U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission

April 04, 2016

A ‘moral imperative’ or just another exercize in green politicking?

This past Friday, I blogged about the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s recent decision to allow a vaguely worded proxy resolution proceed to a vote. The resolution was submitted by, among others, members of the religious shareholder activist group the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility. Continue Reading...

April 01, 2016

SEC Allows Activist Nuns’ Climate-Change Resolution

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission determined March 22 that ExxonMobil Corporation must for the first time ever allow a vote to proceed on a proxy shareholder resolution submitted by members of the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility. Continue Reading...

March 23, 2016

Not a nanoparticle of science in this shareholder resolution

Sometimes clearer heads prevail, but at considerable costs to individual stock portfolios and corporations who have to mount a defense against uninformed, nuisance shareholder resolutions. Last week the Securities and Exchange Commission slowed the progressive roll of religious activist group As You Sow by denying an AYS proxy resolution seeking a detailed nanoparticle risk assessment by Mondelēz International Foodservice. Continue Reading...

December 29, 2015

Discussion Question: What Makes Insider Trading Wrong?

For most of my life, much of what I’ve learned about the world came from watching movies. This was especially true in 1983, when I was in junior high. That was the year I learned about astronauts (The Right Stuff), thermonuclear war (War Games), and ewoks (Return of the Jedi). Continue Reading...

December 02, 2013

SEC Deals Blow to ICCR Agenda

As noted here and here, Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility Executive Director Laura Berry was one representative of several groups asking the Securities and Exchange Commission to adopt new corporate political disclosure rules in October. Continue Reading...

November 18, 2013

Where Is All That ‘Dark Money’ Coming From?

Your writer possesses well-meaning friends forever vigilant in my best interests. Most recently, one such kind soul sent an email alerting me to the dangers of so-called “dark money” in the political process. Continue Reading...

October 08, 2013

Shareholders United in Shutting Down Political Speech

Readers following my series of blog posts on shareholder proxy resolutions submitted by religious groups such as As You Sow and the Interfaith Council of Corporate Responsibility already know these resolutions have little to do with issues of faith. Continue Reading...

February 07, 2013

Shareholder Resolutions and the ‘God Card’

The progressive politicization of certain religious orders hurries apace, especially as we enter the season of shareholder activism, proxy ballot initiatives and “corporate social responsibility” lectures from religious groups and churches. Continue Reading...