In-depth analysis of the derivative action in Asia - a critical part of Asian corporate law and governance.

This book is the first comprehensive study of the statutory derivative action in Australia, using the Australian model as a reference point and comparing it with the UK, Canada, Singapore, New Zealand, Hong Kong and USA counterparts. The book includes an empirical study covering over a twenty-year period from the date the statutory framework came into operation, coupled with extensive case law analysis and comparisons with other jurisdictions. It informs the world about the uniqueness of Australia’s statutory derivative action, and what other countries can learn from it as shareholder protection and promotion of good corporate governance. While some countries have statutory derivative action, there are still countries that do not have the statutory framework that are considering introducing it into their corporate law. This book provides insights and suggestions for lawmakers, litigation practitioners and researchers worldwide in reforming their existing model.

This volume examines the circumstances in which a shareholder can bring an action on behalf of a company (a derivative action), exploring how this remedy may be used to ensure good corporate governance, and laying out a theoretical framework and practical guidance for future development of the law. Derivative actions are an important aspect of the continuing debate about corporate governance in the UK, the US and many other jurisdictions worldwide. This book offers a conceptually inclusive approach to thinking about derivative actions by providing a detailed and clear overview, commentary, and a theoretical explanation of the law governing derivative actions in the corporate governance context. Reisberg provides a fundamental reassessment of the nature and objectives of the derivative action, and conceptualizes a new nodel of the derivative action mechanism. He argues that action should be taken in three areas: (1) conceptual (adoption of a new framework- the 'Functionaland Focused Model' set out in the book) (2) strategic (employment of appropriate incentives and fee rules which advance the premises behind the Model) (3) maintaining doctrinal consistency (clarification of the interaction between the derivative action and other remedies available to shareholders) This book offers practical guidance on solving current problems in many jurisdictions based on case law, and on substantive legal, economic, and comparative research. It also provides a comprehensive and detailed analysis and commentary on the regime governing derivative actions under Part 11 of the Companies Act 2006 in the UK.

ÔThis book takes us back to the financial crisis and asks: should the directors of the financial institutions that caused the crisis be held responsible to their investors? LoughreyÕs and her contributorsÕ analysis of that question and the suggestions to implement their proposals are insightful and timely. This is a must-read book for those of us who are still trying to determine how to avoid the next financial crisis.Õ Ð Randall Thomas, Vanderbilt Law School, US The financial crisis revealed failings at board level at many financial institutions. But despite calls for bank boards to be held to account, there has been a remarkable paucity of litigation against bank directors for breach of their duties. This book assesses whether the law relating to directorsÕ duties and shareholder litigation has contributed to this, taking into account the changes to both that were introduced by the Companies Act 2006. With contributions from leading academics and practitioners, the book examines the directorÕs duty of care and skill, the s.172 duty, reporting obligations under s.417 of the Companies Act 2006, and shareholder litigation including the derivative action and just and equitable winding up. It concludes that neither the common law nor the statutory duties and derivative action under the Companies Act 2006 function effectively to hold directors to account and analyses why this is so. This detailed book will appeal to academics in company law and corporate governance as well as commercial law practitioners particularly those who specialize in company litigation.

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.

Corporate law and corporate governance have been at the forefront of regulatory activities across the world for several decades now, and are subject to increasing public attention following the Global Financial Crisis of 2008. The Oxford Handbook of Corporate Law and Governance provides the global framework necessary to understand the aims and methods of legal research in this field. Written by leading scholars from around the world, the Handbook contains a rich variety of chapters that provide a comparative and functional overview of corporate governance. It opens with the central theoretical approaches and methodologies in corporate law scholarship in Part I, before examining core substantive topics in corporate law, including shareholder rights, takeovers and restructuring, and minority rights in Part II. Part III focuses on new challenges in the field, including conflicts between Western and Asian corporate governance environments, the rise of foreign ownership, and emerging markets. Enforcement issues are covered in Part IV, and Part V takes a broader approach, examining those areas of law and finance that are interwoven with corporate governance, including insolvency, taxation, and securities law as well as financial regulation. The Handbook is a comprehensive, interdisciplinary resource placing corporate law and governance in its wider context, and is essential reading for scholars, practitioners, and policymakers in the field.

The corporate governance systems of Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States are often characterized as a single 'Anglo-American' system prioritizing shareholders' interests over those of other corporate stakeholders. Such generalizations, however, obscure substantial differences across the common-law world. Contrary to popular belief, shareholders in the United Kingdom and jurisdictions following its lead are far more powerful and central to the aims of the corporation than are shareholders in the United States. This book presents a new comparative theory to explain this divergence and explores the theory's ramifications for law and public policy. Bruner argues that regulatory structures affecting other stakeholders' interests - notably differing degrees of social welfare protection for employees - have decisively impacted the degree of political opposition to shareholder-centric policies across the common-law world. These dynamics remain powerful forces today, and understanding them will be vital as post-crisis reforms continue to take shape.

This book focuses on the federalization of corporate governance in the United States from both historical and contemporary perspectives. Although the states traditionally have regulated the sphere of corporate governance - encompassing the relations among and between the subject corporation, its directors, its officers, its stockholders, and other stakeholders - federal law today impacts the governance of publicly-traded companies to a greater degree than ever before in U.S. history. This book discusses the evolution and development of corporate governance from a federal law perspective from the commencement of the twentieth century to the present. It examines the tension between state company law and federal law, analyzes the federal historical developments, explains the ramifications of the federal legislation enacted during the past two decades, and recommends corrective measures that should be implemented. The book accordingly provides an original, historical, and contemporary analysis of the federalization of corporate governance - a subject that impacts this country's economic well-being in a very fundamental way.

This book critically considers the relationship between directors, shareholders and auditors in the corporate governance system. Traditionally, company law has been primarily based on this tripartite relationship. This book comprises a series of contributions from authors who argue that there are wider interests which British company law has largely ignored. These include the interests of creditors, employees, consumers, suppliers and the general public. The concept of corporate governance is examined with comparative references to the USA and Canada. Particular reference is made to the Cadbury Committee and its implications for future company law reform. The ethical and sociological dimensions of corporate governance is also fully discussed

This book examines corporate governance rules in China, and highlights the deficiencies in current company law, with the purpose of arguing for a more effective derivative action mechanism, for the benefit of shareholders and their companies.