Download or read book Becoming a Public Benefit Corporation written by Michael B. Dorff , J.D. and published by Stanford University Press. This book was released on 2023-11-21 with total page 331 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There are now over 10,000 benefit corporations and public benefit corporations in the United States, including at least fifteen public companies. This is the authoritative guide for leaders, advisors, and board members. Entrepreneurs and leaders often have an inspiring vision for how their business can not only make money for shareholders, but also benefit society. In recent years a new legal structure has emerged, the "Benefit Corporation" or "Public Benefit Corporation," which helps organizations make this ethical vision a legally authorized and protected reality. Companies like Patagonia, Kickstarter, Warby Parker, Danone North America, Allbirds, and King Arthur Baking have become benefit corporations to help advance both their business and their broader mission. Rather than narrowly maximizing profits, they consider their business' impact on employees, customers, suppliers, the environment and others. The goal of benefit corporations like these is to foster a new, more humane, and sustainable capitalism by pursuing both profits and mission. Benefit corporation status helps protect the company mission even when leadership changes—and in the face of pressure from investors, shareholders, bankers and lenders. Becoming a Public Benefit Corporation explains this exciting new type of corporation, when it makes sense, and how becoming a benefit corporation can help leaders and organizations balance the tradeoffs between profits and mission. Law professor and corporate governance expert Michael B. Dorff also covers the weaknesses of benefit corporations, arguing that the enforcement mechanisms around benefit corporations are currently too weak to prevent "purpose washing." With examples from top companies, the book shows mission-driven leaders, board members, and advisors how to use the benefit corporation structure to make the world a better place.

Download or read book Benefit Corporation Law and Governance written by Frederick Alexander and published by Berrett-Koehler Publishers. This book was released on 2017-10-16 with total page 355 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Corporations with a Conscience Corporations today are embedded in a system of shareholder primacy. Nonfinancial concerns—like worker well-being, environmental impact, and community health—are secondary to the imperative to maximize share price. Benefit corporation governance reorients corporations so that they work for the interests of all stakeholders, not just shareholders. This is the first authoritative guide to this new form of governance. It is an invaluable guide for legal and financial professionals, as well as interested entrepreneurs and investors who want to understand how purposeful corporate governance can be put into practice.

Download or read book Research Handbook on Corporate Purpose and Personhood written by Pollman, Elizabeth and published by Edward Elgar Publishing. This book was released on 2021-09-28 with total page 432 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This insightful Research Handbook contributes to the theoretical and practical understanding of corporate purpose and personhood, which has become the central debate of corporate law. It provides cutting-edge thoughts on the role of corporations in society and the nature of their rights and responsibilities.

Download or read book The Shareholder Value Myth written by Lynn Stout and published by Berrett-Koehler Publishers. This book was released on 2012-05-07 with total page 151 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An in-depth look at the trouble with shareholder value thinking and at better options for models of corporate purpose. Executives, investors, and the business press routinely chant the mantra that corporations are required to “maximize shareholder value.” In this pathbreaking book, renowned corporate expert Lynn Stout debunks the myth that corporate law mandates shareholder primacy. Stout shows how shareholder value thinking endangers not only investors but the rest of us as well, leading managers to focus myopically on short-term earnings; discouraging investment and innovation; harming employees, customers, and communities; and causing companies to indulge in reckless, sociopathic, and irresponsible behaviors. And she looks at new models of corporate purpose that better serve the needs of investors, corporations, and society. “A must-read for managers, directors, and policymakers interested in getting America back in the business of creating real value for the long term.” —Constance E. Bagley, professor, Yale School of Management; president, Academy of Legal Studies in Business; and author of Managers and the Legal Environment and Winning Legally “A compelling call for radically changing the way business is done... The Shareholder Value Myth powerfully demonstrates both the dangers of the shareholder value rule and the falseness of its alleged legal necessity.” —Joel Bakan, professor, The University of British Columbia, and author of the book and film The Corporation “Lynn Stout has a keen mind, a sharp pen, and an unbending sense of fearlessness. Her book is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the root causes of the current financial calamity.” —Jack Willoughby, senior editor, Barron’s “Lynn Stout offers a new vision of good corporate governance that serves investors, firms, and the American economy.” —Judy Samuelson, executive director, Business and Society Program, The Aspen Institute

