Index February 2003
Comment
Time for the City to put its house in order
Richard Northedge
Now that Derek Higgs has put Britain’s boardrooms in order, it is time to move down the corporate governance chain to the
next weakest link.
More >>
Global governance debate only just begun
Guy Jubb
The head of corporate governance at Standard Life Investments reflects on the lessons learnt from the corporate
governance failures of 2002.
More >>
Governance
Share options
Big gains likely for directors in the next 3 years
Company directors holding executive share options may have huge windfalls if the market starts going up again according to
research by Manifest.
More >>
Accountancy Regulation
FRC to expand its role
Patricia Hewitt, secretary of state for Trade & Industry moved quickly to make sure the recommendations in the Final Report
of the Co-ordinating Group on Audit and Accounting Issues and of the Review of the Regulatory Regime of the Accountancy Profession were put into
place.
More >>
Accountancy Consultation
Professional bodies say simplification needed
Accountancy bodies recommended various ways that regulation of the profession could be improved and simplified in responses
to the Department of Trade & Industry review which reported at the end of January.
More >>
Trades Union Congress
Pension trustees want more disclosure
The Trades Union Congress (TUC) is demanding that fund managers publicly disclose how they place their proxy votes.
More >>
Companies
Scottish Investment Trust fights off Hermes
The directors of The Scottish Investment Trust (SIT) have defended its chairman Sir Angus Grossart against Hermes Focus Asset
Management which has indicated it will oppose his re-election at the annual general meeting (AGM) on 28 February.
More >>
Securities & Exchange Commission
US regulator adopts Sarbanes-Oxley reforms
The Securities and Exchange Commission has adopted rule changes that put the bulk of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act
into effect.
More >>
Financial Services Authority
Life insurers and investment trusts to reform
The Financial Services Authority (FSA) has issued a report on its review of the Listing Rules in its role as the UK Listing
Authority (UKLA), highlighting responses to its discussion paper released last summer.
More >>
Private Members Bill
Shareholder groups say law wouldn't work
Archie Norman MP's private members bill, the Company Directors' Performance and Compensation Bill, was
under attack even before it was due for its second reading at the end of January. Once it reached the House of Commons a parliamentary procedure was
used to kill it off without debate.
More >>
Commission on Public Trust
US firms urged to split chairman/CEO roles
The Commission on Public Trust and Private Enterprise set up by the US-based Conference Board has produced a series of
recommendations to improve corporate governance, auditing and accounting practices.
More >>
Special Feature
Higgs and Smith Reviews
Derek Higgs' report into the
Role and Effectiveness of Non-executive Directors and Sir Robert Smith's
Audit Committees: Combined Code guidance
will result in considerable changes to the UK's Listing Requirements.
More >>
Governance in brief.....
European investors split over quarterly reporting
European institutional shareholder groups the Association of British Insurers (ABI) and the Association Française de la Gestion Financière
(AFG-ASFFI) have voiced their opposition to European Union proposals for quarterly reporting in a joint letter to the Financial Times (FT).
More >>
CSR in brief.....
Concerns expressed over BP's Alaskan oil field
Fund manager, Henderson Global Investors, has suspended investment in BP in its retail socially responsible investment (SRI) funds. The decision was
taken in November last year with shares being sold over three months.
More >>
Conferences
Topical governance and CSR-related conferences.
More >>
February, 2003 |
