Download or read book Shareholder Activism and Corporate Governance in the United States written by Bernard S. Black and published by . This book was released on 2000 with total page 20 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: I survey corporate governance activity by institutional investors in the United States, and the empirical evidence on whether this activity affects firm performance. A small number of American institutional investors, mostly public pension plans, spend a trivial amount of money on overt activism efforts. They don't conduct proxy fights, and don't try to elect their own candidates to the board of directors. Legal rules, agency costs within the institutions, information costs, collective action problems, and limited institutional competence are all plausible partial explanations for this relative lack of activity. The currently available evidence, taken as a whole, is consistent with the proposition that the institutions achieve the effects on firm performance that one might expect from this level of effort -- namely, not much.

Download or read book Shareholder Activism and the Law written by Ekrem Solak and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2020-05-04 with total page 237 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides a complete framework for contemporary shareholder activism and its implications for US corporate governance, which is based on director primacy theory. Under director primacy theory, shareholders do not wish to be involved in the management of the company; in the rare event that they wish to be involved, it is considered a transfer of power from the board of directors to shareholders, which in turn reduces the efficiency of centralised decision-making in public companies. However, this book demonstrates that shareholders do not use their power to transfer corporate control from the board to themselves, and that some form of shareholder activism is even collaborative, which is a new paradigm for US corporate governance. This book shows that while monitoring remains a key contribution of shareholders, they also bring new informational inputs to corporate decision-making that could not be obtained under the traditional board model. Accordingly, contemporary shareholder activism enhances the board’s decision-making and monitoring capacity, without undermining the economic value of the board's authority. Therefore, this book argues that the complete approach of contemporary shareholder activism should be accommodated into US corporate governance. In doing so, this book considers not only legal and regulatory developments in the wake of the 2007–2008 financial crisis, but also the governance developments through by-law amendments. Furthermore, the author makes several recommendations to soften the current director primacy model: establishing a level playing field for private ordering, adopting the proxy access default regime, the majority voting rule, the universal proxy rules, and enhancing the disclosure requirements of shareholders. The book will be of interest to academics and students of corporate governance, both in the US and internationally.

Download or read book Shareholder driven Corporate Governance written by Anita Indira Anand and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2020-02-01 with total page 187 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How effectively can governing mechanisms forged before the surge of activist investment continue to protect shareholders and efficiently order capital markets? This is a pressing question for scholars and practitioners of corporate law, as well as for market participants generally. In order to illuminate the extent to which the growing trend of shareholder activism calls for a new understanding of the kind of shareholder-corporate relations the law should facilitate, this book introduces the concept of shareholder-driven corporate governance. This concept refers to the evident phenomenon of shareholder involvement in corporate governance and offers a normative endorsement of this development. In order to secure the benefits of investors' increasing involvement in corporate affairs, regulatory regimes must grapple with a number of considerations. This book is based on the idea that shareholder corporate governance is a welcome development, but that it does not come without regulatory challenges. For one, it requires rejecting the idea that well-ordered capital markets can be achieved through corporate law which is subservient to private ordering. The mandatory character of, for example, securities regulation is vital to fostering shareholder involvement in corporate affairs. Defenders of shareholder corporate governance must also confront the matter of "wolf packs," or loosely formed bands of investors who defy existing regulatory categories but nonetheless exert collective influence. Regulation that is sensitive to both the inadequacies of past approaches to corporate-shareholder relations and the novel challenges posed by increasing shareholder activism will be able to harness activism, allowing capital markets to flourish.

Download or read book The Evolution of Shareholder Activism in the United States written by Stuart Gillan and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 51 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the early 1900's American financial institutions were active participants in U.S. corporate governance but the enactment of securities laws in the 1930's limited the power of financial intermediaries and thus their governance role. The consequence of such laws and regulations was a progressive widening of the gap between ownership and control in large U.S. public companies. In 1942, SEC rule changes allowed shareholders to submit proposals for inclusion on corporate ballots. Since that time, shareholder activists have used the proxy process, and other approaches, to pressure corporate boards and managers for change. In particular, during the mid-1980s, the involvement of large institutional shareholders increased dramatically with the advent of public pension fund activism. At the heart of shareholder activism is the quest for value, yet the empirical evidence suggests that effects of such activism are mixed. We review the evidence on activism and, while some studies have found positive short-term market reactions to announcements of certain kinds of activism, there is little evidence of improvement in the long-term operating or stock-market performance of the targeted companies. A recent increase in hedge fund activism appears to be associated with dramatic corporate change, however, the research in this area is still somewhat nascent and the long-term effects are still unknown.

Download or read book The Oxford Handbook of Corporate Law and Governance written by Jeffrey Neil Gordon and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2018 with total page 1217 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Corporate law and governance are at the forefront of regulatory activities worldwide, and subject to increasing public attention in the wake of the Global Financial Crisis. Comprehensively referencing the key debates, the Handbook provides a much-needed framework for understanding the aims and methods of legal research in the field.

Download or read book Hedge Fund Activism written by Alon Brav and published by Now Publishers Inc. This book was released on 2010 with total page 76 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Hedge Fund Activism begins with a brief outline of the research literature and describes datasets on hedge fund activism.

