-
Articles in category: BoardBlogs
-
-
How to Run a Board - Ivey Business Journal
Read Full ArticleThe role of the Board of Directors has never been more important. Boards make important decisions that affect companies, the people who work in those companies, the people who own those companies, and sometimes the economy itself. If ever there was a place where excellence is required and should be demanded, this is it. The effectiveness of a board should not be considered a nice addition to a well-managed company, but a prerequisite....
-
Barbarians at the Gates: The real agenda of Microsoft's dissident investors
Read Full ArticleAccording to Reuters, three of Microsoft’s largest institutional shareholders want Bill Gates to step down as chairman. The story says, “The three investors are concerned that Gates’ presence on the board effectively blocks the adoption of new strategies and would limit the power...
-
2014 Compensation Strategies
Read Full ArticleExecutive compensation continues to be a key focus of legislators, regulators, activists, and the media. Boards continue to be challenged with how to balance the expectations of outside constituents with management’s expectations to be fairly compensated. Compensation committees must stay apprised of ongoing regulatory proposals and enactments. And they must create new ways to reward their management team to remain competitive against their peers to keep their top employees.
-
J.C. Penney – The End is Near
Read Full ArticleI keep waiting for an internet meme to appear with a picture of activist investor, Bill Ackman with a smirk on his face and the following title underneath: “J.C. Penney: Miss me yet?” After all, since Ackman resigned from the board of directors almost 2 months ago and sold his hedge fund’s nearly 18% stake in the struggling retailer, J.C. Penney has been in a steady decline and appears headed for bankruptcy....
-
How to Run a Board
Read Full ArticleThe role of the Board of Directors has never been more important. Boards make important decisions that affect companies, the people who work in those companies, the people who own those companies, and sometimes the economy itself. If ever there was a place where excellence is required and should be demanded, this is it. The effectiveness of a board should not be considered a nice addition to a well-managed company, but a prerequisite...
-
As J.C. Penney Flounders, A Lack of Control Becomes Evident
Read Full ArticleThe latest events at J. C. Penney provide a hard lesson: With today’s public company, it is sometimes difficult to be sure who is in control...
-
Leadership Lessons from Ostriches and Monkeys
Read Full ArticleIt seems that our headlines are littered with stories of fallen icons almost every day. Too many to name. Too sad to fully grasp. Our society has become tentative to embrace its true heroes for the fear that they will only eventually let us down.
Mentions: Leadership -
Board Performance Matters
Read Full ArticleWhile association CEOs score their boards as needing improvement on several strategic responsibilities, a picture of effective governance practices and their impact on organizational health emerges in What Makes High-Performing Boards: Effective Governance Practices in Member-Serving Organizations, new from ASAE’s Association Management Press...
-
Three Critical Talent Conversations for Every Board of Directors
Read Full ArticleScrutiny over executive compensation and governance is crowding out board focus on critical talent issues that impact corporate performance...
-
The General Counsel: Crucial Legal and Business Partner
Read Full ArticleWhat had been a focus primarily on ensuring a replacement for the CEO has now gained traction as a broader, deeper management development process focused on key positions. The GC, as the head of the legal department and a key resource and advisor to the board, is an increasingly crucial spot given the recent explosion of highly technical and potentially dicey regulations and possible litigation...
-
Entrepreneur Walk of Fame Deserves a Boost
Read Full ArticleNo one notices when an entrepreneur registers a website domain or incorporates a business and then never gets it off the ground. But when you start something called the Entrepreneur Walk of Fame, plant seven plaques in a Kendall Square sidewalk, and then abandon it, it’s hard to ignore. For me, at least. Would people flock to the Hollywood Walk of Fame if it petered out after a quarter of a block...
-
Structuring the Boards of Cayman Funds -- A Hong Kong Perspective
Read Full ArticleWhen setting up a Cayman Islands investment fund and, where applicable, its Cayman Islands investment manager, consideration needs to be given to structuring the board of directors of each of these companies, not only in the context of corporate governance issues but also to ensure that they are not brought ‘onshore’ for tax purposes...
