Inside Investor Relations (IR) had an important article on July 30th, On the Way to the Investor Forum that raised the question: do companies really want to encourage their shareholders to chat about them in online forums? Wouldn’t it create a lot of work for investor relations officers (IROs) “who are responsible for monitoring these online […]
Tag Archives | Millstein
Agency Capitalism: Corrective Measures (Part 1)
James McRitchie, 03/13/2013 ,
In their recent paper, The Agency Costs of Agency Capitalism: Activist Investors and the Revaluation of Governance Rights, Ronald J. Gilson and Jeffrey N. Gordon (January 1, 2013) argue that proposed reforms to accelerate disclosure of equity positions and prohibit certain derivatives would discourage the vital role of activist shareowners. Below, I argue in support of their position […]
Wayback Machine
James McRitchie, 06/26/2012 ,
It has been months, maybe years, since we’ve slipped into the “wayback machine.” Here we go. Let’s have some fun. (more…)
Effective Chair-CEO Relations
James McRitchie, 03/24/2011 ,
The number of U.S. companies that separate the chairman and CEO roles is at a historic high: 40% of the S&P 500 now separate the roles, up from 23% a decade ago, according to Spencer Stuart. Of the 40%, 19% may be classified as independent Chairs, up from 9% five years ago. A new report […]
Yale Governance Forum June 2009: Restoring Trust
James McRitchie, 06/24/2009 ,
Prior to the Forum, I attended a reception honoring the Rising Stars of Corporate Governance for 2009. Those included in the photo are (left to right, top to bottom): Evelynne Change, Coordinator for Corporate Governance, African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) Secretariat, New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) George Anderson, Partner, Tapestry Networks Elizabeth Ising, Associate […]
Support Petition to Keep Blank Votes Blank
James McRitchie, 05/20/2009 ,
This morning, the SEC held a hearing on proxy access. By a three to two vote, Commissioners voted for proxy access. Democracy in corporate governance will dramatically improve with our right to nominate and elect directors, even if limited to 25% of the board. Directors may actually begin to feel dependent on the will of […]