Product Safety Compliance, Labor Code of Conduct, Environmental and Social Responsibility, Risk Management

Thomas Doyle  MSc.



  • ​"Skin in the Game" Stakeholders :  Entrepreneurs, QA, Workshops, Factories, QC, Importers, Retailers, Licensors and Consumers.
  • " Rent Seeking "  Non-stakeholders:  trading companies, third party test labs, non-profit organizations, package express delivery services and other related parties who make a living giving advise without penalty if they make a mistake.
  • Quality Assurance (QA): methods of preventing mistakes and defects in manufactured products.
  • Quality Control (QC): a process by which entities review the quality of all factors involved in production.
  • Transferred Risk: helps business avoid financial vulnerability to damages and claims due to liabilities caused  or contributed to by others.


  • Regulatory Affairs (RA) a.k.a. Government Affairs: compliance with all of the regulations and laws pertaining to their business.
  • Regulatory Assurance: assuring business operates in line with regulatory expectations and industry best practices.                                                           Versus open-door policy with rent-seeking NPO’s promoting more regulations on small business and employees (jobs).
  • Regulatory Control: establishing risk-based systems with level of control necessary to provide reasonable regulatory compliance.                         Versus enforcement based on special interests.

Links to news, reports, resources, hearings and advocates:

UN Human Rights Publications:      http://www.ohchr.org/EN/PublicationsResources/Pages/RecentPublications.aspx

UNODC 2013 Report: Transnational Organized Crime in East Asia and the Pacific

OECD  2016 Integrity Forum Background Report:   Fighting the Hidden Tariff: Global Trade Without Corruption

https://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/acc_e/s7lu_e.pdf

https://ustr.gov/sites/default/files/2015-Report-to-Congress-China-WTO-Compliance.pdf

Fraud, Waste, Abuse (FWA) Potential in Flywheel Effect Style Business Models

3rd Party Services​"You Pay..They Say" Performers.

"Honest labor protects democracy, compromised labor condones corruption and fuels tyrannical governance." TD

"Energy and persistence conquer all things"          -Benjamin Franklin  

Multi-Tier Global Supply Chain Contract Manufacturer Quality Assurance 

FOIL (tbd) for yearly reported Whistleblower incidents since Clinton Whitehouse 2000 PNTR to ascertain if the program works to enforce the public health and safety laws and regulations enforcement or do ADR's lack enough law and regulations enforcement to prevent future incidents.

March 6, 2018                                 E-Commerce and Intellectual Property Rights Protection       


Senate Finance Committee hearing to examine the challenges facing consumers and businesses regarding counterfeit goods.

Chase-to-the-Top

"Truth, Justice, Liberty and Humanity will ultimately prevail. "   Fredrick Douglass

​​​SARS -CoV-1

​Travel Passport

VERSUS

 Governance, Risk Management, Regulatory Compliance       


                         

                       Manufacturing Career Timeline starts during China's 6th FYP (1981-1985).  Timeline includes Global Milestones and T.F. Doyle Career Highlights. 

​

  • 1983    Manufacturing Engineer responsible for Matsushita  (MIC), aka Panasonic /Quasar television models injection molded and decorated housings.

                        Professional development:  Plastics technology, materials, design techniques, testing methods, manufacturing. processes.

                        Professional development:  Began Master of Business Administration studies.

  • 1985    Conformance Engineering, Mattel Operations Division:

                        Responsible for new product development, design evaluation and existing product safety and compliance for:

                                                           * Masters of  the Universe  toy line.

                                                           *Marshall BraveStarr  NEWLY created toy line. 

​                        Daily communication with global factory facilities teams (i.e. US, Mexico, Asia).

​                        Earliest PRC skyscraper Goumao Building completed within 37 months described as Shenzhen Speed.

                        Plaza Accord    joint-agreement  between West Germany, Japan, France, UK and US to depreciate the US dollar.

​                         State Council of China approved to establish a SNA (System of National Accounting),  a system of national economic accounting (GDP).

