Corporate Governance and Shareholder's Activism as a Tool for Protection of Shareholders' Interest

Corporate Governance and Shareholder's Activism as a Tool for Protection of Shareholders' Interest PDF Author: Dr. Manoj Kumar Sharma
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Company is a separate legal entity which has an individual legal existence from its members. In current times, the growth in industrial sector is led by corporate sector. In such a scenario, company, as a business entity, has become a popular form of business model wherein large numbers of persons contribute funds and join hands for a common objective. Contributor of funds i.e. shareholders may or may not be directly involved in the running of the business and decisions may be taken at his back by others subverting the interest of the shareholders. Hence, the protection of shareholder interests assumes importance especially when they are not involved in the day to day running of business activities of the entity. The level of protection available to shareholders is dependent upon the nature of company i.e. whether it is a public company or a private company. In case of private company, since lesser number of persons are involved and they are generally known to each other, the level of protection required is relatively less than the level of protection required in case of a public company where the shareholders come from various stratas of society, unknown to each other and they hardly participate in the day to day running of the business entity. The concept of shareholders' protection is no doubt applicable for all the companies but at the same time special protection is required in case of the public companies. The main aim of investment by a shareholder is to earn handsome returns on the invested amount. But many a times the promoters take undue benefits from the company and the investors/ shareholders are left empty handed. In India, the stock market is one of the easiest means of raising share capital for a company. In early 80's many private companies got themselves converted into public companies and raised million of rupees from the market. The innocent public was invited to invest their sweat earned money in the companies by alluring them good return in the form of dividends with ad-on benefits of the product booking. The invitation to public for investing in the shares of company was the first step by which the public interest was eventually welcomed by the companies. In early days the companies paid the good amount of dividend on shares but gradually, the promoters started making personal profits by taking hefty salaries, living lavish life on the cost of company and ignored the interest of minority shareholders. Especially in case of public companies, a small shareholder is not involved in daily activities. He is dependent on some other persons and authorities for the protection of his stake. These may include the governmental agencies and the persons appointed under the law. Towards this end, various provisions have been made in the Companies Act, 2013 including provisions for the office of directors for small shareholders, independent directors, directors, auditors, annual reporting, details of unpaid dividend amount on the website of the company, financial statements of the company etc. Various rights are conferred on shareholders to see whether the amount invested by them is utilised for the objects of the company. In this paper, an attempt has been made to explore statutory provisions incorporating good corporate governance practices and to analyse the role of good corporate governance practices and shareholders' activism as a tool for protection of shareholders' interest. The paper has been discussed under the following rubrics:• Corporate Governance• Corporate Governance in India and Companies Act, 2013• Shareholders' Activism • Concluding Observations Final version of paper is available at Taxmann. The citation is [2020] 119 taxmann.com 262 (Article).

Corporate Governance and Shareholder's Activism as a Tool for Protection of Shareholders' Interest

Corporate Governance and Shareholder's Activism as a Tool for Protection of Shareholders' Interest PDF Author: Dr. Manoj Kumar Sharma
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Get Book Here

Book Description
Company is a separate legal entity which has an individual legal existence from its members. In current times, the growth in industrial sector is led by corporate sector. In such a scenario, company, as a business entity, has become a popular form of business model wherein large numbers of persons contribute funds and join hands for a common objective. Contributor of funds i.e. shareholders may or may not be directly involved in the running of the business and decisions may be taken at his back by others subverting the interest of the shareholders. Hence, the protection of shareholder interests assumes importance especially when they are not involved in the day to day running of business activities of the entity. The level of protection available to shareholders is dependent upon the nature of company i.e. whether it is a public company or a private company. In case of private company, since lesser number of persons are involved and they are generally known to each other, the level of protection required is relatively less than the level of protection required in case of a public company where the shareholders come from various stratas of society, unknown to each other and they hardly participate in the day to day running of the business entity. The concept of shareholders' protection is no doubt applicable for all the companies but at the same time special protection is required in case of the public companies. The main aim of investment by a shareholder is to earn handsome returns on the invested amount. But many a times the promoters take undue benefits from the company and the investors/ shareholders are left empty handed. In India, the stock market is one of the easiest means of raising share capital for a company. In early 80's many private companies got themselves converted into public companies and raised million of rupees from the market. The innocent public was invited to invest their sweat earned money in the companies by alluring them good return in the form of dividends with ad-on benefits of the product booking. The invitation to public for investing in the shares of company was the first step by which the public interest was eventually welcomed by the companies. In early days the companies paid the good amount of dividend on shares but gradually, the promoters started making personal profits by taking hefty salaries, living lavish life on the cost of company and ignored the interest of minority shareholders. Especially in case of public companies, a small shareholder is not involved in daily activities. He is dependent on some other persons and authorities for the protection of his stake. These may include the governmental agencies and the persons appointed under the law. Towards this end, various provisions have been made in the Companies Act, 2013 including provisions for the office of directors for small shareholders, independent directors, directors, auditors, annual reporting, details of unpaid dividend amount on the website of the company, financial statements of the company etc. Various rights are conferred on shareholders to see whether the amount invested by them is utilised for the objects of the company. In this paper, an attempt has been made to explore statutory provisions incorporating good corporate governance practices and to analyse the role of good corporate governance practices and shareholders' activism as a tool for protection of shareholders' interest. The paper has been discussed under the following rubrics:• Corporate Governance• Corporate Governance in India and Companies Act, 2013• Shareholders' Activism • Concluding Observations Final version of paper is available at Taxmann. The citation is [2020] 119 taxmann.com 262 (Article).

