance Center at RiskMetrics (formerly Institutional Shareholder Services)
JEANNE CUMMINGS, Chief Money & Lobbying Correspondent, The Politico

Governance Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
- 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
JOHN COFFEE, JR., Professor of Law, Columbia Law School

Cosponsors

Center for Political Accountability

Directorship

Zicklin Center for Business Ethics Research