  • 1986    East Asian model  (aka state–sponsored capitalism)  economic system when government invests in sectors targeted for growth.                                                     Financial Analyst, Mattel Operations Division:

                        Factory capacity and financial planning,

                        Cost Engineering Manual cost factors by process/country (MOH, Material, Labor, Overhead, Profit, Transport),

                        Publish Cost Engineering Manual for US Headquarters Cost Engineer to estimate future new toy design concepts.

                       Cost factors on Mattel Manufacturing Facilities managed by expats based overseas:

                        (Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong,Malaysia, Thailand,Philippines, Mexico maquiladora, United States and Special Economic Zone (EPZ) in China).                                                                                                Cost Factors, labor rates, machine rates, flowchart hours for manufacturing process (i.e. molding, cut n sew,

                       casting, painting, packaging, materials).

                        Factory Quotation Analysis to verify valuation of Ex-Factory price and comply with US customs requirements.

                        ASTM International’s Standard Consumer Safety Specification for Toy Safety (F963) becomes the "Gold Standard"  for toy safety.

                        Money Laundering Control Act     aka Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986

                        Uruguay Round      Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade

​                        McKinsey & Co. was hired by Mattel to assist with a resturcturing program called AVA.

                        McKinsey conducted job analysis to determine go or no-go needs for each position.

                        Mattel closed Operations in Philippines.  Labor strike is blamed, and thousands of Jobs lost.

                        Mattel closed Los Angeles and Taiwan factories.

                        Mattel returns to make toys for Disney.

                        Mattel Category Finance Department was transformed to Brand Analysis Department for US Division.

  • 1988     Financial Analyst, Mattel US Division (newly created Brand Analysis Team):

                        Consolidated Worldwide Brand P&L's for Corporate Division to present for Board of Directors meeting .

                        Professional development attending night school college courses: computer science, finance, economics.

                         Mattel returns to working with Disney.

                        Globalization and commercialization of the Internet and the mobile phone systems growth accelerates.

  • 1990    Financial Analyst, Mattel Girls Division (Brand Analysis):

                        Brand P&L's and Profit Improvement Program (PIP) reports.  

​                         Used database management software to capture Design and Development expense by Brand/Sku using time sheet hours.

  • 1991    Professional development in Boreland Paradox Relational Database Management System (RDBMS) programming.      
  • 1992    Senior Cost Engineer Toy Premiums, Promotional Marketing Firm. 

                        Hired to develop a product costing system.                                                                                   

                       Code Filemaker and received a recognition award for

                       developing  DBMS  for Product Costing & Project Management

                       System thatincluded P&L Budget, BOM cost sheet and milestone schedule).

​​​​​                        "Coming From Japan The Fall of the US Television Industry "  Matsushita (MIC)  "questionable history of sanctioned dumping into the US stretching back more than 30 years".

                        Deng Xiaoping launched his "Southern Tour".  Deng famously said, "To Get Rich is Glorious". ​  

                        Clinton Economic Conference Dec. 14, 1992  

  • 1993    Senior Toy Premium Project Engineer began sourcing,  NPD  and

                        project management of custom toy promotional premiums.  

                        Sourced Art Supplies factories from Malaysia to reduce cost

                       and increase product safety compliance as compared to

                        then current China source which cost tens of thousands of dollars

                        in testing cost with  repeat failures.

​​                        News report of 2 different Asia toy factory fires: Shenzhen and Thailand, the latter considered the worst industrial factory fire in history.           

  • 1994     North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) commences.

​                         Marrakesh Agreement             WTO | legal texts - Marrakesh Declaration of 15 April 1994       

                         China unifies its dual exchange rates devalued the renminbi.

                         Professional development: Night school at  Carson, CA  CSUDH campus - California State University Master of Science Quality Assurance Program.

                         The main reason for enrolling in this MSc. Quality Assurance Program was to eliminate risk of depending on Third Party Oversight.   

                        On-site pre-production assessment of China toy and Malaysia art supply factories including water filled toy snow dome and pre-pro safety testing.                               Prevented  a major reputational risk  with U.S. Customs and CPSC  "Operation  Dead-Lead"  seizure of children's crayons  containing hazardous lead                         by sourcing  a reliable lead-free crayon and chalk factory in Malaysia.  Crayons & chalk sold to our client's were safe and complied to ASTM D-4236.