Shareholder Activism Handbook

Shareholder Activism Handbook PDF Author: Jay W. Eisenhofer
Publisher: Wolters Kluwer
ISBN: 0735557004
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 1458

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Book Description
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

Research Handbook on Shareholder Power

Research Handbook on Shareholder Power PDF Author: Jennifer G. Hill
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
ISBN: 1782546855
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 638

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Book Description
Much of the history of corporate law has concerned itself not with shareholder power, but rather with its absence. Recent shifts in capital market structure require a reassessment of the role and power of shareholders. These original, specially commiss

Shareholder Activism and the Law

Shareholder Activism and the Law PDF Author: Ekrem Solak
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1000069745
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 237

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Book Description
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.

Shareholder-Driven Corporate Governance

Shareholder-Driven Corporate Governance PDF Author: Anita Anand
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 37

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Book Description
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.

Shareholder-driven Corporate Governance

Shareholder-driven Corporate Governance PDF Author: Anita Indira Anand
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0190096551
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 187

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Book Description
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.

Comparative Corporate Governance

Comparative Corporate Governance PDF Author: Afra Afsharipour
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
ISBN: 1788975332
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 544

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Book Description
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.

The Oxford Handbook of Corporate Law and Governance

The Oxford Handbook of Corporate Law and Governance PDF Author: Jeffrey Neil Gordon
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0198743688
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 1217

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Book Description
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.

The Power of Shareholder Activism. A Force for Change in Corporate Governance?

The Power of Shareholder Activism. A Force for Change in Corporate Governance? PDF Author:
Publisher: GRIN Verlag
ISBN: 3963551895
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 77

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Book Description
Master's Thesis from the year 2024 in the subject Business economics - Investment and Finance, grade: 1.0, University of Rome "La Sapienza" (Economics), language: English, abstract: This master thesis endeavors to scrutinize the efficacy of shareholder activism as a governance mechanism. Drawing upon existing research, it seeks to unravel the intricacies of this phenomenon, spanning its definitions, historical evolution, and diverse manifestations. The thesis will delve into the challenges posed by active shareholders, including the free rider problem, agency conflicts, and the contentious realm of proxy fights. Additionally, it will conduct a comprehensive exploration of the motivations driving shareholder activism, encompassing economic incentives, moral imperatives, and the burgeoning influence of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) considerations. Real-world case studies, such as the Shell vs. ClientEarth dispute, will be dissected to illuminate the practical implications of shareholder activism. Furthermore, the dynamics of investor relations, the tactics deployed by activist shareholders, and their tangible impact on corporate governance will be rigorously examined. In conclusion, this thesis endeavors to offer illuminating insights into the intricate interplay of power, responsibility, and influence within modern corporate governance. As companies navigate the evolving nexus of profit-making and social responsibility, understanding the role and impact of active shareholders assumes paramount importance. Through rigorous analysis and nuanced interpretation, this thesis aims to contribute to a deeper comprehension of the multifaceted phenomenon of shareholder activism.

Activist Shareholders in Corporate Governance

Activist Shareholders in Corporate Governance PDF Author: Tim Bowley
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1509952233
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 243

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Book Description
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.