A wines and spirits manufacturing company with a production facility in China was concerned to learn that one of its branded products was being sold on the local Black Market. This news was greeted with initial suspicion, since inventory was very tightly controlled at the production facility and there were no obvious breaches of integrity.

A consultant was asked to investigate the reports. After fourteen days posing as a management consultant looking at production methods, his investigation led him to believe that a local manager was involved in a small-time criminal operation and that the products reported as stolen were in fact being counterfeited in the adjoining province and later, sold on the Black Market.

The authorities were informed and a raid was carried out, resulting in ten arrests and subsequent convictions.

The criminal operation was also found to be producing counterfeit perfumes and the appropriate organisations informed.

A firm of accountants had been regularly sending small teams of auditors to countries in S.E. Asia when an incident occurred in which a female employee was threatened with rape. The company's Human Resources department was asked to produce policy procedures ensuring the safe conduct of all corporate employees when travelling in high-risk locations.

Security consultants drew up corporate policy guidelines which ensured that all personnel travelling abroad had first to check on the security climate of their destination and to only use approved transport services and hotels. Any employee travelling to high risk locations was given an up to date security intelligence brief prior to departure and training to assist them, first to avoid and if absolutely necessary, deal with threatening situations. All employees had 24hr 'comfort' contact telephone numbers to call if they were in any way frightened or concerned.

It rapidly became clear that most employees had no idea of the cultural or physical dangers of working in foreign countries in which they were unfamiliar. The procedures were simply adjusted and enabled the organisation to conduct a proactive duty-of-care programme for all its employees.

The instigation of such procedures has greatly increased the confidence, enjoyment and safety of employees working overseas.

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