best practice Archives

ABI tweaks to executive remuneration guidelines don’t go far enough

The 2009 update to the ABI Guidelines on Executive Remuneration will be a disappointment to many investors. The amended guidelines fail to deal with some of the key structural deficiencies in executive pay practice and guidance – a contributory factor to the downturn – although the ABI has inserted 53 words to emphasis the need […]

Change to Pre-emption Guidelines urgently required

British investors take their pre-emption rights very seriously – and rightly so. However, the trickle of UK companies trampling over these precious rights is threatening to become a flood as “cash-box” placings become ubiquitous. Cash-box placings channel capital raised through an offshore companies (generally located in Jersey or Guernsey). The underwriters subscribe for redeemable preference shares in the offshore […]

Ireland ‘Say-on-Pay’ gathers momentum

Manifest’s campaign to ensure shareholders at Irish companies have the opportunity to cast an advisory vote on the remuneration report gathered momentum over the weekend, with a full page article in the Irish edition of The Sunday Times. Last month Manifest filed shareholder resolutions at five Irish companies seeking an advisory say-on-pay vote. The Sunday […]

Audit & Conflicts of Interest

The UK’s audit watchdog, the Auditing Practices Board (APB) has issued its latest consultation paper with a view to updating its ethical guidelines on the vexed issue issue of auditor consultancy services. In the UK regulatory construct, the audit is produced for the benefit of shareholders and consulting for the benefit of management. Investors have long […]

Eastern Europe Governance Disclosures Decline

The East West Management Institute (EWMI) has released the latest findings of its semi-annual survey of online investor relations of the ten largest listed company by market cap in 11 Central and Eastern European Countries. According to research assistant, Igor Solodovnik, the results show a disappointing decrease in disclosure standards across all the categories surveyed. As part […]