  • 1995     Nascent "3rd Party" Consumer Product Testing Industrytarget QSR Toy Premium customers.  

​​                         World Trade Organization (WTO) commences.  

  • 1996     China allows yuan to become fully convertible .      The yuan strengthens from 1994  8.7=USD to 1996 approx. 8.28=USD.                                                                  Received multiple job offers from Custom Toy Premium firms: Chicago, Los Angeles and Orange County.  

                         PRC implements a policy of industrial reform called: "Grasping the large, letting go of the small"                                                                                                                         Director Toy Premium Engineering: directed newly created team of Hong Kong engineers and merchandisers.

                         Coded a custom Product Costing & Project Management (DBMS)  to execute  fast-cycle projects on-time, budget & spec. 

                        Port of Yantian China begins operating as an industrial zone.

            ​            Executed NPD  and production ramp-up of 8 million custom Star Wars Toy premiums over 8 custom Star War toy designs within 8 months.    

                        The company wins awards and the Strategic Alliance Group experiences rapid growth.

                        Avian (Bird) Influenza virus appears in Guangdong province.

                        Mandated factories to mix their own paint in-house to prevent risk of lead contamination from supply chain, Included batch lot tracking labels.

  • 1997     Frequent travel between L. A . HQ, Hong Kong Office (HKO), Guangdong factories and licensor offices for design approvals.

                         Hong Kong handover from United Kingdom to China July 1, 1997. 

                         Asian financial crisis   began in July with concern of a worldwide economic meltdown .

                        Prepare factories for Quality, Safety, Labor Code of Conduct Compliance Audits  (i.e.  ISO 9001, ISO 14001, HACCP standards).

                        First known transmission of H5N1  to human occurs in Hong Kong.

                        The company is acquired by a holding company.

                        Labor monitoring groups report the health and rights of working conditions in factories making fast-food toy premiums.

                        Professional development: Graduated School with MSc in QA thesis: Targeting NPD Metrics for Faster Development Cycles.  

  • 1998    Executed preparation of first Toy premium factory to meet client's HACCP based audit standards (mock recalls, tracking labels).

                        Executed NPD and production ramp-up of 64 million Star Wars Toy Premiums  globally compliant to harmonized International Toy Safety Standards.

                        Shuttling between Skywalker Ranch and our Los Angeles & Hong Kong offices to safely shorten the development cycles on new Star War Characters.

​                        Fast-cycle NPD and production ramp-up to safely delivered 35 million Talking Plush Chihuahua Dog SLO's: On-Time, On-Budget and On-Spec.

                       ​Projects were executed with safeguards established 10 years BEFORE CPSIA   16CFR1107 regulations became law in 2008.

  • 1999   Promoted and assumed responsibility to execute ICAC (Hong Kong)   mandate to improve RFQ transparency.                                                                                       Senior Director Toy Premium Product Engineering move as expat based in Hong Kong. 

                       Offices in Stelux House San Po Kong Kowloon. ​​

                       Coaching oversight with high-performance team of engineers and merchandisers

                       managing new product development from art to parts.  Scalable, agile, safe,

                       fast-cycle NPD structure with DBMS  for Product Costing & Project Management

                       offering peer shared learning benefits.  

                       Attempted to negotiate support from management to attend  HKUST MBA   as part of my expat package.

                       Coaching oversight to execute enhanced factory compliance standards for product quality and labor code of conduct.​                                                                                 Weekly peer review meeting on Product Costing  & Project Management (DBMS) metric data to execute fast-cycle projects on-time, budget & spec.                             Traveled to Taiwan  Hsinchu Science Park    to reserve IC purchase for up to 35 million sound modules.  

                        Placed orders with Winbond  a  Semiconductor Fabrication Plant  to produce  IC's "chips" for Chihuahua Plush sound modules.

​                         Taiwan suffered a major island wide earthquake "Jiji" hits Taiwan shortly after our team trip to semiconductor fabrication facilties.