-
A solution to skyrocketing CEO pay
Read Full ArticleFor several reasons, the SEC's proposed rule to address the growing CEO-average worker pay gap will not work as intended. Here's an alternative approach...
-
The Leadership Quandry in College Sports
Read Full ArticleNCAA President Mark Emmert said last week that changes would not be coming to the amateur status of student athletes, despite growing momentum and tension over the issue of paying players on college sports teams...
-
What Every Compensation Committee Needs to Know About the Outstanding Dodd- Frank Rules
Read Full ArticleThis interactive webinar will look at the new focus in the change in control area and the pending Dodd-Frank regulations pertaining to executive compensation, including pay ratios, performance charts and clawback policies and provisions, and any other areas that arise at the time...
-
Directors Consider Peer Performance
Read Full ArticleYears ago, a highly regarded director and board chairman confided, "We have to be better about getting the poor and mediocre directors off the board." The issue was the collegiality of the boardroom and the reluctance to confront a non-performing director.
Today, according to the latest PwC 2013 Annual Corporate Directors Survey conducted during the summer of 2013, directors have signaled increased concern about their peers in the boardroom. With 934 public company directors responding, 35 percent now say someone on their board should be replaced compared to 31 percent in 2012.
-
Time for Criminal Penalties Against Non-Profit Board Members?
Read Full ArticleThis past week, two high-profile non-profit institutions have seen their stellar reputations collapse at the hands of “alleged” criminal activity by their eminent leaders. First, Westfield State University has been sent reeling from widespread media coverage concerning accusations against its President, Evan Dobelle, and his alleged inappropriate personal spending of university funds. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has commenced an investigation and it appears that Dobelle will soon be out of a job (although he may be assigned one as an inmate within a state prison). Not to be outdone, Metropolitan New York Council on Jewish Poverty found itself in The ...
Mentions: MDC Partners -
In JP Morgan Case, a Missed Opportunity to Charge Its Executives
Read Full ArticleBoth the Securities and Exchange Commission and JPMorgan Chase won great public relations victories last week. But the public lost — and in ways that go far beyond this one spat...
-
The Fat Lady Has Yet to Sing for Dimon and JP Morgan
Read Full ArticleI thought I was late to write about JP Morgan's $920 million multi-regulator settlement last week on the London Whale, but breathless news of a possible $11 billion settlement of mortgage-related liabilities has pushed the bank and its chief back under the hot lights.
-
Its Time for Bill Gates to Part Ways with Microsoft
Read Full ArticleMaybe Bill Gates should follow Steven Ballmer out of Microsoft. Allowing Microsoft to buy Nokia’s smartphone business as he exits will saddle Mr. Ballmer’s successor with a flawed strategy. Mr. Gates, the company’s founder and chairman, bears some responsibility for this and other missteps. With less than 5 percent of the shares – scarcely more than Mr. Ballmer owns – Mr. Gates matters more to his charitable foundation than to Microsoft these days...
-
China's state-owned giants need to enter modern corporate age
Read Full ArticleThe key lies in adopting a system of modern corporate governance . Major state-owned enterprises should be the first to start by setting up a board of directors. Under its leadership, all senior managers including the chief executive should be hired through ...
-
Blackberry Shareholders Hold Their Breath
Read Full ArticleJune of 2008 was a golden time for Blackberry’s shareholders. Blackberry was it when it came to smart phones. The company had a market value of approximately $85 billion, and the ceiling seemed limitless. If one were living in a vacuum for the last 5 years, they would assume this week’s announcement of a $4.7 billion proposed buy-out of Blackberry by its largest shareholder, Fairfax Financial Holdings, would not be greeted with open arms by the company’s shareholders. The reality, however, is much different. The $9 a share buy-out from Fairfax could, in fact, be seen ...
-
Will a Shift in Barrick Gold's Corporate Governance Send the Stock Higher?
Read Full ArticleBarrick Gold (TSX: ABX, NYSE: ABX) is a case study in bad corporate governance . For years the company's founder and co-chairman Peter Munk was accused of building an empire at shareholders' expense. But investors have had enough and are joining ...
-