Download or read book Social Enterprise Law written by Dana Brakman Reiser and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2017-09-05 with total page 217 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Social enterprises represent a new kind of venture, dedicated to pursuing profits for owners and benefits for society. Social Enterprise Law provides tools that will allow them to raise the capital they need to flourish. Social Enterprise Law weaves innovation in contract and corporate governance into powerful protections against insiders sacrificing goals such as environmental sustainability in the pursuit of short-term profits. Creating a stable balance between financial returns and public benefits will allow social entrepreneurs to team up with impact investors that share their vision of a double bottom line. Brakman Reiser and Dean show how novel legal technologies can allow social enterprises to access capital markets, including unconventional sources such as crowdfunding. With its straightforward insights into complex areas of the law, the book shows how a social mission can even be shielded from the turbulence of an acquisition or bankruptcy. It also shows why, as the metrics available to measure the impact of social missions on individuals and communities become more sophisticated, such legal innovations will continue to become more robust. By providing a comprehensive survey of the U.S. laws and a bold vision for how legal institutions across the globe could be reformed, this book offers new insights and approaches to help social enterprises raise the capital they need to flourish. It offers a rich guide for students, entrepreneurs, investors, and practitioners.

Download or read book The Long and Winding Road to Public Benefit Corporations in Colorado written by Herrick K. Lidstone and published by . This book was released on 2019 with total page 50 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 2013, the Colorado General Assembly enacted H.B.13-1138, the Public Benefit Corporation Act of Colorado (PBCA). A Colorado public benefit corporation (PBC) must identify a public benefit purpose in its Articles of Incorporation. The directors, in managing the business and affairs of the PBC, must balance the pecuniary interests of the shareholders, the interests of those materially affected by the corporation's conduct, and the public benefits identified in the Articles of Incorporation. The Colorado General Assembly has amended the PBCA three times since it was enacted, most recently in 2017 and 2019. The 2019 amendments also made significant changes to the Colorado Business Corporation Act on which corporations formed under the PBCA are based, and the attachment to the article setting forth model provisions for Colorado PBCs includes those and other changes.B Lab Company has been promoting the benefit corporation concept since the mid-2000s as a means of supporting corporations meeting a corporate social responsibility theme. Whether the protections offered by the benefit corporation legislation was necessary or merely convenient has been a topic of debate. In June 2014 the U.S. Supreme Court decided the Hobby Lobby cases which held (in part) that profit maximization was not the only permissible corporate goal, even for a for-profit corporation. In 2015, Delaware Chief Justice Leo E. Strine, Jr., published a paper on SSRN discussing Delaware common law and the DGCL as it impacts the ability of directors to consider alternative constituencies apart from shareholder wealth maximization. This also impacts the consideration between whether a corporation desiring to focus on social responsibility in addition to profit should select a public benefit corporation format, amend its articles of incorporation to identify the additional purposes, or rely on the general statement in the articles "to conduct any lawful business."This paper has been updated to reflect the possible impact of Hobby Lobby and discusses Chief Justice Strine's paper in the section entitled "Why a Public Benefit Corporation Rather Than A Non-PBC?" and subsequent Colorado amendments.The paper also has appended a form addendum to the articles of incorporation which adopts and enhances the Public Benefit Corporation Act provisions of the Colorado Business Corporation Act. The PBCA provisions are identified with yellow highlighting and includes statutory references.