                         Fast-Food Toy Premium Industry competitor experience scandal from a major fast-food toy premium container design recall.
                         Fast-Food Toy Premium Industry competitor experience scandal from factory and labor code of conduct incidents.​ 

  • 2000     From 1979 to 2000, China GDP per capita quintupled to just over $1,000 per year.

​                         H.R. number 4444 changes China's normal trade relations to Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR).   Pub. L. 106-286

                         China Western Development begins.

​                         Third Party Testing Service industry promote their nascent labor code of conduct factory audit service (i.e. Corporate Social Responsibility).

                         U.S. China Economic and Security Review Commission     created by US Congress.

                         Palermo Protocol: United Nations (UN) protocols against illicit manufacturing and to prevent, suppress and punish trafficking in human beings.

                         United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime.   multilateral treaty against Transnational Organized Crime.

                         Hainan Island Incident. 

​                         International Olympic Committee awards 2008 Summer Olympics to Beijing.

                         Sino-Russian Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation.

                         Holding company  of Applause divests company to radically different ownership. 

                         U.S. Customs Border Protection (CBP) launches CTPAT.   

                          DOJ:  "Eight arrested for defrauding ....in Promotional Prize Contest".

​                         China enters World Trade Organization (WTO).

                          New hire by US based importer as:  Director Quality Assurance China for Promotional Gift and Toy Premium Company: 

                         Offices based in Hong Kong, Dongguan City, Shenzhen, Shanghai. Coaching oversight with

                        mainland China QC Inspectors and merchandisers sourcing white-label product from formal and

                        informal factories found by merchandisers on Alibaba website.  

  • 2002     Extensive production debug throughout China to upgrade Products and Factories and reduce reputational risks of client's Brand.                                                 Executed In-Person Quality and Social Factory Audits (i.e. Labor Code of Conduct, Environmental and Social Management Systems).

                         Coach mainland  PRC merchandisers and QC on order processing as they source SME's with Alibaba China Supplier Club Web site.

​                         Outbreak of SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) in Asia.  SARS is the first deadly infectious disease of the 21st century.

                         SARS-CoV-1 (2002-2004) "outbreak was first identified in Foshan Guangdong China on Nov 16.

                         SARS-CoV-1 could have been one of the first warning signs to a potential future global supply chain disruption crisis.

                         Traveling with QC staff by train, bus, ferry, taxi from Dongguan City office to factories from Zhongzhan to Shantou Guangdong.

                         Lo Wu Train Station  (HK) and Luo Hu Train  Station  (PRC) construction project connected train stations at the main land border crossing                                               between Hong Kong and mainland China.   Station consolidation made traveling into Mainland China easier for Hong Kong residents who

                         began working remotely in mainland China offices due to cheaper rents, lower staff salaries and closer access to mainland factories.

  • 2003     Received multiple job offers from western firms as expat based in: Shanghai, India, Shenzhen and Hong Kong.

                         SARS Corona-virus global outbreak announced by  CDC and WHO.    SARS disrupts global economies, supply chains and transportation.

                         New Firm: Director Quality Assurance Far East  (India/PRC) supervising: legacy staff

                         based in Shenzhen Office while setting up a final assembly workshop in an

                        Special Export Processing Zone SEPZ  (www.szepz.com).

​                         Hong Kong working visa while assigned to Shenzhen office,

                         SEPZ workshop and  Luohu District Shenzhen dormitory .

                          Set-up “black box” final assembly workshop in Shenzhen Export Processing Zone (EPZ)  

                         to protect Intellectual Property Rights (IPR). Local workers trained to execute (IQC) of 

                         locally sourced components, final assembly, pack out and final inspection.

                         SARS-CoV-1 outbreak disruption impacts local travel due to travel restrictions. Hong Kong attempts to rebuild image with Harbour Fest.

                         US Big Box retailer mandate factory audits for overseas workshops used in their supply chain. English  Chinese   CTPAT

  • 2004     Began sourcing in Southeast Asia (pivot from PRC) for US based distributor of upholstery fabrics and reupholstery supplies. 

                         Professional development attending Global GBS in Southeast Asia  Greater Mekong Subregion (i.e. Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia).

                         Independent (NPO) ICTI established to safeguard and improve ethical and sustainability standards in the global toy industry supply chain.

