Fair elections have long been a major concern. When I started CorpGov.net in 1995, most directors were probably chosen by CEOs. Elections resembled those of North Korea. Vote for management’s slate or withhold your vote. Fair elections? I didn’t think so. My friends toiled mostly in socially responsible investments, focused on double bottom line impacts and […]
Proxy Season 2021 Investor Sentiment Study: Background Proxy Season 2021 Investor Sentiment Study finds the rise and influence of individual investors presents unique opportunities to engage new investors like never before. A new survey from Broadridge Financial Solutions (NYSE: BR) highlights how new and younger retail investors are thinking about investing and this year’s proxy […]
Tepper begins his book (with Hearn) by recounting United Airlines forcibly removing paying passenger Dr. David Dao, a Vietnamese-American pulmonologist, from an overbooked plane. The video of him going unconscious and bloody went viral. United’s CEO initially blamed the passenger for resisting but later settled. Jonathan Tepper and Denise Hearn fail to mention Dr. Dao suffered a broken nose, loss […]
The second annual Kirkland & Ellis Law Forum at Stanford’s Rock Center for Corporate Governance, brought together a leading academic, legal practitioners, and an investment banker to discuss recent trends in activist investing and their impact on the M&A market. What follows are my cryptic notes. The Center will probably post the video at some […]
Guest Post: Andrew Clearfield is an internationally-known investment manager, corporate governance expert, and independent corporate director. He founded Investment Initiatives LLC in 2005 to aid institutions engaging with portfolio companies, as well as coordinating their efforts with other concerned investors. Looking at a range of research reports, it seems conservative to say that at least half […]
I attended this discussion between Professor Joe Grundfest and Vice Chancellor J. Travis Laster, Delaware Court of Chancery at the Rock Center for Corporate Governance on March 10, 2014. As Advertised Many Silicon Valley companies are marked by the presence of dual and triple class (more…)
To do more jumbo deals in a tougher world, Indian firms need to tackle a glaring area of weakness. This is their complex structures, which mean cash flows are spread thinly, and their dislike of issuing equity for fear of diluting their controlling shareholders. Both factors combined make it hard to marshal resources without resorting […]
The Investor Responsibility Research Center (IRRC) Institute invites you to a webinar to review a new report “Mergers and Acquisitions and the Universal Investor.” The study was conducted by a team headed by Dr. Ben Branch, professor of finance at the Isenberg School of Management, University of Massachusetts Amherst. (more…)
Equilar examined change-in-control arrangements among Fortune 100 companies for fiscal years 2008 and 2010. Key Findings: Change-in-Control Cash Multiples Decrease for CEOs: The prevalence of 3x salary multipliers among Fortune 100 CEOs decreased from 65.9% in 2008 to 44.2% in 2010, while the prevalence of 2x salary multipliers rose from 18.2% to 34.9%. Similarly, the […]
The Corporate Transactions Handbook by Lawrence Hsieh is an annually supplemented legal guide designed to help attorneys, bankers and, I would add, boardmembers, to become fully acquainted with the major legal issues related to a variety of corporate transactions in the most popular practice areas. One unusual characteristic of the book, especially for a legal handbook […]
Governance practitioners should be aware of two very recent Delaware Chancery cases which are likely to have a significant effect upon business practices. In the first, Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. v. Airgas, Inc., et al and In re Airgas Inc. Shareholder Litigation, Civ. Act. Nos. 5249-CC and 5256-CC February 15, 2011, the Delaware Chancellor in […]
I’m old enough to remember the Seinfeld episode where George does the opposite. Finally, after realizing his every instinct in life has been wrong, George Castanza resolves to do the opposite and things finally begin to turn around for him. A similar strategy, contrarian investing, can work for investors as well. A recent edition of […]
It had been months since I’d attended an SVNACD breakfast meetings. Top talent was on hand, both among the panelists and in the audience. The facility at Wilson, Sonsini, Goodrich & Rosati was great. Sorry about photo quality… first time working with a new camera that I may not keep. As usual, my notes are […]