Ulyana Androsova
10 Steps to Support Sanctions Compliance

Recent changes to global sanctions regimes—along with some high-profile and costly sanctions violations—illustrate the importance of mitigating sanctions risks. With increased compliance focus on companies outside of the banking and financial services, it is crucial for companies to implement a robust framework against costly sanctions violations. Because sanctions laws change frequently, all internal procedures and controls need to be regularly assessed to identify potential gaps.  Here we take a look at 10 steps to help you build a stronger sanctions compliance program.

Given the potential for criminal charges, substantial civil fines, debarment and other restrictions, the costs of sanctions compliance failures are significant. With a clear trend of enforcement actions against organizations beyond the traditional banking and financial services focus, any company conducting business across borders—whether through a subsidiary or via an extensive supply chain or third-party network—needs to have a rigorous sanctions risk mitigation strategy and process in place.

3 Ways to Apply This Information Now

  1. Download the eBook today to read more about the sanctions landscape and get our helpful check list for establishing an effective compliance program.
  2. Learn how you can avoid the sanctions scavenger hunts across multiple sites with the most comprehensive set of sanctions, PEPs and watchlist content from LexisNexis
  3. Share this infographic on LinkedIn to keep the dialogue going with your colleagues and contacts. 

Alyssa Vorhees
LexisNexis® Wins SIIA Business Technology CODiE Award for Best News Media Monitoring Solution

LexisNexis, a leading provider of content and technology solutions today announced that LexisNexis Newsdesk® was named the Best News Media Monitoring Solution in the 2017 SIIA CODiE Awards. Finalists represent the best products, technologies, and services in software, information and business technology. LexisNexis beat out media monitoring industry veterans to claim the coveted win.

LexisNexis Newsdesk®, a leading global media monitoring and analysis platform, helps clients comprehensively search, analyze, monitor, and share market intelligence. With content in over 90 languages from all over the world, it touts robust coverage of traditional media and social media, including premium and licensed sources.

The SIIA CODiE Awards are the premier awards for the software and information industries, and have been recognizing product excellence for over 30 years. CODiE Award recipients are the companies producing the most innovative businesses technology products across the country, and around the world.

"The media landscape is evolving more rapidly than ever, and with the influx of new media, social, and increasing content volumes, it's critical for PR and Communications professionals to be armed with powerful tools for evaluating coverage and performance. We have been investing heavily in innovative enhancements to the LexisNexis Newsdesk®platform and are thrilled to gain this recognition from SIIA for how powerful the tool really is." said Alex Schwendtner, General Manager of Media Intelligence at LexisNexis.

Schwendtner continues, "We're honored to be winners in such a competitive category. We are really proud of the work we have accomplished to date, and are even more ecstatic about what's in store for Newsdesk's future."

LexisNexis continues to invest in their suite of Media Intelligence offerings. Earlier this year they rolled out a social analytics tool, a media contacts solution, and have expanded their professional service offering. Additionally, LexisNexis has committed a growing number of resources to the continuous enhancement and innovation of LexisNexis Newsdesk®, their flagship media intelligence product.

"I am impressed by the level of innovation and creativity of the products that have been selected as this year's CODiE Award finalists. We are happy to recognize these products and the power they have to transform the future of how we do business." said Ken Wasch, President of SIIA.

The SIIA CODiE Awards are the industry's only peer-reviewed awards program. The first-round review of all nominees is conducted by software and business technology experts with considerable industry expertise, including members of the industry, analysts, media, bloggers, bankers and investors. The scores from the expert judge review determine the finalists. SIIA members then vote on the finalist products, and the scores from both rounds are tabulated to select the winners. 60 awards were given this year for products and services developed specifically for B2B software, information and media companies.

More information about the Awards is available at: siia.net/CODiE Details about the winning products can be found at http://www.siia.net/codie/2017-Winners

3 Ways to Apply This Information Now

  1. Keep up with the media buzz with a media monitoring and analytics solution like LexisNexis Newsdesk®.  
  2. Check out other posts on trends to see how we’re using LexisNexis Newsdesk to track a number of topics.
  3. Share this blog on LinkedIn to keep the dialogue going with your colleagues and contacts.

