How Online

The anger over executive pay stems from many sources. One is that almost no financial services CEOs said, “Here is how compensation contributed to the crisis. Here is how we are going to fix it.” Such candor might have changed the direction of Washington’s stance on executive compensation, says HOW Online contributor Ben W. Heineman Jr.

Since U.S. companies operate across vast geography, they encounter local cultural practices — some of which might be antithetical to organizational standards. How should a values-based company respond to local customs? HOW contributor and former GE general counsel Ben W. Heineman Jr. explores how the internal values and integrity of GE guide its global business and responsibilities in foreign cultures.

GE, where Ben W.Heineman, Jr. served as general counsel, has become known as a sustainability pioneer with its "ecomagination" initiative. His latest book also deals with the idea of companies meeting and solving social and commercial needs, not as a PR effort but because it's good, sustainable business. In Part 2 of our continuing "First Person" series, HOW contributor Heineman discusses the role of the CEO in engaging employees in high performance while adhering to rules and ethical standards, and in creating integrity-based corporate cultures and sustainable practices.

When he served as general counsel and senior vice president for law and public affairs at The General Electric Co., Ben W. Heineman Jr. was one of the top officers responsible for ensuring compliance with the law and rules set by the technology and services giant. So why does Heineman’s new book put so much emphasis on why values are vital in today’s marketplace? HOW Online's Dov Seidman asks Heineman whether it is counter-intuitive for a lawyer to advocate for what some consider the “softer” issues of business.