                         Lo Wu Train Station  (Hong Kong) and Luo Hu Train  Station  (China) massive construction completed December 2004.

​                         Offered multiple opportunities from US based Importer firms: New Jersey and  New York.

                         New Firm: Director Global Sourcing Northern China. 

                         Hired, trained, supervised 4 local  PRC staff**to execute daily work instructions.    

                        Product Development execution of Plush Toys, Fashion Handbags/Accessories,

                        Luggage/Business Cases, Bedding, Home Décor. 

                         On-board new factories based on sustainable procurement  principles by

                         conducting workshop assessment to prepare factories  for Third Party audits

                         on CSR, EMS, Labor code of conduct, and Licensor standards

                         with Corrective Actions to improve safety.  Pre-audit self assessment,

                         China currency Renminbi (i.e. Yuan) depegged from US Dollar. 

                         News Report labor code of conduct compliance incident at fast food toy premium factories; Vietnamese toy factory labor strike. ​  

  • 2006     Sourcing on-site assessment of home textiles suppliers throughout Greater Mainland China including color-cotton textiles from Urumqi.

                         H.R. 32 Stop Counterfeiting in Manufactured Goods Act signed by US president.  

                         News Report labor code of conduct compliance incident at toy premium factories; Dongguan toy factory labor protest.

  • 2007     On-boarded Northern China factory capable of high-end quilt standards critical for newly acquired infant bedding enterprise.  

​                         Initiated cloud-based Sourcing /Compliance Database (DBMS) in Hangzhou, Zhejiang for local access order processing execution and compliance.

                         Importer execution failures cause Massive Toy Recalls (over 18 million): toys with lead-paint, chemical, small parts and magnet risks.

                         2007 the year of the Recall   was one of the first major preventable global supply chain crisis with Congressional Oversight Hearings on toy safety.

                         2007 massive recalls could be the second major warning sign to a potential future global supply chain disruption crisis.


                          The following corrective actions given in the hearing  were                                                                                                                                                                                          standard operating procedures (SOP's) used to  manufacture                                                                                                                                                                                      Promotional Toy Premiums (i.e. free fast-food toys) for at least                                                                                                                                                                                   10 years prior to the 2007 recalls and hearings.

                               1) Periodic 3rd Party Safety Testing: Pro-pro, dupro and pre-shipment.

                               2) Product Date code and tracking labels.

                               3) Document material supply chains to facilitate ascertaining

                                  the specific source of components and raw materials used in product.


                            Precursor to Global Supply Chain Crisis 

                            1) Recognize it as a potential future supply chain national security threat.

                            2) Recognize it as a potential opportunity to leverage political power and                                                                                                                                                                      compromise to capture regulatory agencies.

                            3) Recognize it as a potential violation of PNTR by subcontractors.




​​                         Vietnam enters World Trade Organization (WTO).                    

  • 2008     Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) signed into law by US President Bush, approved by House 407-0, Senate 79-13.

                         ​CPSIA includes:   OSHA Whistleblower Protection for Consumer Product Industry Workers

​                         CPSIA will become a failure due to lack of traceability enforcement that results in a major Global Supply Chain Crisis during the CoV-2 pandemic.

​                         500 protesters rioted at a toy factory in Dougguan as world economic downturn forces closures and lay-offs.

                         First G20 Summit held in US.

  • 2009     New Firm: Director Product Evaluations, Compliance and Quality Assurance (responsible for Corporate QA for US, UK  and HK  divisions).

​                         Design Evaluation, Product Specification, Regulation & Consensus Standards ,Test Protocols, Packaging & Instruction Sheet warning statements.

                         Forensic engineering investigations on consumer product involved with incidents, insurance claims, regulatory civil investigation and litigation.

                         CPSIA mandatory federal standard: All toys in the United States must meet the safety testing requirements of F963.

                         Shauguon incident happened at the world's largest toy factory in the world.

                         California Transparency in Supply Chains Act  of 2010  (SB657), a disclosure law came into effect Jan. 1, 2012.

                         Rare earth trade dispute incident.

                         Forernic Engineering and product identity verification for claims involved in civil litigation.

