The excitement is palpable as we are on the four-day countdown to the premier of the final episode in the nine-part cycle of movies originally envisioned by George Lucas for the Star Wars sage, as, this week, Rise of Skywalker hits the big screen. This ending number of nine for the top grossing movie series of all-time seems appropriate to bring you to the end of a complete cycle. It is the episode to complete unfinished business, reach conclusions and tie-up loose ends. These actions will help you step into the next cycle without the pressure of unresolved matters of the past carting you back into an earlier episode.
What will Rise of Skywalker bring for all you Star Wars uber-fans? At this point, about all we know is from the action-packed trailers which were released. In honor of this auspicious event, Jay Rosen and I are doing a special five-part series on our Popcorn and Compliance podcast. Each day this week, Jay and I will review a Star Wars movie and discuss it from the compliance perspective. A new episode will post on the FCPA Compliance Report each day at 10 AM.
Of course we begin with THE original Star Wars move A New Hope, later monikered IV. A New Hope. We continue through the original trilogy and then to Episodes VII-The Force Awakens and Episode VIII-The Last Jedi. Each day we will use specific Star Wars storylines as an entrée into a compliance topic. As usual Jay will give his Hollywood Insider perspective so if you love the movies, if you love Star Wars and if you are passionate about the practice of compliance, you will not want to miss out on this podcast series.
On Monday, December 16, we begin with Episode IV-A New Hope and management of risk. We use Grand Moff Tarkin’s incorrect assessment that the risk presented by the Rebellion’s final attack on the Death Star was non-lethal. I use this part of the story to introduce the subject of how you evaluate risk. Failure to accurately appreciate, assess and then manage risk can lead to some very serious and perhaps lethal consequences.
On Tuesday, December 17, we move to Episode V-The Empire Strikes Back and due diligence. We explore these questions and others in this episode. In this episode, the big reveal is that (spoiler alert…) Darth Vader is Luke Skywalker’s father. Could robust due diligence have better anticipated this stunner? There are three levels of due diligence and you must make a determination which is appropriate for the entity or person you are investigating. What are the three levels of due diligence? How does each one fulfill a different function? Learn more about the levels of due diligence on this episode.
On Wednesday, December 18, we consider Episode IV-Return of the Jedi and effective training. Over the past few years, effective training has become more important as the Department of Justice (DOJ) has looked to test how well a corporate compliance program not only gets it message across but also how well the concepts communicated are received by the employee base. Joel Smith on his Inhouse Owl website has developed four key inquiries to help determine compliance training effectiveness. Learn more about them on this episode.
On Thursday, December 19, we explore the first of the latest trilogy, Episode VII-The Force Awakens and disruptive innovation in compliance. As many compliance practitioners are lawyers, we are naturally reticent to embrace such change, however I think the pronouncements of the DOJ throughout the year have made even clearer the need for continued evolution of anti-corruption compliance going forward. In The Force Awakens, there were numerous disruptions. We saw the death (another spoiler alert coming….) of one of the most beloved characters in the series, Han Solo, the growing awareness by Rey of her powers and the return of Luke Skywalker. It totally disrupted the First Order and destroyed its most lethal weapon. The same may be true for the continued evolution of compliance; to help destroy the global scourge of corruption.
Friday, December 20, we conclude with Episode VIII-The Last Jedi and the Board’s role in succession. A Board’s ability to renew itself on a consistent basis can help ensure it maintains a proper mix of experience and subject matter expertise any business currently or in the future needs. While noting that there is no ‘one-size-fits-all-approach’ to succession planning, you should have a plan. In this final podcast, we will consider several steps your organization can take to facilitate this mandate.
Can’t wait to hear all five in this special podcast series. The Compliance Podcast Network has you covered as all five episodes will be released on iTunes beginning at midnight, Monday, December 16. For all you binge listeners out there, check out the Popcorn and Compliance iTunes feed here so you can line them all up and listen straight through.
This past summer, I did an entire podcast series dedicated to the intersection of Star Trek and Compliance, entitled Trekking Through Compliance. Jay and I are now in the midst of an exploration of the Star Trek movies on Popcorn and Compliance. Science fiction is a great way to learn about and communicate the concepts of compliance and Jay and I will certainly continue to do so.
May the Force Be With You
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