: Strategy

A federal grand jury investigation targeting an Indian software and outsourcing company underscores the potentially significant exposure for U.S. companies that use or own offshore service and technology operations.

A coalition of 80 institutional investors sent a letter to Congress last week in support of the Business Transparency on Trafficking and Slavery Act (HR 2759). As discussed previously, the proposed legislation would require companies to disclose efforts to identify and address the risks of human trafficking, forced labor, slavery, and the worst forms of child labor in their supply chains.

Responding to a stated concern over human trafficking and goods that are produced by forced or child labor, the California Legislature passed the California Transparency in Supply Chains Act of 2010 with the goal of "ensur[ing] large retailers and manufacturers provide consumers with information regarding their efforts to eradicate slavery and human trafficking from their supply chains."

Governor Gretchen Whitmer is preparing to appoint a new justice to the Supreme Court, replacing Chief Justice Elizabeth Clement, who plans to leave by April 30.

Current news on the government efficiency and reform front concerns the near-miss of a government shutdown last week (the budget would have lapsed at midnight on March 14, 2025).

Governor Gretchen Whitmer met with President Donald Trump at the White House to discuss bringing jobs back to Michigan, tariffs, Great Lakes protection, and defense investments.

On April 11, 2025, the Department of Energy (DOE) issued a Policy Flash announcing a 15% cap on the "indirect cost rate" for grants awarded to institutions of higher education (the "Rate Cap Policy").

On April 15, 2025, a Presidential Memorandum was issued directing agencies to leverage technology to evaluate environmental permitting decisions and to streamline the review process.

The pet food manufacturing industry stands at a critical juncture of technological advancement and increasing consumer demands for quality.

I was doing some data mining in our database of New England venture transactions (see Foley Hoag Venture Perspectives) for reasons completely unrelated to the topic I am about to address and inadvertently stumbled on this topic.

The specter of healthcare reform and challenges facing hospital operators have proven to be powerful catalysts for consolidation and integration in the hospital industry.

The topic for today's #CSRChat on Twitter (hosted bi-weekly by Fenton) was "CSR and Corporate Philanthropy: Do the Two Align?"