Two things stand out about business in America today. One is how successful American firms are:they account for 57 of the world's 100 most valuable listed firms. The other is the bad smell hanging over a number of powerful companies.Boeing faces claims that it sold 737 max planes with dangerous software. It says it is "taking actions to fully ensure the safety of the 737 max".Criminal charges have been filed against Goldman Sachs in Malaysia for its role in arranging $6.5bn of debt for a state-run fund that engaged in fraud.Goldman says it is co-operating with investigators. A jury in California has just found that Monsanto failed to warn a customer that its weedkiller could, allegedly, cause cancer. Bayer, a German firm which bought Monsanto in June, says it will appeal the verdict.

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如今美国商业界有两件事最为突出。一是美国公司有多么成功：世界百家最具价值上市公司中，它们占到了57家。另一个是萦绕在许多大公司周围的臭味。波音面临指控称其出售的737 max飞机上装有危险软件。其表示正在“采取行动完全确保737 max的安全性”。马来西亚高盛投资公司已被提起刑事指控，因其参与为一家涉嫌诈骗的国有基金安排65亿美元的借款。高盛集团表示正在和调查人员合作。加利福尼亚的一陪审团刚发现孟山都公司未能警告顾客其除草剂可能会导致癌症。德国公司拜耳在6月收购了孟山都公司，拜耳称将对判决提出上诉。

Wells Fargo, one of America's biggest banks, has admitted creating 3.5m unauthorised bank accounts.It says it is working to "rebuild trust with our stakeholders". Facebook is ensnared in scandals; its data practices have come under scrutiny in several countries.The firm says "we need a more active role for governments and regulators".Some 146m customers of Equifax, a credit-scoring firm, had their personal details stolen in 2017.It is being sued for negligence, according to its annual report. A recent document for its investors says protecting information is "our highest priority".Then there is the opioid epidemic, which involves not only Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin,but also, according to a lawsuit by New York's attorney-general, other firms including McKesson and Johnson & Johnson.

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美国最大银行之一富国银行承认开设了3500万个未授权银行账户。其表示正在努力“重建与我行股东的信任”。Facebook深陷丑闻；其数据操作受到了几个国家的审查。该公司表示“我们需要成为政府和监管者的一个更加积极的角色”。2017年信用评估公司Equifax的约1.46亿客户的个人数据遭窃。根据该公司年度报告，其因玩忽职守罪名被起诉。一份给其投资者的近期文件表示保护信息是“我们的重中之重”。然后类鸦片盛行，涉及其中的不仅仅是奥施康定的制造商普度制药，根据纽约司法部长的一起诉讼所述，还有其他公司，包括麦克森公司和强生。

Purdue says it is "deeply concerned" about opioid addiction. Last year McKesson also said it is "deeply concerned" by the epidemic and that its board has "enhanced oversight procedures related to opioid distribution".Johnson & Johnson says it is "committed to ensuring its medicines are used correctly".It is tempting to view these cases as unrelated events caused by factors ranging from bad luck and human error to negligence and criminality.That would be a mistake. American firms seem to be more scandal-prone than their peers across the pond.The total market value of American firms involved in big incidents that have become public since 2016 is $1.54trn.At least 200m consumers have been affected. The figures are only $600bn and under 30m for European firms,including carmakers that faked emissions tests and Nordic banks involved in money-laundering.

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普度制药表示其“深切关注”阿片类药物成瘾。去年麦克森公司还表示类鸦片盛行是他们“深切关注”的问题,并且其董事会已经“增强了类鸦片药物分销的监管程序”。强生表示其“致力于确保其药物的正确使用”。很容易将这些案例看做是由各种噩运和人为错误、失误和犯罪行为所引起的不相关事件。这么想是错误的。美国公司似乎比大西洋彼岸的同类公司更容易出丑闻。自2016年以来，已公开的那些涉及大事件的美国公司的市场总值为15400亿美元。至少2亿顾客已经受到影响。欧洲公司，包括尾气排放测试造假的汽车制造商以及参与洗钱的北欧银行，他们的相应数字仅为6000亿美元和不到300万人。