Author Archives: Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation

Private Equity and Financial Stability: Evidence from Failed Bank Resolution in the Crisis

Private equity (PE) has become an important component in the financial system. An extensive literature explores the effects of private equity buyouts on firm-level outcomes, with some papers arguing that such buyouts positively affect the operations of target companies. At the same time, the private equity industry generates much controversy. Critics often argue that private […]

Click here to read the complete post
Posted in Academic Research, Banking & Financial Institutions, Bankruptcy & Financial Distress, Empirical Research, Financial Crisis, Financial Regulation, Private Equity | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Private Equity and Financial Stability: Evidence from Failed Bank Resolution in the Crisis

2021 Say on Pay & Proxy Results

2021 Say on Pay Results Breakdown of Say on Pay Vote Results 22 Russell 3000 companies (3.3%) failed Say on Pay thus far in 2021. 14 companies failed since our last report and are highlighted in bold on page 3 of this report. Our evaluation of the likely reasons for failure indicates that four of […]

Click here to read the complete post
Posted in Corporate Elections & Voting, ESG, Executive Compensation, Institutional Investors, Practitioner Publications | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on 2021 Say on Pay & Proxy Results

Remarks by Commissioner Lee on Leveraging Regulatory Cooperation to Protect America’s Investors

Good afternoon. It’s a privilege to welcome you all to the annual Section 19(d) Conference. I want to start by commending NASAA and SEC staff for their work in putting this event together. And thanks to our colleagues from NASAA and FINRA for joining us and for being steadfast partners in our shared investor protection […]

Click here to read the complete post
Posted in Accounting & Disclosure, ESG, Practitioner Publications, Regulators Materials, Securities Litigation & Enforcement, Securities Regulation, Speeches & Testimony | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Remarks by Commissioner Lee on Leveraging Regulatory Cooperation to Protect America’s Investors

Diversity and Performance in Entrepreneurial Teams

Diversity and inclusion have become an increasingly central issue in many workplaces, but what are the performance implications of diversity-promoting efforts for firms and workers? In recent years, policymakers have proposed and implemented gender (or race/ethnicity) quotas in many settings. For instance, the Norwegian government enforced a gender quota on corporate boards. More recently, California […]

Click here to read the complete post
Posted in Academic Research, Comparative Corporate Governance & Regulation, Empirical Research, ESG | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Diversity and Performance in Entrepreneurial Teams

Human Capital Disclosures Findings From 2020 10-Ks

Trends and observations Background In August 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) introduced an important new requirement for registrants to provide disclosures about human capital. The new requirements were introduced in connection with the SEC rulemaking streamlining some of the disclosure requirements for business, legal proceedings and risk factors under Regulation S-K. Commencing with […]

Click here to read the complete post
Posted in Accounting & Disclosure, ESG, Practitioner Publications, Securities Regulation | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Corporate Purpose and Corporate Competition

The large American corporation faces ever-rising pressure to pursue a purpose that is more than just for shareholder profit. This rising pressure interacts with sharp changes in industrial organization in a way that ought to be further analyzed and considered: at the same time that purpose pressure has been increasing, firms’ capacity to accommodate pressure […]

Click here to read the complete post
Posted in Academic Research, Comparative Corporate Governance & Regulation, ESG, HLS Research, Institutional Investors | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Corporate Purpose and Corporate Competition

Incorporating ESG Measures Into Executive Compensation Plans

Introduction With the 2021 proxy season underway, environmental, social, and governance (ESG) topics are dominating the conversation. While dialog between companies, investors, and other stakeholder groups has accelerated on a variety of ESG topics, the role of ESG in long-term value creation had already been steadily increasing. According to a recent study, investors that collectively […]

Click here to read the complete post
Posted in Accounting & Disclosure, Boards of Directors, ESG, Executive Compensation, Practitioner Publications | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Incorporating ESG Measures Into Executive Compensation Plans

The WeWork Decision and its Implications for Director Email Accounts

Introduction A recent Delaware court decision, In re WeWork Litigation, put a spotlight on the risk of corporate employees and directors destroying privilege by communicating through email. Questions about the security and confidentiality of electronic communications have been around for a long time. But at least under Delaware law, the WeWork decision expanded the applicability […]

Click here to read the complete post
Posted in Boards of Directors, Court Cases, Practitioner Publications, Securities Litigation & Enforcement | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The WeWork Decision and its Implications for Director Email Accounts

New Human Capital Disclosure Requirements; Inconsistent 10-K Disclosures

Prior to 2020, the last significant revisions to Regulation S-K were over 30 years ago. As modernization of the human capital disclosure requirements have caught up with the times, companies are faced with setting reporting precedents. See our previous post that provides an explanation of the Regulation S-K amendments. How did companies respond to the […]

Click here to read the complete post
Posted in Accounting & Disclosure, Practitioner Publications, Securities Regulation | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on New Human Capital Disclosure Requirements; Inconsistent 10-K Disclosures

SEC Signals Need for Better Disclosures About Delayed Filings

On April 29, 2021, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) announced settled charges against eight public companies that filed notifications of late filings on Form 12b-25 (more commonly known as “Form NT”) without disclosing in those filings a pending restatement or correction of financial statements. These settlements are a reminder that filing a Form […]

Click here to read the complete post
Posted in Accounting & Disclosure, Practitioner Publications, Securities Litigation & Enforcement, Securities Regulation | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on SEC Signals Need for Better Disclosures About Delayed Filings