Download or read book Shareholder Activism Handbook written by Jay W. Eisenhofer and published by Wolters Kluwer. This book was released on 2005-01-01 with total page 1458 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Shareholder Activism Handbook is the single most comprehensive guide on all matters relating to enforcing shareholders' rights. As shareholder activism becomes a more integral part of investing, the law continues to respond accordingly. Legislators

Download or read book Corporate Governance Strengthening Latin American Corporate Governance The Role of Institutional Investors written by OECD and published by OECD Publishing. This book was released on 2011-07-01 with total page 78 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This report reflects long-term, in-depth discussion and debate by participants in the Latin American Roundtable on Corporate Governance.

Download or read book Understanding Institutional Shareholder Activism written by Bo Gong and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-12-13 with total page 308 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Institutional shareholder participation has long been considered as vital to good corporate governance yet its potential does not seem to have been realized. The recent banking crisis exposed the passivity of some institutional shareholders, many of whom appear to have chosen to sell their stakes in the banks rather than intervene or challenge the board when they realized the strategies followed by the banks were excessively risky. Institutional shareholders’ role to scrutinize and monitor the decisions of boards and executive management in the banking sector in the UK is considered by many to be a failure, resulting in the phenomenon of ‘ownerless corporations’, as described by Lord Myners. In China, despite the fast rising of institutional investment in the securities market, institutional shareholders have not yet played a contributory role in monitoring corporate managers in listed companies. Drawing on empirical evidence this book seeks to systematically analyses institutional shareholders’ incentives to activism to explain when and why shareholder activism will occur. The book puts forward a model which explains the factors that determine institutional shareholders’ propensity for activism. The model both elaborates the collective benefits of activism as a means of achieving managerial accountability asks whether and when shareholder activism is rational for any individual shareholder. The book then goes to on to apply these finding to both the UK and China in order to explain the varying levels of shareholder activism in each jurisdiction. The book is the first to take an in-depth look at institutional share-holder activism in China providing prescriptions to promote greater shareholder engagement and exploring the potential it holds for improving corporate governance in the region.

Download or read book The Trajectory of American Corporate Governance written by Jennifer G. Hill and published by . This book was released on 2020 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Why are shareholder empowerment and activism such controversial issues in the United States today? Other common law jurisdictions, including the United Kingdom, have welcomed and encouraged greater shareholder participation and engagement in corporate governance. In the United States, however, this prospect has been met with widespread apprehension and resistance. There is a paradox here. The United States is generally regarded as the birthplace of shareholder activism, yet U.S. shareholders have traditionally possessed far fewer corporate governance rights than shareholders in other common law jurisdictions, where such rights are often guaranteed by mandatory laws. U.S. corporate law has been much more focused on protecting shareholders than enabling shareholders to participate in corporate governance, and thereby protect themselves. This article discusses the trajectory of corporate governance in the United States, with particular attention to the regulatory distinction between shareholder protection versus participation in corporate governance. In doing so, it highlights evolving shareholder governance rights in the United States against the backdrop of the shareholder empowerment and proxy access debates. The article also investigates recent U.S. developments, including the growing use by institutional investors of private ordering as a “self-help” mechanism to gain stronger participatory rights. These developments, including controversial bylaw amendments, have readjusted the balance of power between shareholders and boards of directors in U.S. public corporations. They have also created a dynamic and shifting corporate governance terrain, where boards and shareholders are increasingly engaged in “private ordering combat.” The article also explores the intriguing underlying question of why shareholder empowerment and participation in corporate governance are such fraught issues in the United States, compared to some other common law jurisdictions, such as the United Kingdom. To explain this puzzle, the article looks to legal history and to the fundamentally different organizational origins of US and UK corporate law. Organizational origins matter, and divergence in those origins, combined with the phenomenon of "origins backlash", can lead to fundamental differences in the structure of legal regimes. The article argues that this insight is critical to understanding why shareholder empowerment and participation in corporate governance are, and are likely to remain, such contentious issues in the United States compared to other common law jurisdictions.

Download or read book Shareholder Democracy written by Lisa M. Fairfax and published by . This book was released on 2011 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book offers a succinct, practical guide for understanding what some have referred to as shareholder democracy--efforts to facilitate and increase shareholder voting power within the corporation. In the past few years there has been a surge in shareholder activism that has had a profound impact on the corporation. Shareholders and other activists have sought to increase shareholders' voting power within the corporation based largely on the belief that increasing shareholder power will increase director and officer accountability, thereby helping to curb corporate misconduct and improve corporate performance. However, there is intense debate regarding whether increased shareholder power can achieve such objectives and whether increased shareholder power will negatively impact the corporation. This book is the first to provide a concise, but comprehensive look at the various ways in which shareholders have sought to enhance their voting power and influence within the corporation. In addition to examining shareholder activism, this book highlights and analyzes the debate regarding the propriety of increased shareholder power. This book also analyzes the impact of recent developments aimed at facilitating shareholder power such as majority voting, say on pay, and proxy access. This book will serve as a useful tool not only for those who desire a straight-forward analysis of shareholder rights and activism, but also for those seeking a reference guide on an issue of growing importance to corporate law and corporate governance.