Mary Frericks
Just arrived – LexisNexis Newsdesk. A fresh take on media monitoring.

 Every day, professionals look for the proverbial ‘needle in a haystack’ when it comes to monitoring the media. LexisNexis Newsdesk is like a powerful magnet that quickly pulls those needles out and arranges them neatly in one place for review and distribution across an organization.

Today we launch our new Media Monitoring & Analytics solution – LexisNexis Newsdesk. Many professionals need to know what’s being said about them or their organization – either on social channels or in the media. Wherever that story or conversation takes place, LexisNexis Newsdesk has got it covered.

Here are 3 reasons why LexisNexis Newsdesk can transform the way you monitor the media.  

1. Unmatched content collection – if it’s been written or spoken, we’ve got it covered.

Content is the fuel for any media monitoring tool so sources needs to be wide-ranging and abundant. LexisNexis Newsdesk covers a vast collection of global news and business information. This includes more than four million daily news articles, broadcast media, blogs, and social media channels from more than 150 countries and in 75 languages – all specifically curated and indexed to provide actionable insights quickly. The results you get need to be relevant and useful so we cut out the noise and you only get the information that you want.

2. Industry-leading analytics – no point in having all that information if you can’t easily understand what’s being said.

LexisNexis Newsdesk gives users an impressive range of analytics to help visualize data results. With live charts and graphs, you can measure key metrics such as sentiment, share of voice and coverage by geography. Have a look at the snapshot below of the Analyze Dashboard. Simply build a dashboard for an easy way to track and update your metrics so that you can easily monitor your trends and goals.



3. Distribution – now that you have all this great insight, you’ll want to make sure the right people in your organization can read it.

A bunch of export options makes it really easy to share news via newsletters, alerts, RSS or ATOM feeds. LexisNexis Newsdesk easily integrates with company portals, intranets and applications such as CRM. And, as you’d expect, you can customize newsletters with corporate logos and color schemes, fonts and style headlines and text.

How can you apply this information right now?

  1. Click here to find out more about LexisNexis Newsdesk.
  2. Share this article. Please feel free to share our quality content with your existing contacts and groups to create debate and conversation.

Ulyana Androsova
Why Your M&A Strategy Needs Enhanced Due Diligence

Undertaking mergers and acquisitions demands confidence, especially in the arena of high risk-high reward emerging markets. Yet according to a poll of 1,300 professionals across industries ranging from financial services to technology and manufacturing, nearly 90 percent fail to conduct due diligence for compliance risks such as corruption, money laundering and fraud. Is it any wonder that only 10.4 percent express confidence in their management of M&A risks?

The survey, conducted by Deloitte Financial Advisory Services LLP, highlights a major stumbling block in M&A strategies—not looking deep enough into potential M&A targets. In a press release about the poll results, Bill Pollard, a partner in the forensic investigations practice of Deloitte said, “When deal timelines are compressed, the M&A market is strong and confidentiality agreements loom, it may be tempting to take shortcuts in certain diligence areas such as fraud, FCPA and other integrity risks.” Short cuts, however, may be the quickest route to trouble. You don’t have to look far for proof. Lately, enforcement actions by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) have been hitting the headlines with alarming frequency.

5 Reasons for Enhanced Due Diligence

You can’t always put the brakes on accelerated timelines for M&A activity—as the saying goes, you have to strike while the iron is hot. But failing to adequately vet the merger or acquisition target company—and its third-party relationships certainly isn’t a fast track to success. Instead, companies need to leverage tools that support an efficient, but thorough, due-diligence process. Here’s why:   