                         PRC labor potentially reached theLewis turning point.

                         Professional development:  "Product Safety, Recall & Product Liability Prevention"  2  Day  Seminar.

  • ​2011      China overtakes Japan as the second largest economy in the world.

                         Professional development: Spring and Fall courses with Columbia University CVN.

​                         Traveled to Washington D.C. to attend meeting on product involved in Regulatory Agency investigation.

  • ​2012     New Firm: Sourcing Manager Pet Product Licensed Sports Merchandise: 

                         (hired former PRC staff**  who I personally trained (2005-2008) to report daily on

                         workshop conditions, order processing and factory compliance for professional

                         and college sport licensed merchandise.                                                                          

                         Responsible to onboard supply chain with  capable and cooperative suppliers

                         to produce a new line of pet products with sport license logos.

                         Coded custom  DBMS  for Product Costing & Project Management and Product Safety/Regulatory Compliance.  

                         Received a recognition award for new product short cycle time to market.                                                                                                                                                              OSHA  WPP pilot ADR “The focus of ADR is quick resolution of the whistleblower complaint, rather than investigating the merits of the allegations. “  

​                         Congress passed (WPEA)  Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act.

  • 2013     New Firm: Sourcing Director Toys:  (hired same former PRCstaff** I trained (2005-2013) to report daily on workshop conditions,

                         order  processing and factory compliance.)  My responsibility was sourcing new supply chain capable to replace

                         uncooperative legacy factories who lacked trustworthiness .  

                         Key legacy managers suddenly resigned, and their workload responsibilities were reassigned

                         to me including supervision of legacy staff members who were handling Product Safety Testing, 

                         QA/QC, Regulatory compliance in addition to Product Development Coordination and 

                         daily order processing requirement execution with new and legacy overseas factories for timely delivery.

                         Company wide reward given to employees for performance in year celebrating equine model brand 25th anniversary.

                         Coded custom DBMS  for Product Costing , Project Management and Product Safety/Regulatory Compliance.                                                                                                  Five Individuals and Five Corporations Charged in New York for Importing and Selling Hazardous and Counterfeit Toys.

                         CPSIA 16 CFR 1107 becomes effective Feb. 8, 2013. (periodic testing, material change, undue influence, labeling program).  

                         PRC introduction of  The Silk Road Economic Belt concept.

​                         Garment Factory Collapse in South Asia.

                         China overtook USA as the world’s largest economy in terms of purchasing power parity (PPP) per IMF.org.  

                         DOJ sentence Toy executive to probation after paying $80 million in taxes & penalties for tax evasion using Secret Swiss  bank account to hide funds.

                         DOL OSHA Regional Investigator writes to USDOL Secretary reporting a culture of corruption within Whistleblower Protection Program.

                         ICTI CARE Foundation New Policy with "Demo Factories" subcontracting nearly all work to factories outside sanitized compliant facilities.

                         PRC staff traveled to US and extended trip to include NYC region HQ.  PRC staff trip included visiting Arden House on top 1,300 ft Mount Orama.

                         China's significant wage increase from 2005-2014 compel managers of PRC staff to match prevailing wages to retain trained staff.

                         New job search for employment.

  • 2015     Overseas factory offered employment to expand business in US as sales manager/distributor.

                         Onboarded Children's Sleepwear factory from Shandong (Northern China) for a Manhattan NY based Children's Sleepwear business.

​​                         OSHA  WPP ADR  “The focus of ADR is quick resolution of the whistleblower complaint,rather than investigating the merits of the allegations. “ 

​                         Dongguan (Southern China) Toy factory workers protest over unpaid wages.

​                         California Transparency in Supply Chains Act   A Resource Guide 2015 Kamala D. Harris, Attorney General California Department of Justice.

​                         PRC Market Economy Status (MES) dilemma.

                         Professional development  with Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE)  to investigate trade, counterfeit and 3rd party service fraud.

                         The National Intelligence Security Law of People's Republic of China.

                         USCC.gov  staff research report:    Chinese Product Safety: A Persistent Challenge to US Regulators and Importers.

