Ombudsman Handbook

Public and private organizations can benefit from the creation and implementation of an ombudsman program designed to problem-solve at the organizational level. This timely book presents the ombudsman in concept and in practice, offering full design and operational details from start-up to key activities and roles, as well as the benefits for the top executives, the employees and the customers. Case studies from numerous fields are examined to illustrate how a strong ombudsman program is vital to avoiding litigation, resolving conflicts and assisting management.

The public sector ombudsman has become one of the most important administrative justice institutions in many countries around the world. This international and interdisciplinary Research Handbook brings together leading scholars and practitioners to discuss the state-of-the-art of ombudsman research. It uses new empirical studies and competing theoretical explanations to critically examine important aspects of the ombudsman’s work. This comprehensive Handbook is of value to academics designing future ombudsman studies and practitioners and policymakers in understanding the future challenges of the ombudsman.

Prepared for the Administration on Aging.

This book uses comparative law and comparative international law approaches to explore the role of human rights ombuds, classic-based ombuds and other types of ombuds institutions in human rights protection and promotion, their methods of application of international and domestic human rights law and their roles in strengthening good governance. It highlights the increasing importance of national human rights ombuds institutions globally and their roles as national human rights institutions (NHRIs).

This book explores the ombudsman as a global institution. It has spread all over the world and its institutional development is increasingly being governed transnationally. Initially an institution of administrative law, the ombudsman has become a human rights institution and institution of good governance. These ideational shifts have influenced the global diffusion of the ombudsman but also the way in which this institution of accountability functions. The ombudsman is a peculiar institution of public accountability - both an institution and individual - that observes changes in the general political climate and engages in renegotiations of its intra-institutional position. The global models associated with the ombudsman are a source of organizational ideas, legitimacy, and sense of orientation, but they treat institutional actors differently, working also as mechanisms of inclusion and exclusion. The book tracks the global diffusion and institutional evolution of the ombudsman. Its chapters on institutional cases further explore the joint institutional history of the Parliamentary Ombudsman and the Chancellor of Justice in Finland, and the European Ombudsman.

This book provides a detailed rationale for the creation of ombudsman offices; suggestions for structuring and documenting an ombudsman program and how to address issues that arise in litigation; a comprehensive presentation of various legal issues associated with organizational ombudsman programs;and numerous examples of how ombudsmen function in their organizations to illustrate how they are effective in addressing issues that people would not otherwise raise.

Corporate Compliance has changedand—stricter guidelines now impose criminal penalties for activities that were previously considered legal. The and“business judgmentand” rule that protected the decisions of officers and directors has been severely eroded. The Corporate Federal Sentencing Guidelines of the U.S. Sentencing Commission require an effective compliance program, but even if you follow their requirements to the letter, you wonand’t really know if your compliance program works or if you have created a corporate culture that supports compliance. Now, with the completely updated Second Edition of Corporate Legal Compliance Handbook, youand’ll have help in creating a complete compliance system that complies with federal regulations and meets your specific corporate needs. Unlike the complicated or incomplete resources available today, Corporate Legal Compliance Handbook, Second Edition provides explanatory text and background material in two convenient formats: print and electronic. The accompanying CD-ROM contains reference materials, forms, sample training materials and other items to support program development. Corporate Legal Compliance Handbook, Second Edition gives you a unique combination: the essentials of the key laws your corporation must address, specific compliance regulations, and practical insights into designing, implementing, and managing an effectiveand—and efficientand—legal compliance program. It will help you identify the risks your company faces, and devise a system to address those risks. It will help you create a targeted compliance program by examining the risks attached to job descriptions, creating the appropriate corporate policies, establishing control programs, communicating effectively, and testing the effectiveness of your program. Corporate Legal Compliance Handbook, Second Edition will show you: How to ensure that your company establishes an effective compliance program How to master practical risk assessment tools How to identify any special risks posed by you clientand’s type of business How to make sure that each employee involved in a business process understands his or her individual responsibility in the companyand’s legal compliance program