The increasing value of “human capital” is acknowledged inFortune magazine article by Thomas Stewart. The Conference Board released the first issue of their Institutional Investment Report. At the end of the second quarter of 1996, U.S. institutions held more than $11.1 trillion in total assets, up from $10.5 trillion at the end of 1995 and $6.3 […]
Author Archive | James McRitchie
Archives: January 1997
Investor Relations Business greco@tfn.comreports that representatives of the Council of Institutional Investors,American Society of Corporate Secretaries, National Association of Individual Investors and the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility have “tentatively agreed to tentatively agree” to proxy reforms outline by Commissioner Steve Wallman of the SEC in a speech before CII last October. Proposals from those holding 3% or more […]
Archives: December 1996
Spencer Stuart survey of Midwestern companies confirms trend towards alignment of corporate boards and shareholders. The annual study of board practices at 95 leading Midwestern companies with sales of $500 million or more found the number offering retirement plans to board members fell from 54% in 1995 to 34% due to mounting pressure from shareholder […]
Archives: 1995 – November 1996
Nasdaq will seek public and industry comment on a series of changes to its asdaq will seek public and industry comment on a series of changes to its listing qualification standards. Among the governance standards are: a minimum of two independent directors; an audit committee with a majority of independent directors; an annual shareholders meeting; […]
Review – Investor Capitalism: How Money Managers Are Rewriting The Rules Of Corporate America
Investor Capitalism: How Money Managers Are Changing the Face of Corporate America. Managerial capitalism ascended during the century’s middle decades. “The decisions they made often affected the lives of thousands of people, yet they were seemingly accountable to no one.” The large holdings of institutional investors and the growth of indexing as a major investment strategy have prevented the […]
Ending the Wall Street Walk: Why Corporate Governance Now?
What would you do if the company in which you’ve invested your hard-earned dollars threw it away on fat retirement benefits to outside members of its board of directors? One individual investor, Richard Ayers, conducted a proxy battle this year with Nevada Power Company over the issue. Although he won more than 30% of the vote, […]
Fiduciary Responsibilities for Proxy Voting
O’Barr, Conley and Brancato trace the common thread in the culture of pension funds in their book, Fortune and Folly: The Wealth and Power of Institutional Investing, to “an overriding concern with managing personal relationships” and an all pervasive “need to manage responsibility and blame.” Involvement by fund trustees in corporate governance issues is not yet the […]