During the next several months, most corporations will be sending out their proxies (ballots) and holding their annual meetings. Individual shareholders own about 30% of the stock in US markets but few bother to participate, even though we often feel corporate managers have too much power and too little accountability. When we fail to vote, […]
Archive | January, 2011
Video Friday: 2010 & 2011
James McRitchie, 01/07/2011 ,
Boardmember.com looks back at board issues for 2010 and speculates on board trends for 2011… well worth a look. See This Week in the Boardroom.
DTCC Splits Chair and CEO Positions
James McRitchie, 01/06/2011 ,
The company that holds legal title to about 80% of all American stocks announced this week that it will separate the role of chairman and chief executive officer following a two-year review of the organization’s governance. Splitting the roles will increase its oversight of risk management and follows a growing trend by international companies that […]
Swiss May Limit CEO Pay
James McRitchie, 01/05/2011 ,
Disgusted with the how much CEOs are paid in comparison to the average worker? In Switzerland they are using the referendum process to address the issue head on. Thomas Minder, CEO of Trybol Cosmetics launched his campaign in October 2006 and collected nearly 118,600 to bring bring about a national referendum on remuneration. Minder, who […]
J&J Directors on the Line
James McRitchie, 01/04/2011 ,
A group of Johnson & Johnson (J&J) shareholders are seeking legal retribution for what they see as managerial oversights and ignorance of “red flags” that may have provided notice of the recent federal investigations of the company’s “manufacturing defects” and potentially illegal “marketing practices.” The multiple investigations began earlier this year when the company froze […]
Is Corporate Governance Dead?
James McRitchie, 01/03/2011 ,
John Richardson writes that corporate governance is dead. One indicator of this is the recent spate of mergers in the proxy adviser world. ISS goes through its seemingly endless series of mergers and acquisitions. MSCI, now stuck with a minimally profitable enterprise is no doubt wondering how to offload this doddering venture. Governance Metrics merged […]