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

An ASX Executive Remuneration Study

COVID-19 and the Impact on Remuneration The COVID-19 pandemic has had a severe negative impact on the global market. Australia is no exception, with nearly one million Australians losing their jobs. Amidst the crisis, various companies called on their board of directors to develop and implement crisis management strategies to maintain cash positions and ensure […]

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On the COVID-19 Vaccine Corporate Pledge

The COVID-19 pandemic created a race for the development of vaccines. On September 8, 2020, CEOs of nine major pharmaceutical companies signed a pledge promising not to file for regulatory approval or authorization of their experimental COVID-19 vaccines until their safety and efficacy are demonstrated through established scientific standards. Fearing that political pressures would compromise […]

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NYSE Persistence Pays Off—SEC Approves Primary Direct Listings

Persistence pays off. In June, the NYSE filed Amendment No. 2 to its application for a proposed rule change to allow companies going public to raise capital through a primary direct listing. Yesterday, the SEC approved that rule change. Prior to this new approval, under NYSE rules, only secondary sales were permitted in a direct […]

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Comment on the Proposed DOL Rule

Summary: The proposed rule is unnecessary and represents a confused understanding of ESG and its role in mainstream investment analysis. The rule overlooks and fails to address the volume of institutional investors (across segments and strategies) that are incorporating analysis of ESG issues into mainstream investment analysis, including buy, sell and hold decisions, upgrade and […]

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DOL Proposes Rules Clarifying When ERISA Fiduciaries Need to Vote Proxies

On August 31, 2020, the U.S. Department of Labor (the “DOL”) proposed for public comment rules to clarify a misunderstanding that ERISA fiduciaries are required to vote all proxies, which it believes has caused plans to expend assets unnecessarily and without economic benefit to plan beneficiaries. The proposed rules provide that “fiduciaries must not vote in circumstances where plan […]

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Posted in Corporate Elections & Voting, Court Cases, ESG, Practitioner Publications, Securities Regulation | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on DOL Proposes Rules Clarifying When ERISA Fiduciaries Need to Vote Proxies

Addressing the Challenge of Board Racial Diversity

After taking up the challenge of increasing board gender diversity, companies are now increasingly facing the challenge of achieving board racial diversity. Recent social unrest over systemic racial injustice has pushed racial inequity into sharp relief, leading many companies to consider actions they could take to implement the needed systemic transformation. Because, as it’s often […]

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ESG Didn’t Immunize Stocks Against the Covid-19 Market Crash

From its high on February 19th, 2020, the S&P 500 index lost more than one-third of its value in a little over a month as the potential human and economic consequences of the global pandemic began to be incorporated into share prices. In the wake of this COVID-19-induced stock pummeling, there were widespread claims being […]

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Posted in Academic Research, Corporate Social Responsibility, Empirical Research, ESG, Financial Crisis | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Designing More Durable JV Agreements

When Honeywell restructured its highly-successful joint venture in Japan with Yamatake in 1990, the dealmakers included vaguely-defined scope and exclusivity terms—a decision that ultimately contributed to the end of the 40-year partnership. These terms allowed both Honeywell and the JV to compete in “Other Asia,” a geographic market which included China; the parties felt their […]

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Incentive Design Changes in Response to Covid-19

Observations From June 1st to August 7th, 25 Russell 1000 companies announced changes to their current or go-forward incentive programs to address Covid-19’s impact: Ten companies made changes to current, in-process incentive plans Annual incentive plan: Schlumberger, Adobe, Newell Brands, Darden Restaurants, Hess, Lamb Weston, Lions Gate Entertainment, Sabre, and WEX PSUs: NIKE, Lamb Weston, […]

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CEO Leadership: Navigating the New Era in Corporate Governance

At the end of 2019 (which now seems so long ago), my book CEO Leadership: Navigating the New Era in Corporate Governance was published by The University of Chicago Press. My target audience is current and future CEOs and board members, those who advise them and those who teach law and business school students who […]

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