Academy of Management 2021, #AOM2021. I was a discussant at a symposium entitled, Synergizing Corporate Activism Research: Building a Shared Understanding of an Evolving Phenomenon (session 913) This post is mostly for my future reference but readers may also find parts interesting. I welcome contact from those attending #AOM2021 who are interested in collaborating with investors. […]
The seventh annual IRRCi deadline for submissions draws near. The Investor Responsibility Research Center Institute (IRRCi) is accepting submissions for its seventh annual competition for research that examines the interaction between the real economy and investment theory. (more…)
Microcap Board Governance, a study conducted by Board Governance Research LLC commissioned by the Investor Responsibility Research Center Institute (IRRCi), examines microcap board governance at 160 companies. That represents about ten percent of all companies with less than $300 million in market capitalization traded on major U.S. stock exchanges. (more…)
IRRCi has a new home! The Investor Responsibility Research Center Institute (IRRCi) announced that it has selected the John L. Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance (Weinberg Center) at the University of Delaware as its successor organization. The Weinberg Center will receive a grant from IRRCi in excess of $1 million as part of the successor […]
A new measuring effectiveness roadmap helps investors ensure they are moving beyond generating environmental or social impact through individual market transactions and are better aligning with broader system-level goals (e.g., the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs). Group action along the same trajectory can better influence system-level change. The measuring effectiveness roadmap helps investors answer […]
CEO Incentives can boost short-term stock price but destroy long-term value, according to the two winning academic papers of the Investor Responsibility Research Center Institute (IRRCi) annual investor research competition. The winning academic research teams share a $10,000 award. (more…)
IRRCi Research Award Submission Deadline is October 6, 2017. Two categories: Practitioner and Academic. Winners to Receive $10,000 each and get to present at the 2107 influential Columbia University Millstein Center Forum. The Investor Responsibility Research Center Institute (IRRCi) is accepting submissions through October 6, 2017, for its sixth annual competition for research that examines the interaction […]
Two research papers that have the potential to reshape investor thinking on the detrimental impacts of short-termism by investors have won the Investor Responsibility Research Center Institute (IRRCi) annual investor research competition. The winners were presented at the Columbia Law School’s 2016 Millstein Governance Forum, Governance, Leadership and the Future of the Corporation, in New York City. […]
Tipping Points 2016, a new state-of-the-industry report profiled 50 investors investors with $17.3 trillion in assets, finds that investors are deliberately incorporating new investment approaches to help address systems-level risks and opportunities. The study indicates that investors are intentionally attempting to influence systems-level risk factors previously ignored as beyond the impact-ability of institutional investors. The report identifies ten tools […]
Stock Buybacks: Directors Identify Four Reasons Stock Buyback Programs Stock buybacks have reached their highest level since the financial crisis, with S&P 500 companies repurchasing $166.3 billion of shares in first quarter of 2016. The Investor Responsibility Research Center Institute (IRRCi) and Tapestry Networks have scheduled a webinar for Tuesday, September 13, 2016, at 1 PM ET to review the […]
Food safety is an issue I’ve been concerned with for years, first as head of California’s cooperative development program, then while on the boards of a food co-op and a wholesale distributor. I remember going for a State of California job interview with someone who lived a few houses down from the co-op. During the […]
Controlled companies generally underperformed non-controlled firms in terms of total shareholder returns, revenue growth, and return on equity, according to a new report, Controlled Companies in the Standard & Poor’s 1500: A Follow-up Review of Performance & Risk, commissioned by the Investor Responsibility Research Center Institute (IRRCi) and conducted by Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. (ISS). The study also finds […]
Tom Croft of Heartland Capital Strategies had a good post the other day on the proposed CEO pay rules: The US Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) voted to adopt a new CEO-Worker Pay Ratio Rule at its August 5 Meeting, passing the rule mandated by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (five years later). […]
The Investor Responsibility Research Center Institute (IRRCi) is accepting submissions for its fourth annual Investor Research Award competition for research that examines the interaction between the real economy and investment theory. Practitioners and academics are invited to submit research papers by September 15, 2015, for consideration by a blue-ribbon panel of judges with deep finance and investment experience. Two research […]
Almost three-quarters of investment professionals worldwide (73 percent) take environmental, social, and corporate governance — ESG issues into consideration in the investment process, according to the CFA Institute ESG Survey, a new survey of CFA Institute members created by CFA Institute and the Investor Responsibility Research Center Institute (IRRC Institute). In addition, 64 percent of survey […]
Sustainability innovation is powering business growth, according to a new research report. Between 2010 and 2013, revenues from company-defined portfolios of sustainable products and services grew by 91% among the companies examined in the report. For S&P Global 100 companies that break out revenue for sustainable products or services separately, that revenue stream grew at […]