                         Cybersecurity Law of People's Republic of China

​                         Operation National Sword  policy initiative launched by the Government of China to reduce recyclable waste imports.

  • 2018     United States Consumer Product Safety Protection (CPSC) regulatory agency offers US tax payer funded  free training to China and Vietnam. 

                         US Senate Finance Committee hearing: Challenges Facing Consumers and Businesses regarding e-commerce and counterfeit goods.​

                         ICTI CARE Foundation Hong Kong Toy Coalition renamed to become Ethical Toy Program.

​                               CPSC Letter to Congress.   "Safety Agency Probes Data Breach Amid Complaints About Muzzling of Hazard Information."

                         U.S.  Customs and Border Protection (CBP)  updates  CTPAT MSC (Minimal Security Criteria and Guidelines). 

​                         US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) offers another US tax payer funded  free training session in China.

                         Professional Development  exploring options to retrain in Cyber security with a Master Degree for employment.

                         Professional Development New York Chapter #14 ACFE Fall Fraud Conference credit for Regular and Ethics Professional Education.

                         SARS-Cov2 (Covid-19) could be the third major warning sign to  global supply chain disruption crisis.

​                         Johns Hopkins University  Coronavirus Resource Center Covid-19 Contact Tracing Course Certificate

                        Professional development: Harvard Trade Union Program (HTUP) Labor and Worklife  (LWP) workshop.

​                        Cornell University New York State Citizen Public Health Leader Training Program Certificate

                        US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) sues Amazon   to Force Recall of Hazardous Products sold on Amazon.

                        Data Security Law of People's Republic of China.

                        Personal Information Protection Law of People's Republic of China.

                       Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act

​                        3rd Havard Korean Security Summit: "Korea - A Catalyst of Global Trends"                           Belfercenter.org

                        ACFE Certificate of Continuing Professional Education on Emerging "Cybersecurity" Threat

                        ACFE Certificate of Continuing Professional Education on "Supply Chain" Fraud

                        Professional Development: Advanced Valuation Fall 2022 online program.

                        ACFE Certificate of Continuing Professional Education on "The Changing Landscape of Elder Fraud".

                         Professional Development: Cornell University webcast: Corporate Decision Making: How U.S. Laws Regulate and Influence Business.

​                         Professional Development:  Penn Program on Regulation webcast:  Agile Regulation: Governance in a Changing World.

                         Professional Development: Occupational Safety and Health Administration Whistleblower Stakeholder Meeting: Outreach and Training

                          Big Box Store "First Ever" seller 3rd party Summit in Las Vegas.

                         18th G20 Summit held in India on Sept 9-10th 2023.

                         Waterfront Alliance course on WEDG  a "national rating system to create resilient, ecological and accessible waterfronts." 

  • 2024     

                     

                     


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* Prior to 1990's,  "Asian Tiger" East Asia Model  economies manufactured toys   (Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea, Singapore including Tiger cub economies: Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines).,

* "1990's  Toy Premium Standards": Product Specs with BOM 's and Process Flowcharts with HACCP Plan, product safety testing ,factory audit corrective action plans to protect all stakeholders .

* 2007    Smartphone platforms enable e-commerce  mobility  and growth of new unregulated internet disruptor business models, social media, sharing economy. online ecommerce growth.

* Post 2009, CPSIA mandatory Third Party Testing by CPSC approved test lab.  CPSIA mandates require less overall effort and safeguards as compared to "1990's Toy Premium Standards".

**"Boots-on-the-Ground"  trained local PRC staff  to execute daily work instructions, collect local intelligence and empowered  to report  activity that is deemed illegal/unethical (i.e. whistleblower).                       

Corporate Social Responsibility  NPO (Non-Profit Organization)  Cooperation.

Managing expectations between mandatory requirements, aspirational goals and exposure to fraud.

Third Party Compliance Services "You Pay/We Say" Post-Truth Economy Growth.

SARS -CoV-1

Coronavirus

     

Chase-to-the-Top:  QA/QC chasing-pressures with positive robust due diligence and oversight to protect brand, client, license and factory reputations.   

        As detection dogs discern individual scents even when combined or masked by other odors, positive robust due diligence discerns fraud even when masked by third party reports.

