Boards & Shareholders

Agrowing number of boards of directors are assessing the effectiveness of their own performance. Some are doing so because they are required to under rules promulgated by the New York Stock Exchange; others are driven by the guidance of governance-oriented organizations, by perceptions of governance “best practice,” or simply by a desire to bring more […]

What happens when gadflies become mainstream? Over the past 20 years, corporate governance has evolved from a noisy, often dismissible, gadfly movement into a mainstream corporate activity. Market players now recognize it as an enabler of value creation, and regulators see it as a pillar of business integrity. As investors, we’re all in favor of […]

What happens when gadflies become mainstream? Over the past 20 years, corporate governance has evolved from a noisy, often dismissible, gadfly movement into a mainstream corporate activity. Market players now recognize it as an enabler of value creation, and regulators see it as a pillar of business integrity. As investors, we’re all in favor of […]

If last month’s decision by tiny auto maker Torvec has you dreaming of canceling all future meetings of the board of directors, you may want to grab another cup of coffee. THE DISCLOSURE Executive Committee The following disclosure was made by Torvec Inc., on Form 8-K on July 8, 2005: On July 8, 2005 David […]

If someone tells you they can predict the likelihood that your company will face a securities-related class action lawsuit over the next year, should you believe it? Los Angeles-based Audit Integrity says it can do just that. The company claims it has developed a model that it says can predict securities-related class action lawsuits of […]

Will an interpretive letter from the Securities and Exchange Commission giving banks and brokers the okay to designate more than one agent to fulfill their proxy delivery obligations break ADP’s monopoly on the distribution of proxy material? Swingvote certainly hopes so. The Atlanta-based newcomer to the proxy voting service marketplace requested the Commission’s advice on […]

When The National Association of Corporate Directors voted E. William (Bill) Barnett, lead director at Reliant Energy, as Director of the Year for 2005, it lauded him for his leadership when the Houston-based utility was working through a number of accounting-related restatements and governmental probes and lawsuits. Barnett “Barnett’s leadership during this difficult period was […]

Last week’s resignation of Morgan Stanley’s co-President Stephen Crawford—who collected $32 million on his way out the door—highlights the heightened dangers facing corporate directors. Within hours of Crawford’s resignation, speculation was rampant that Morgan Stanley board members could be facing litigation from investors for allowing such a golden parachute, observes Sarah Wolff, a partner with […]

Rockville, Md.-based Institutional Shareholder Services has solidified its position as the industry’s dominant proxy advisory firm with the purchase of the commercial business of its rival, Washington, D.C.-based Investor Responsibility Research Center. ISS agreed to buy the commercial proxy voting, research and screening business of IRRC in a cash deal valued in excess of $10 […]