Monday, May 11, 2015, 2 PM ET Connecting the Dots: Corporate Human Resources & Investment Outcomes Investor Responsibility Research Center Institute & Harvard Law Labor & Worklife Program Join the webinar on Monday, May 11th at 2:00 PM to review the findings of the latest research from the Investor Responsibility Research Center Institute (IRRCi) and the Pensions […]
Two Winners Will Receive $10,000 and Present Research at the 2015 Columbia University Millstein Center for Global Markets and Corporate Governance Forum Practitioner and Academic Submissions Accepted Until Sept. 15, 2015 (more…)
Disclaimer: I’m sharing a few notes from Directors Forum 2015 held at San Diego University beginning 2/25/2015 and ending 2/27/2015. The Forum was held under the Chatham House Rule, so you won’t read any juicy tidbits here. However, I do hope to give readers some flavor of the topics discussed and a little on the general […]
A new study finds that economic value creation is not a major factor in institutional investors’ Say-on-Pay voting, nor in the recommendations of the two largest proxy advisors that counsel investors how to vote. The research reveals that there is no material difference between institutional investors’ Say-on-Pay voting for those companies that create economic value […]
Total shareholder return (TSR), is the most frequent metric used to pay CEOs for performance. The authors of this excellent study from IRRCi believe CEO pay should, instead, be linked to the cost and future value of capital. CEO Pay for ‘Performance” In 1993, Congress amended the tax code to tie executive pay to “performance” […]
Corporate boards are exceeding legal oversight requirements on environmental and social issues, with more than half of S&P 500 companies providing board level oversight of environmental and/or social issues above and beyond that required by law. Board Oversight of Sustainability Issues finds that many industries subject to scrutiny – paper, forestry, healthcare, utility companies – are among the most […]
The Investor Responsibility Research Center Institute (IRRCi) deadline approaches for 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…)
Since issuing their first report in 2009, the Investor Responsibility Research Center Institute has made a deep impact – far beyond their expectations. A new Five Year Impact Report recaps the 28 reports IRRCi has issued, which cover a wide range of contentious issues – executive compensation, fracking, political spending and proxy voting – to name a few. Since […]
TK Kerstetter, Chairman, NYSE Governance Services / Corporate Board Member interviews one of the brightest minds in corporate governance, Jon Lukomnik, who serves as the executive director of the IRRC Institute. A columnist for Compliance Week, Mr. Lukomnik previously chaired the executive committee of the Council of Institutional Investors, co-founded and served as a governor of the […]
Purpose, Use, Potential Misuse of Stock Prices in Public Equity Market Deadline for Proposals: November 15, 2013 Author Presentation of Findings: September 19, 2014 The Investor Responsibility Research Center Institute & The Millstein Center for Global Markets and Corporate Ownership have initiated a joint effort to better understand the purpose, use and potential misuse of stock prices in […]
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…)
Jon Lukomnik, Executive Director of Investor Responsibility Research Center Institute (IRRCi), was announced the winner of the 2013 International Corporate Governance Network (ICGN) Award for Excellence in Corporate Governance. He received the honor at the ICGN annual general meeting in New York, New York. Ralph Whitworth, Founder and Principal of Relational Investors, was awarded the Lifetime Achiever […]
Two seminal research papers have won the Investor Responsibility Research Center Institute’s (IRRCi) prestigious annual researchcompetition focused on the interaction of the real economy with investment theory. One research paper highlights the financial market’s ability to learn the value of corporate governance, and the second explores evolving fiduciary responsibilities resulting from the need for long-term value creation. IRRCi Chair Linda […]
Key Characteristics of Prominent Shareholder-sponsored Proposals on Environmental and Social Topics, 2005-2011, released by the IRRC Institute (IRRCi) and researched by Ernst & Young LLP finds environmental and social (E+S) shareowner proposals are gaining increased support from investors at US companies. Download the report, presentation, press release and even replay the webinar from IRRCi’s website. (more…)
The Investor Responsibility Research Center Institute will host a webinar on Wednesday, February 20, 2013 at 1 PM ET to review the findings of a new study that finds environmental and social (E+S) shareholder proposals are gaining increased voting support from investors at U.S. public companies. From 2005-2011, average support for these proposals more than […]
The Investor Responsibility Research Center Institute (IRRCi) is accepting submissions for its second 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 “2013 IRRC Institute Research Award” along with a $10,000 award. A blue-ribbon panel of renowned judges […]
How Boards and Management Can Accelerate Shareholder Value Growth Wednesday October 17, 2012, 2pm EDT/11 am PDT, To register for this complimentary webinar, click here. Shareholder value growth is the core challenge of every business and the ultimate (more…)
A new study finds that controlled companies – particularly those with multiple classes of shares – generally underperform over the long term. As compared to companies with dispersed ownership, controlled companies experience more stock price volatility, increased material weakness in accounting controls, more related party transactions, and offer fewer rights to unaffiliated shareholders. The study […]
Second Annual Contest for Best Research on Post-Modern Portfolio Theory: Uniting the Real Economy with Portfolio & Investment Theory. (more…)