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Compliance control monitoring. A case study
Imagine walking through EuroServices Group’s headquarters on the first week of each quarter.
Cost/Benefit analysis of compliance
Compliance is expensive. In many companies it is one of the fastest growing budget lines, more staff, more external advisers, more tools, more audits. It is tempting for boards or CFOs to conclude, we are spending too much on compliance. But that question is incomplete.
The Rise and Fall of Theranos
Theranos was born in the early 2000s with a promise that sounded like science fiction: hundreds of blood tests from a single finger prick, faster and cheaper than traditional labs. Elizabeth Holmes raised more than $700 million, attracted a board of political heavyweights, and reached a $9 billion valuation — all while the core technology quietly failed to deliver. Behind the scenes, most tests couldn’t be reliably run on Theranos’ own devices. The company secretly relied on conventional machines, hid bad results, ignored regulatory warnings, and silenced employees who raised concerns. When journalist John Carreyrou exposed the inconsistencies, the façade collapsed. By 2018, Theranos, Holmes, and COO Sunny Balwani were charged with massive fraud; both were later convicted, ordered to pay $452 million in restitution, and the company was dissolved. Theranos is more than a story of deception; it’s a case study in failed governance and due diligence. It shows what happens when “fake it till you make it” replaces evidence, transparency, and independent oversight — and why trust, controls, and robust compliance are as essential to innovation as speed.
Risk determination in ISO 37001, a field story
In the winter of 2020, the aviation giant Airbus agreed to pay more than €3.6 billion in combined penalties to France, the United Kingdom, and the United States after a sprawling foreign-bribery investigation (Le Monde, Les Echos, US DOJ).
Regulatory adherence in Spain: UNE 19601 explained
On a rainy Thursday in Madrid, Clara, the sole compliance officer of a 250-employee aeronautics supplier, opened her inbox to find an urgent request from the CEO: “Are we ready for UNE 19601 certification before the end of the quarter? A client is asking for this.