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2011 Newsletters
January
It seems there are many indicators that this economic downturn is finally turning around.
Perhaps it's time to begin planning for a brighter 2011. One caution to keep in mind is that as things get into gear and we get busy with 2011,
that busy-ness can take away our focus on security issues. Make it a resolution this year to set one goal
that will move you a step forward to protect your company's assets and strengthen your timber security plans.
February
This coming month I have the opportunity to discuss
timber security issues with a class of upcoming foresters at
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. The
class happens to be the same
timber procurement class I was required
to take when I attended quite a few years
back!
March
I've put together a list of the ten things you should know to prevent and detect theft and fraud at your operation. In some cases, awareness may be all the solution you need. But in most other situations, you will need to take that knowledge and apply it to your own situation through positive action.
April
While attending a conference recently, I ran into an old friend and he asked about the current state of the theft and fraud prevention world. After recounting some of the current cases I'm familiar with, this friend passed along a story of having to fire an associate and friend for a conflict of interest/breach of trust issue. He lamented the fact that what we saw as an obvious conflict of interest wasn't apparent to the associate until he was being fired for it.
May
This month we will continue our discussion of ethics in organizations by exploring some of the ethical issues that can develop. There are three primary categories of ethical issues -- legal, professional and general ethics.
June
How is your integrity? What a good headliner in a campaign to solicit employee support for fraud prevention and detection. By focusing on integrity you are not only creating an environment and internal culture that seeks the highest ethical standards, you are making the message personal. And that's right where you want it to be - up front and personal.
July
We'll wrap up this series with a discussion of the importance of the manager (or supervisor) in supporting and reinforcing a companies climate of ethical conduct. The manager is challenged to be the principled leader who sets the tone for ethical behavior through his or her words, actions and practices in everyday situations. Without the manager's support and integrity, a code of ethics is only a piece of paper.
August
A recent case of zone jumping occurred in the last few months and I thought we could take a few minutes to talk about zone jumping - an often over-looked window into fraud for the timber industry.
September
As many of you may have heard through the grapevine a forester in California was recently killed while investigating a possible squatter and illegal drug grow. I'm sure all of us are stunned at this occurring to a fellow forester
November
Last month, investigators with the South Carolina Forestry Commission charged a timber harvester with failing to pay a landowner for the wood removed from his property. The alleged perpetrator is accused of removing approximately $27K of timber
December
Most small offices are built on a foundation of trust and family-like values. Employees genuinely like each other and consider each other as friends. Many are related in some way, to each other or to the owner himself. It's hard to imagine that friends would steal from friends.
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