Download or read book Institutional Shareholder Activism written by Michael J. Rubach and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 1999 with total page 202 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: First Published in 2000. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Download or read book The Foundations and Anatomy of Shareholder Activism written by Iris H-Y Chiu and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2010-10-12 with total page 204 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Foundations and Anatomy of Shareholder Activism examines the landscape of contemporary shareholder activism in the UK. The book focuses on minority shareholder activism in publicly listed companies. It argues that contemporary shareholder activism in the UK is dominated by two groups; one, the institutional shareholders whose shareholder activism is largely seen as a driving force for good corporate governance, and two, the hedge funds whose shareholder activism is based on value extraction and exit. The book provides a detailed examination of both types of shareholder activism, and discusses critically the nature of, motivations for and consequences following both types of shareholder activism. The book then locates both types of shareholder activism in the theory of the company and the fabric of company law, and argues that institutional shareholder activism based on exercising a voice at general meetings is well supported in theory and law. The call for institutions to engage in more informal forms of activism in the name of 'stewardship' may bring about challenges to the current patterns of activism that institutions engage in. The book argues, however, that a more cautious view of hedge fund activism and the pattern of value extraction and exit should be taken. More empirical evidence is likely to be necessary, however, to weigh up the long terms benefits and costs of hedge fund activism.

Download or read book Comparative Corporate Governance written by Afra Afsharipour and published by Edward Elgar Publishing. This book was released on 2021-06-25 with total page 544 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This research handbook provides a state-of-the-art perspective on how corporate governance differs between countries around the world. It covers highly topical issues including corporate purpose, corporate social responsibility and shareholder activism.

Download or read book Shareholder Driven Corporate Governance written by Anita Anand and published by . This book was released on 2018 with total page 37 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book examines prevailing conceptions of the corporation in light of developments in corporate governance since the introduction of the United States Sarbanes-Oxley Act in 2002 and the global financial crisis (GFC) of 2008. In particular, its purpose is to explore the perplexing question of the extent to which corporations are beholden to the will of their shareholders. Thus, this book takes into account the practical realities that public corporations face, including increasingly complex legal regimes, shareholder activists and volatile capital markets. In recent years, shareholders have asserted more and more control over public corporations, no longer content to play the part of the passive owner. Perhaps in response to this pressure, legislators and regulators have grappled with the question of what protections shareholders should be afforded, particularly in the decade since the GFC. This shift in attitude by investors and regulators alike invites scholars to revisit the nature of the relationship between shareholder and corporation, and to ask what role the law should play in affirming shareholders' ability to influence corporate governance.This book introduces a new concept called "Shareholder-driven Corporate Governance," or SCG. This term refers to an approach to understanding the corporation that seeks to protect shareholders' interests while also affirming their involvement in governance. It refers to both actual and potential governance strategies. SCG is a normative term in the sense that it presents a goal to which lawmakers (not to mention investors) may aspire. It is also a descriptive term, explaining the ongoing phenomenon of a shifting balance of power that increasingly accommodates shareholder participation in corporate decision-making. In exploring both positive questions and normative, aspirational issues relating to SCG, this book examines the rise of shareholder activism across multiple jurisdictions including the United States, United Kingdom and Canada. In these jurisdictions, members of boards of directors have fiduciary duties, but the following questions arise: how should these duties be discharged in an age of shareholder activism? Does SCG change historical and current analyses of boards' fiduciary duties? Should SCG impact law reform efforts? These broad questions lead to a consideration of three themes, which illustrate the importance of SCG and which are at the heart of this re-examination.

Download or read book Shareholder Activism in the UK written by Posi Olatubosun and published by De Gruyter Oldenbourg. This book was released on 2020-06 with total page 250 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides researchers with vital information that will deepen their understanding of UK shareholder activism and ownership discourse based on research carried out over a six-year period proceeding from reviews of archival resources, interviews with asset owners such as hedge funds, sovereign wealth funds, pension funds, mutual funds and individual investors, as well as proxy advisors.

Download or read book Activist Shareholders in Corporate Governance written by Tim Bowley and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2023-01-12 with total page 243 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book explores the regulatory challenges of public company shareholder activism. Around the world, policy makers, practitioners and academics debate how best to regulate shareholder activism. Using Australia as a case study, the book examines key issues raised by this debate. With a market structure and legal settings that are conducive to activism, Australia makes an ideal case study and provides a fresh comparative perspective on the regulatory debate about shareholder activism, which tends to be dominated by US-focused analysis and commentary. The book presents empirical evidence which reveals that Australian activism is a significant and multifaceted phenomenon, undertaken by different types of activists pursuing varying strategies and supported by a range of complementary market developments. The book uses this evidence to develop comparative insights and explore internationally topical issues, including: - activists' willingness to use interventionist governance rights; - the role of intermediaries such as proxy advisers in facilitating activism; - institutional investor stewardship; and - the risks of collective shareholder activism. This book provides an important comparative perspective on the topic of shareholder activism. It is an essential resource for policy makers, practitioners and academics interested in the regulatory implications of shareholder activism.