Investigating The Private Sector PDF

Investigating The Private Sector Rationales for covering the private sector as thoroughly and aggressively as government: 1. Private businesses are beneficiaries of government assistance, including industrial development bonds, tax forgiveness or deferral, research grants, depreciation...

Investigating The Private Sector Rationales for covering the private sector as thoroughly and aggressively as government: 1. Private businesses are beneficiaries of government assistance, including industrial development bonds, tax forgiveness or deferral, research grants, depreciation allowances and direct subsidies. As a result, taxpayers everywhere have a monetary interest. 2. Taxpayers’ lives are influenced when they buy or government buys goods and services of shoddy quality or at inflated prices. 3. Many citizens and government invest in corporate stocks and bonds, giving them a stake in management performance. 4. Businesses, through lobbying and campaign contributions, influence legislative and executive branch policymaking, often behind closed doors.  Investigating The Private Sector Journalists are often missing the big picture, concentrating only on the financial condition of one corporation, and forgetting the employees... The life of every employed person is dominated by their job. People are usually at their place of employment at least eight hours a day, five days a week. Additional time is spent with dressing and preparing for work, getting to work, getting home, completing a job-related task before going to bed, and even dreaming about it all. Yet most journalists do nothing to capture what is happening in local workplaces, day after day. A good investigative reporter focuses both on the situation of the corporation and on the quality of work.  Investigating The Private Sector The financial trail 1. www.mfinante.ro – taxation records 2. Trade, Industry, and Agriculture Chamber of Romania (CCIAR) and its county level branches 3. Trade Registrar (Registrul Unic al Comerţului) – tax identification number/code (CUI) 4. Other national and local agencies (e.g. municipal licenses, Consumer Protection Agency, local authorities) 5. Stock Exchange – big players are listed explicitly 6. National Securities Commission (Comisia Naţională de Valori Mobiliare) 7. Home pages of corporations and NGOs  Investigating The Private Sector The worker trail (management-worker relations) 1. Labour Unions – including wealth and corruption of their leaders 2. Safety and health in the workplace – missconduct, results of inspections, fines, aso. 3. Wage enforcement – required (legal) minimum salary, overtime wage, compensations 4. Employment of children 5. Exploitation of employees 6. Pension, health and welfare plans for workers 7. Labor lawyers and the courts  Investigating Charities and NGOs Tax exemptions Tax returns Financial statements on www.mfinante.ro Business transactions between insiders Charities, foundations, associations Fund-raising  Investigating PPP Sector Investigating Health Care System E. g.: hospitals, retirement and nursing homes, mental care institutions, home health care companies, medical laboratories, drug companies, pharmacies, medical device companies, individual health care providers  Investigating PPP Sector Investigating Insurance The sellers: insurance companies and agents – Health and disability insurance; Life insurance; Automobile insurance; Home and property insurance Investigating the State as insurer – Medicare, Smurd, workers’ compensation  Investigating PPP Sector Investigating Financial Institutions - Sources of information: government regulators - Banks (Money laundering) - Savings and loans - Credit unions - Mutual funds - High risk transactions  Investigating PPP Sector Investigating Energy and Communication Utilities Investigating Heating and Cooling Utilities Investigating Water Utilities Nuclear Power Plants Polluting the Environment Cultural an Property Value Impact  Investigating PPP Sector Investigating other fields: 1. Transportation / Aviation Safety /Pilots, air controllers, on-the-ground problems; Alcohol and Drugs; Cars, buses, taxis, limousines, trucks / driver’s licences, technical car inspections; Railroads; Water transportation / Shipping, boating 2. Investigating Real Estate / Housing, commercial uses and zoning / Who owns the land? / How much is the land worth? /Landlords and tenants