Thanks to Jackie Cook and CookESG Research, we have added the October annual shareowner meetings to our AGM Dates page. This is a slow month for AGMs.
Archive | September, 2013
Job Opening: Corporate Governance Specialist
James McRitchie, 09/30/2013 ,
Date Posted: Sep 21, 2013 Location: New Brunswick, NJ Johnson & Johnson companies are equal opportunity employers.Corporate Governance Specialist-7790130919Johnson & Johnson, through its operating companies, is the world’s most comprehensive and broadly based manufacturer of health care products, as well as a provider of related services, (more…)
Video Friday: IRRI 2013 Awards from SRI-Connect
James McRitchie, 09/27/2013 ,
Congratulations to GMI Ratings for winning top place for corporate governance research firms and Kimberly Gladman, Ric Marshall, and Sarah Wilson for top individual awards. Top ranking for SRI research goes to Sustainalytics. (more…)
CorpGov.net Blogroll: Recent Posts
James McRitchie, 09/26/2013 ,
SocialFunds.com – Mutual Fund Challenged over Proxy Voting on ESG Issues Read this important post from Robert Krupp and follow the example of Zevin Asset Management. It is great to see Jackie Cook’s 2013 Proxy Season Roundup put to good use. Cook found (more…)
Current Elections
James McRitchie, 09/25/2013 ,
I have endorsed Joseph (JJ) Jelincic and Harvey Robinson in the current CalPERS Board Member-At-Large election. Ballots due 9/27/2013.
The False Promise of the Enhanced Broker Internet Platform
James McRitchie, 09/25/2013 ,
On September 22, the HLS Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation posted an article (The Promise of the Enhanced Broker Internet Platform) from John Endean, President of the American Business Conference, a coalition of CEOs of mid-cap companies. I attempted to post a comment on the HLS Forum but it appears to have fallen through the cracks. […]
Take Action: Comments on SEC Pay Ratio Rulemaking Due December 2
James McRitchie, 09/24/2013 ,
Last week the SEC finally proposed rules to require public companies to disclose the pay ratio between their CEO and their employees, as mandated by Dodd-Frank. Companies would have to disclose the ratio between CEO compensation and the median pay of their employees. Update: Comments due December 2nd. As reported by the WSJ, the ratio of “average” […]
Corporate Governance: Stepping Back in Time From September 2013
James McRitchie, 09/23/2013 ,
Publisher’s Note: Yes, you’ll find many broken links in the material referenced below. After 5, 10 and 15 years, the internet moves on. Many of the organization’s linked have since gone under. We’re just glad to still be here, offering our readers a sense of the history we have shared. More about the WABAC machine. […]
Video Friday: When Shareholders Vote Go & Board Says No + Top 20 Films about Finance
James McRitchie, 09/20/2013 ,
Recommended viewing this week is a discussion between TK Kerstetter, Chairman, NYSE Governance Services / Corporate Board Member and Scott Cutler, EVP, NYSE Euronext. Learn when directors most frequently get withhold votes. Shareholder communication is critical. To watch this one, you will need to go directly to This Week in the Boardroom. In our second of […]
New Proxy Advisor in Australia Doesn't Ignore Retail
James McRitchie, 09/19/2013 ,
KOLESNIKOFF Governance touts itself as “the only professional provider of independent proxy voting and governance research on ASX listed companies and capital markets which is accessible by all investors.” According to their website: We fill the void in professional corporate governance and proxy voting research available to Australia’s retail, self-funded and self-managed superannuation fund (SMSF) investors, who have previously […]
3rd Annual Paper Competition: Investment Theory v. Real Behavior
James McRitchie, 09/18/2013 ,
The Investor Responsibility Research Center Institute (IRRCi) announced its third annual competition for research that examines the interaction of the real economy with investment theory. Two papers – one academic and one practitioner – each will receive the “2014 IRRC Institute Research Award” along with a $10,000 award. (more…)
Review: Shareholder Activism as a Corrective Mechanism in Corporate Governance
James McRitchie, 09/17/2013 ,
Rose, Paul and Sharfman, Bernard S., Shareholder Activism as a Corrective Mechanism in Corporate Governance (September 11, 2013). Ohio State Public Law Working Paper No. 225. Available at SSRN. Type: Theoretical Research Issue: How can activism be utilized to allow corporate decision making to be executed in the most efficient manner? (more…)
