The Changing Face Of Corporate Ownership

This book examines the shareholder activism of institutional investors, and the effect of this activism on portfolio performance. By focusing on 118 institutional investors headquartered in the United States, the book is unique in addressing the shareholder activism of a large sample. Institutional shareholder activism is defined to include both traditional mechanisms of influence (i.e. filing shareholder proposals) and relationship investing. Institutional owners included private and public pension funds, mutual funds, bank trusts, insurance companies, endowments, and foundations. These institutional owners differ substantially, and these differences lead institutions to use their ownership power to pursue different philosophies and actions. Some institutions follow a passive governance policy, While others adopt an activist role. This book seeks to answer four questions: (1) Are institutional owners actively involved in the strategic affairs of companies in their portfolios? (2)Which forms of activism do institutional owners employ (either confrontational mechanisms, such as filing shareholder proposals, or relationship building mechanisms)? (3)Which forms of activism employed are most effective? and (4) Does the institutional type affect its pursuit of shareholder activism? In answering these questions the author suggests new important results that in many cases are contrary to what prior reports of the activities by a small number of institutional owners may intimate.

First Published in 2000. This book examines the shareholder activism of institutional investors and the effect of shareholder activism on portfolio performance. Institutional shareholder activism includes both traditional mechanisms of influence (e.g., filing shareholder proposals) and relationship investing (e.g., long-term interorganizational contacts between owners and a corporation’s top managers).

First Published in 2000. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

This chapter documents the evolution of ownership and control of firms around the world over a hundred year period from the beginning of the 20th century to today. It records the substantial changes that have taken place in the nature of stock markets and contrasts these with the persistent patterns of ownership that are observed in many countries around the world. In particular, it documents the growth in dispersion in ownership that took place in many countries from the early part of the 20th century. It reports that this took place in the absence of formal systems of investor protection but in the presence of institutional developments that facilitated the building of trust between investors and firms. Contrary to the view that concentrations of ownership necessarily undermine the operation of equity markets by exploiting minority interests, the chapter argues that in many countries they played a central role not just in exercising control but also in promoting relations between investors and firms that were central to the development of their stock markets. In particular, concentrations of ownership in the hands of families may have been a source of public as well as private benefits. The chapter concludes by looking at recent changes and argues that these reinforce the long-run patterns of the relative decline of the UK and US stock markets, the continued decline of family firms in the UK, the growth of private equity and the emergence of new forms of concentrated shareholdings.

WIPO's World Intellectual Property Report 2011 focuses on the Changing Face of Innovation. It describes key trends in the innovation landscape - including the increasingly open, international and collaborative character of the innovation process; the causes of the increased demand for IP rights; and the rising importance of technology markets.

Thomas Clarke's International Corporate Governance offers a comprehensive guide to corporate governance forms and institutions and examines the recurring crises in corporate governance and the resulting corporate governance reform around the world. While the popular structure of the original text has been retained, significant changes have been made to take account of the global financial crisis, ever-changing regulations and worldwide governance developments. Key topics include: The governance failures of international corporations such as Enron and Lehman Brothers Diversity in corporate and institutional forms across the world The role of international corporate governance standards Digital disruption in capital markets and proposals for rebuilding commitment to long-term investing The impact of financialization and corporate governance practices on increasing inequality The links between corporate governance, corporate social responsibility and sustainability This textbook contains a wealth of pedagogical material to guide the reader through this complex subject, including student questions to help with assessments, and a new companion website. There are also thirteen forensic case studies which scrutinize the governance failures seen at RBS, UBS, BP, Volkswagen and many other international corporations. International Corporate Governance will be an essential text for anybody studying corporate governance at the advanced undergraduate, master's or executive level.

Presents the latest findings on past changes in structure, the factors that lead to structural change, its effect on societal welfare and what will happen to the structure of agriculture in the years ahead. The book provides insights on issues such as the family farm, the industrialization of agriculture and the impact of agricultural technology on the environment.

South Korea has been recognised as a pivotal economic force within its region. This book explores the key areas of management, exploring the opportunities and challenges that managers face. Incorporating expert contributions, this book provides a complete overview of the current state of management in South Korea.

This examination of changes taking place in the world of football focuses on its growing commercialization. It covers such topics as fans becoming shareholders, with a say in the running of the clubs, and the setting-up of a government-sponsored scheme to support shareholder trusts.