Download or read book The B Corp Handbook written by Ryan Honeyman and published by Berrett-Koehler Publishers. This book was released on 2014-10-13 with total page 225 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Using Business as a Force for Good Join a Growing Movement: Learn how you can join more than 1,000 Certified B Corporations from 80 industries and 35 countries—led by well-known icons like Patagonia and Ben & Jerry's and disruptive upstarts like Warby Parker and Etsy—in a global movement to redefine success in business. Build a Better Business: Drawing on interviews, tips, and best practices from over 100 B Corporations, author and B Corp owner Ryan Honeyman shows that using business as a force for good can help you attract and retain the best talent, distinguish your company in a crowded market, and increase customer trust, loyalty, and evangelism for your brand. More than 1,000 companies from 80 industries and 30 countries are leading a global movement to redefine success in business. They're called B Corporations—B Corps for short—and these businesses create high-quality jobs, help build stronger communities, and restore the environment, all while generating solid financial returns. Author and B Corp owner Ryan Honeyman worked closely with over 100 B Corp CEOs and senior executives to share their tips, advice, and best-practice ideas for how to build a better business and how to meet the rigorous standards for—and enjoy the benefits of—B Corp certification. This book makes the business case for improving your social and environmental performance and offers a step-by-step “quick start guide” on how your company can join an innovative and rapidly expanding community of businesses that want to make money and make a difference.

Download or read book Better Business written by Christopher Marquis and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 2020-09-13 with total page 312 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A compelling look at the B Corp movement and why socially and environmentally responsible companies are vital for everyone’s future Businesses have a big role to play in a capitalist society. They can tip the scales toward the benefit of the few, with toxic side effects for all, or they can guide us toward better, more equitable long-term solutions. Christopher Marquis tells the story of the rise of a new corporate form—the B Corporation. Founded by a group of friends who met at Stanford, these companies undergo a rigorous certification process, overseen by the B Lab, and commit to putting social benefits, the rights of workers, community impact, and environmental stewardship on equal footing with financial shareholders. Informed by over a decade of research and animated by interviews with the movement’s founders and leading figures, Marquis’s book explores the rapid growth of companies choosing to certify as B Corps, both in the United States and internationally, and explains why the future of B Corporations is vital for us all.

Download or read book Please Welcome the Minnesota Public Benefit Corporation written by Deborah Walker and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The purpose of this article is to give practitioners an overview of the proposed Minnesota public benefit corporation. It discusses the origins of the benefit corporation -- what are the specific expectations of corporations today and how the benefit corporation was introduced nationwide and to Minnesota. The article addresses whether Minnesota needs this new corporate form for its corporations to pursue sustainable business practices and to serve purposes other than the maximization of shareholder wealth. The article then introduces the proposed § 304A, the Minnesota Public Benefit Corporation Legislation, in the form it will be discussed in the Minnesota legislature in February 2014. It outlines the basic provisions and discusses the more unusual and significant features, all in an effort to help the practitioner incorporate and advise public benefit corporations in Minnesota. Finally, it discusses some potential improvements and whether this corporate form will succeed, i.e., how the benefit corporation might be used and whether investors will invest.

Download or read book Fiduciary Obligations in Business written by Arthur B. Laby and published by . This book was released on 2021-09-09 with total page 375 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Leading scholars analyze key issues in fiduciary duties in business―one of the most salient applications of fiduciary law and theory.

Download or read book Global Accountabilities written by Alnoor Ebrahim and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2007-09-06 with total page 368 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Accountability is seen as an essential feature of governments, businesses and NGOs. This volume treats it as a socially constructed means of control that can be used by the weak as well as the powerful. It contributes analytical depth to the diverse debates on accountability in modern organizations by exploring its nature, forms and impacts in civil society organizations, public and inter-governmental agencies and private corporations. The contributors draw from a range of disciplines to demonstrate the inadequacy of modern rationalist prescriptions for establishing and monitoring accountability standards, arguing that accountability frameworks attached to principal-agent logics and applied universally across cultures typically fail to achieve their objectives. By examining a diverse range of empirical examples and case studies, this book underscores the importance of grounding accountability procedures and standards in the divergent cultural, social and political settings in which they operate.