Race-to-the-Bottom:  metaphorically describes intense unregulated global marketplace competition (i.e. "Fail  Fast, Fail Cheap, Fail Often" mantra of digital age).

Online Retail Profitability Risk (cloud), Social Media Addiction Fads (cloud) and Global Sourcing Pricing Pressure (overseas) have the following in common:

  • Low barrier to entry with SaaS's. (i.e. encourage reckless high risk "short cuts" to enter market without "skin in the game" .)
  • Lack of regulatory enforcement.(i.e. 2011 FTC Charges Social Media Deceived Consumers By Failing To Keep Privacy Promises ).
  • Opaque Operations. (i.e. transparency would stoke mistrust on privacy, safety, security and ethics)
  • Business models that enable bad actors to game the system.
    • Tailwinds: Corruption, Malfeasance, Nonfeasance,  Rush to Market without QA/QC then Lawyering-Up.
    • Headwinds:  Transparency, Product Safety Regulatory Enforcement.
  • Self-regulated safety and security. (Bug Bounty rewards for social media.  California prop 65 bounty rewards on violative consumer products.)
    • Cloud computing risk management expenses are limitless (i.e. security defense arms race against data breaches and fraud).
    • Increase spending on something digital firms don’t have the imagination to understand how bad their product defects can harm consumers.
    • Overseas supply chains risk management expenses are quantifiable (i.e. travel, QA/QC staff, compliance training) to monitor supply chain breaches.
    • Online Marketplaces enabled by SaaS's to sell Product Returns from Major Retails.

       False Claims Act   "Lincoln Law"   Qui Tam

Race-to-the-Bottom


Organizational Behavioral and Corporate Culture Risk:

  • Behavioral risk relative characteristics: exposure, severity and probability of occurrence.
  • Organizational culture risk with beliefs in the degree of control over risk.

Environmental and Health Risk:

  • Frequent extended-stay business trips overseas monitoring supply chain.
  • Business Travel to remote regions of developing countries:
    • Transportation Accidents. (i.e. taxi, bus, train, ferry, flight and company car/van)
    • Food Contamination.
    • Sanitation, Hygiene, Water Supply, Air Pollution.
    • Building Code Safety. (i.e. fire and earthquake resistance, emergency escape plans).

Fraud Risk:

  • Theft of Assets or Stock.
  • Management of Conflicts of Interest.
  • Vendor, Supplier, or Procurement Fraud.
  • Regulatory or Compliance Breach.
  • Consumer Products:  Specification Fraud, CPSIA Tracking Label Fraud, Test Report Fraud.
  • Intellectual Property (IP) Theft.
  • Employment Fraud.
  • ESG Fraud
  • Tariff Engineering or Customs Fraud. 
  • Intrinsic Fraud.

Bribery Risk:

  • Expensive gifts, free travel, lavish entertainment.
  • Hidden interest in business transactions.
  • "Loans", whether or not repaid.

Corruption Risk:

Reputational Risk:

  • Ethics (i.e. Labor Trafficking , Peonage, CSR audit fraud).
  • Safety (i.e. Recalls, Safety Test Report Fraud).
  • Security (i.e. SocialBot  , Consumer Surveillance ).
  • Sustainability (i.e. Greenwashing ). 
  • Quality  (i.e.  Quality Fade ).
  • Innovation  (i.e. Monetizing Personal Data, Click Farm , Click Bait)
  • Manufacturing labor/ethics/safety standard marketing claims  (i.e.  rent seeking NPO's)


1st Party   "Say what you do..do what you say,"

  

List of lethal consumer product incidents:

List of major product recalls: (i.e. number of units)

List of regulated industry quality assurance and safety hazard incidents and fines:

​​DOL OSHA reported  WPP incidents since 2000 and CPSIA in 2009 with whistleblower protections.

​                       DOL OSHA   Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Processes for Whistleblower Protection Program    

                       DOL OSHA   Whistleblower Investigations Manual (WIM)

                      DOL  OSHA Field Operations Manual (FOM)

                      DOL  OSHA Whistleblower Pilot Procedure

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Risk Management and Regulatory Compliance