  1. Conducting due diligence after the acquisition—that’s too little, too late.  You need to identify potential FCPA or other regulatory compliance exposure—from past or current activities—to ensure you have a program in place to control those situations in the future. Both the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the DOJ have cited lack of due diligence prior to engaging in partnerships, mergers or acquisitions in previous enforcement actions.
  2. Self-reported information must be substantiated. In a perfect world, you could take pre-merger or acquisition disclosures at face value, but in the real world, your motto should be trust, but verify. And you have to look deeper than financials.
  3. Geography, politics and industry all play a role in the level of risk.  Cross-border acquisitions are complicated. Logistics and language barriers aside, you need to conduct a thorough risk assessment that considers location-based factors that can increase risk, such as the stability of the local government.
  4. Third-party relationships matter. Your due diligence needs to expand to any subsidiary, partner or third party that conducts business on behalf of the potential acquisition. Does the company deal with local agents to facilitate business activities in different regions?  If so, are there regions where bribery is considered an ‘accepted’ practice?  Corruption may be commonplace due to political or socio-economic conditions, but a lack of awareness about the actions of third-party agents can lead to an enforcement action just as easily as direct involvement.
  5. All it takes is one international text or email.  In the eyes of regulators, even if actions take place outside of the U.S., an executive in this country can still be held liable for non-compliance. If communications send up a red flag, and you turn a blind eye to it, then it won’t matter if you had no direct participation in corrupt activities; you’ll still be on the hook.

M&A opportunities abound in today’s emerging markets and elsewhere, but with those opportunities come greater risk. Rather than relying on a superficial due-diligence strategy, you need to develop a due-diligence and monitoring program that looks beyond financial information so you can accomplish your next acquisition with confidence.

3 Ways to Apply This Information Now

  1. Learn how Lexis Diligence® improves your ability to conduct due diligence efficiently.
  2. Check out our recent blog on proactive monitoring of risk factors
  3. Share this blog on LinkedIn to keep the dialogue going with your colleagues and contacts. 

Korinne Bressler
Research reveals who's killing Real News … and You’ll be Shocked When You Hear Who It Is!

Last month, a news alert came through that the European Union slapped Google with a $2.7 billion fine for breaking antitrust law.  The EU judged that Google had “abused its dominate position by systematically favoring” its own shopping comparison services while demoting its competitors’ listings. There’s some irony, then, in the recent bid by a coalition of 2,000+ US and Canadian newspapers—the News Media Alliance (NMA)-- for a limited antitrust exemption from Congress which would let news organizations collectively bargain with Facebook and Google, like a union would.  Some believe the internet giants have only gained their dominance by skirting antitrust regulations. 

 Will the U.S. Congress grant the antitrust reprieve and allow news publishers to band together at the bargaining table with Google and Facebook?  It’s not clear. The media’s request might not be so enthusiastically received by the Republican-controlled Congress. 

THIS JUST IN! You don't want to miss THIS fake news!

What is clear is that fake news continues to dominate Facebook News Feed and the top results of Google’s search engine.  Whether because they lack the ability or the desire, Facebook and Google have not yet stepped up to guarantee the accuracy of reporting upheld by reputable news associations. So what are we to do about the fake news crisis? 

This is the MOST IMPORTANT information you will EVER Read!!

Then whose fault is this rise in fake news? Are Google and Facebook the culprits? Is it a U.S. Congress that seems reluctant to take action even as European lawmakers are cracking down? Or, is it ultimately, a bunch of us that prefer to get our news from Facebook rather than reputable, paid news sources? Maybe it doesn’t matter.  The fact is real news costs. Good news is time consuming and expensive.  As NMA president and chief executive David Chavern explains, “Facebook and Google don’t employ reporters.  They don’t dig through public records to uncover corruption, send correspondents into war zones or attend last night’s game to get the highlights.”

 In situations where it really matters whether we’re relying on verified, accurately-reported news, the fact is, we’re probably going to have to pay for it. 

Never do that again.  Instead do THIS!

But, if we’re going to continue to use these free (or very cheap) news sources in less critical situations, then it’s up to us to figure out if it’s real. These tips to ferret out fake news have been often reported but here are a few of the key ones:

We’re not defenseless against fake news.  It’s annoying for sure, to have to sift through it, double and triple check the sources, cover our bases by accessing multiple channels, or check our pulses to make sure we haven’t bought into some sort of sensationalism. 

But if you’ve gotten your news from Facebook or other social media, Google or a variety of other free web sources without verification from multiple reputable news publishers … well, then, you got what you paid for. 

3 Ways to Apply This Information Now:

1. “Fake News” may be around for a while. Read more tips to Combat Fake News! 

2. Learn from LexisNexis experts on forthcoming media industry trends.

3. Discover how Nexis can help to sift through the clutter to find reputable news.