FedEx (FDX): How I Voted on Proxy Access & Other Critical Issues – Proxy Score 24
James McRitchie, 09/16/2013 ,
FedEx $FDX is one of the stocks in my portfolio. Their annual meeting is coming up on 9/23/2013. ProxyDemocracy.org had collected the votes of four funds when I checked on 9/15/2013. I voted with management 24% of the time. View Proxy Statement. (more…)
Video Friday: Delaware Law Issues Update
James McRitchie, 09/13/2013 ,
The Society of Corporate Secretaries & Governance Professionals and The John L. Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance at the University of Delaware are pleased to announce a new conference focused on Delaware corporate law issues essential to corporate secretaries, in-house and outside counsel. The conference will be held at the University of Delaware in Newark, […]
Good Reads in Corporate Governance: Quarterlies & More
James McRitchie, 09/12/2013 ,
“The Annual Report 2013” from Directors & Boards has lots of great articles, as always, but my favorite in the current issue is James Kristie’s The Year in Review. “It was a full agenda for activists, regulators, and reformers — and the boards that had to react to them. A month-by-month timeline of year 2012 and […]
Good Reads in Corporate Governance: Redefining Materiality II
James McRitchie, 09/11/2013 ,
AccountAbility has released a comprehensive report examining the growing importance of non-financial factors on corporate performance, disclosure, and valuation. Redefining Materiality II by Marcy Murninghan was developed in response to accelerating acceptance that non-financial materiality is an influential factor in corporate valuation. As part of a new series of publications on materiality, the report describes the landscape of […]
2013 Millstein Forum: Deconstruction of SIFIs and Capital Allocation
James McRitchie, 09/10/2013 ,
The following are cryptic notes and a few photos taken at the 2013 Millstein Forum held June 24 & 25 at Columbia Law School. Be sure to check out the Forum’s photo gallery for more photos, agenda, notes, etc. Moderator: Ira M. Millstein, Chair, Center for Global Markets and Corporate Ownership at the Columbia Law School; Counsel, Systemic Risk Council; Senior Partner, […]
H&R Block, Inc. (HRB): How I Voted – Proxy Score 53%
James McRitchie, 09/09/2013 ,
H&R Block, Inc. $HRB is one of the stocks in my portfolio. Their annual meeting is coming up on 9/12/2013. ProxyDemocracy.org had collected the votes of two funds when I checked on 9/6/2013 and again on 9/9/2013. I voted with management 53% of the time. View Proxy Statement. (more…)
Video Friday: Busy Secretary – The Principal-Agent Problem
James McRitchie, 09/06/2013 ,
The principal-agent conflict is endemic in employer-employee and supervisor-supervisee relationships. KK Fung’s cartoon talks about ownership and being one’s boss… alignment of work and rewards. (more…)
2013 Millstein Forum: The Function of an Efficient Market
James McRitchie, 09/05/2013 ,
The following are cryptic notes and a few photos taken at the 2013 Millstein Forum held June 24 & 25 at Columbia Law School. Be sure to check out the Forum’s photo gallery. Moderator: Judith F. Samuelson, Executive Director, Aspen Business and Society Program, Aspen Institute. (more…)
2013 Millstein Forum: Managing Risk for Diverse Ownership
James McRitchie, 09/04/2013 ,
The following are cryptic notes and a few photos taken at the 2013 Millstein Forum held June 24 & 25 at Columbia Law School. Be sure to check out the Forum’s photo gallery with links to other materials as well. Moderator: Peggy Foran, Chief Governance Officer, VP and Corporate Secretary at Prudential Financial, substituted for Holly J. Gregory, Partner, Weil, Gotshal & Manges […]
2013 Millstein Forum: New Communication Tech – Help or Hinderance?
James McRitchie, 09/03/2013 ,
The following are cryptic notes and a few photos taken at the 2013 Millstein Forum held June 24 & 25 at Columbia Law School. Be sure to check out the Forum’s photo gallery with links to other materials as well. For the panel on social media the moderator was John A. Seethoff, Vice President and Deputy General Counsel, Assistant Secretary, Microsoft Corporation. […]
2013 Millstein Forum – Keynote Speaker: Sheila Bair
James McRitchie, 09/02/2013 ,
The following are cryptic notes and a photo taken at the 2013 Millstein Forum held June 24 & 25 at Columbia Law School. Be sure to check out the Forum’s photo gallery. I was probably paying more attention to my table-mates than the speaker but decided to post my note and an extensive interview conducted by Bill Moyers. BofA wasn’t […]