“Make Corporations Democratic Again”: Eliminating the Dual-Class Share Structure in the Name of Strengthening Shareholder Democracy
Hi everyone! I’ve really enjoyed our class discussions this term, and given our recent conversations regarding the Rogers saga and shareholder democracy, I thought I was pass along the paper I wrote for the version of this course I took back in 2022. Everything is surprisingly still relevant! Introduction Of the core characteristics that define […]
Australia’s Road to Banning Social Media for Anyone Under 16
I’ve been following the news surrounding banning of social media for anyone under 16 in Australia for a week or two now, and it seems that new events are unfolding which contradicts my expectations. An article written by BBC describes the tabled bill as “world-leading,”[1] which, sounds like an accurate description to me. The article […]
Some loose thoughts on corporate governance
This is a piece of loose reflective work on my thoughts about corporate governance. It is not based on any study of rigor. Everything below this line is strictly my personal opinion, which means this blog post may be opinionated, skewed, controversial, naïve or all of the above. Just in case you think whatever I […]
Early Development of Corporate Structure – Song Dynasty China
Hello Everyone, I am writing this post to share more information on how other civilizations & cultures moved toward the corporate form. In this case, I’d like to highlight the early development of corporate structure in the Song Dynasty (960-1279) that we briefly touched upon in class. Please note that most of the information I […]
Corporations and Greenwashing
Reflecting on the conversation that we had during our last class with Professor Joel Bakan and his call for the introduction of more regulations into the corporate sphere, I decided to further investigate the steps that the Canadian government is taking in regulating corporations. I find it to be very worrisome that large corporations appear […]
Cleaning House: Alberta’s AIMCo sees its CEO, entire Board of Directors fired; new CEO to step in
Alberta Investment Management Corp. (“AIMCo”) is an Alberta-based Crown corporation with ~$160 billion of assets under its control.[1] The provincial corporation invests with the goal of generating returns for its clients. But in a twist from a regular, run-of-the-mill fund, these clients have important interests at stake. Albertan judges, teachers, management-level public service and municipal […]
Recent Governance Issues at Starbucks
Last week, Starbucks announced that they will no longer be charging extra fees for drinks made with non-dairy alternatives, they will bring back the beloved “condiment bar,” and that prices on all products will not increase in 2025. These changes are in reaction to the company’s continuing financial decline over the last year, brought on […]