Download or read book New York Welcomes Social Entrepreneurship With the Benefit Corporation written by Frank G. Colella and published by . This book was released on 2020 with total page 10 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On December 12, 2011, New York became the seventh state to authorize formation of a Benefit Corporation, a new business entity that seeks to provide a “general public benefit.” The Benefit Corporation, or “B Corporation,” is a hybrid business entity that falls between the for-profit and not-for-profit models. It seeks to create both economic wealth for its shareholders and, simultaneously, provide a benefit to society. The B Corporation imposes an affirmative duty on its officers and directors to further a general public benefit. But, unlike the traditional not-for-profit entity, the B Corporation can distribute profits to its shareholders.The legislation added a new Article 17 to the Business Corporation Law (BCL) that, in addition to listing the statutory requirements for the formation, provides an operational and reporting framework for the new entity. Key among the new requirements are the annual reporting obligation (what public benefit has the corporation provided) and the "bench- marking" provision (the reported public benefit must be measured against an independent third-party standard). Apart from the B Corporation provisions, the BCL itself was amended to clarify the new fiduciary duties imposed on the directors of a Benefit Corporation.

Download or read book Firm Commitment written by Colin Mayer and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2013-02-14 with total page 321 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A comprehensive account of the contribution and failings of one of the most important institutions in the world - the corporation. It gives an accessible and insightful analysis of why the problems of the corporation - financial crises, mismanagement, poverty, and pollution - are increasing and what can be done to address them.

Download or read book Not Just A Living written by Mark Henricks and published by Basic Books. This book was released on 2003-07-03 with total page 252 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As people have come to yearn for more fulfilling and creative work, many are realizing their dreams by leaving the corporate life behind and creating businesses around the things they love. In Not Just a Living, Mark Henricks explores the genesis of this cultural and social phenomenon and offers a comprehensive approach for assessing your own potential, taking the plunge, and building a business that helps you fulfill both personal and professional aspirations. Combining the authority of firsthand experience, colorful and engaging stories from the front lines, and a variety of diagnostic and planning tools, Henricks shows you how to determine whether the entrepreneurial route is right for you, recognize opportunities, overcome obstacles, plan your course, and launch and sustain your business-whether it's a solo venture out of your garage or a multi-million-dollar enterprise.

Download or read book Public Benefit Corporation in New York City written by New York (State). Temporary State Charter Revision Commission for New York State and published by . This book was released on 1973 with total page 62 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Model Rules of Professional Conduct written by American Bar Association. House of Delegates and published by American Bar Association. This book was released on 2007 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Model Rules of Professional Conduct provides an up-to-date resource for information on legal ethics. Federal, state and local courts in all jurisdictions look to the Rules for guidance in solving lawyer malpractice cases, disciplinary actions, disqualification issues, sanctions questions and much more. In this volume, black-letter Rules of Professional Conduct are followed by numbered Comments that explain each Rule's purpose and provide suggestions for its practical application. The Rules will help you identify proper conduct in a variety of given situations, review those instances where discretionary action is possible, and define the nature of the relationship between you and your clients, colleagues and the courts.

Download or read book We commerce written by Billee Howard and published by TarcherPerigee. This book was released on 2015 with total page 210 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Named an Inc. Business Beach Read for Summer 2016! In WE-Commerce, visionary marketing strategist Billee Howard lays out her plan for a new vision of success and long-term, purposeful profitability in the new global, sharing economy Today, the most successful businesses and entrepreneurs thrive through connectivity, socialization, and sharing. It is an age of WE-Commerce, an economy centered on the power of "we" instead of "me," focused on the needs of the many over the few. Booming companies such as Uber and Airbnb leverage technology to create platforms that rely largely on social media and community feedback to facilitate people's ability to collaborate with one another. Instead of traditional business strategies, companies must now inspire belief and trust in their communities; collaborate with their customers; create business models that are socially and environmentally responsible; find opportunities for creative collaboration with large, global markets; and become a new generation of innovators--"artists of business." With advice from "stay small but include all" to "profit with purpose" and "embrace disruption," Billee Howard gives readers the reinvented business toolkit that they will need to effectively collaborate, co-create, and succeed in a WE-Commerce landscape, and to acquire a new set of skills that will position them as leaders in the transformed economy.