Corporate Governance Seminar

Spring Semester Sponsored by 

Advanced Corporate Governance 413

FINC 413-010
125 MBNA America Hall
9:30 - 10:45 a.m. Tuesdays & Thursdays
Spring 2002

Professor Charles Elson
104 MBNA America Hall
302-831-6157
Office Hours: By Appointment

Required Books

bulletMEAN BUSINESS (P), DUNLAP 
bulletCORPORATE GOVERNANCE, MONKS, MINOW 
bulletCHAINSAW, BYRNE

Handouts available in Morris Library Reserve Room

The weekly class schedule, with a list of tentative guest speakers, and corresponding assignments follow:

Schedule as of February 5, 2002

Topic

Date

Assignment

One

Tues., Feb 5

Introduction to American Corporate Governance

Thurs., Feb 7

Mean Business, Albert J. Dunlap (Available in campus bookstore)

Two

Tues., Feb 12

Corporate Governance – Stakeholders V. Stockholders Whose Corporation is it anyhow? (Handout 1)

Thurs., Feb 14

Guest Speakers:

David Brown, Partner, Alston & Bird, LLP
Jim Kristie, Editor, Director & Boards
Stephen Lamb, Vice Chancellor, Court of Chancery
Stuart Gillan, Research Economist, TIAA-CREF
Gil Sparks, Partner, Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell

Three

Tues. Feb 19

Corporate Philanthropy: Societal Boom or Shareholder Bust? (Handout 2)
 

Thurs. Feb 21

No Class - Prepare Paper Topic

Four

Tues. Feb 26

The Duty of Care, Corporate Productivity and Stock Ownership: A connection or Disconnection? (Handout 3)

Thurs., Feb 28

The Duty of Care, Corporate Productivity and Stock Ownership: A connection or Disconnection? (Handout 3)
 

Tues. Mar 5

No Class - Prepare Paper Topic

Five

Thurs. Mar 7

Executive Overcompensation – A problem or a solution? (Handout 4)

Tues., Mar 12

No Class - Prepare Paper Topic

Thurs. Mar 14

Guest Speakers:

E. Webb Bassick, Hay Group
John Bogle, Founder, Vanguard Group
Jamie Heard, CEO, Institutional Shareholder Services
Randy Holland, Justice, Supreme Court of Delaware
Charles Yablon, Professor of Law, Cardozo Law School
Ira Zar, CFO, Computer Associates

 

Tues., Mar 19

No Class - Prepare Paper Topic

Six

Thurs., Mar 21

Corporate Democracy and the Shareholder Resolution – A failed "Hyde Park Corner" or legitimate governance tool? (Handout 5)

Guest Speakers:

Francis Byrd, Special Assitant,  New York City Comptroller's Office
 Mark Goldfus, Senior Vice President & General Counsel, Merill Lynch & Co.
Michael Goldman, Partner, Potter Anderson & Coroon, LLP
G. Penn Holsenbeck,Vice President and Corporate Secretary, Philip Morris
Jack Jacobs, Vice Chancellor, Court of Chancery
Joseph J. Morrow, Chief Executive Officer, Morrow & Co., Inc.
Mark Preisinger, Director, Share-Owner Affairs, Coca Cola

Tues., Mar 26

Corporate Democracy and the Shareholder Resolution – A failed "Hyde Park Corner" or legitimate governance tool? (Handout 5)

Seven

Thurs., Mar 28

Caremark and the Prevention of Corporate Fraud and Other Forms of Illegal Conduct (Handout 6)

 

Tues., Apr 2

Spring Break

Thurs., Apr 4

Spring Break

Eight

Tues., Apr 9

Audit Committee Reform and Financial Misconduct – Effective Medicine or Placebo? (Handout 7)

Thurs., Apr 11

Audit Committee Reform and Financial Misconduct – Effective Medicine or Placebo? (Handout 7)

Nine

Tues., Apr 16

Shareholder Litigation: Accountability Enhancer or Corporate Toxin (Handout 8)

Thurs., Apr 18

Guest Speakers:

Tom Allingham, Partner, Skadden, Arps, et al
 Jay Eisenhofer, Principal & Founding Partner, Grant & Eisenhofer, P.A.
Keith Johnson, General Counsel, State of Wisconsin Investment Board (SWIB)
Barbara Franklin, President & CEO, Barbara Franklin Enterprises and Director, Aetna, Dow Chemical et al
Ed Labaton, Partner, Goodkind Labaton Rudoff & Sucharow LLP
Walter Ricciardi, Leader of the Litigation Practice Group, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Leo Strine, Vice Chancellor, Court of Chancery
Robert Thompson, Professor of Law, Vanderbilt University School of Law

Ten

Tues., Apr 23

Corporate Governance Guidelines: Common Ground – Realistic Expectations? (Handout 9)

Thurs., Apr 25

Guest Speakers:

Warren Anderson, Attorney–Securities & Corporate Law, General Motors
Carolyn Berger, Justice, Supreme Court of Delaware
Peter Clapman, General Counsel, TIAA-CREF
Nel Minow, invited
Ken Novack, Vice Chairman, AOL Time Warner
Nils Okeson, Partner, Alston & Bird, LLP
John Olson, Senior Partner, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP
Richard Waters, New York Correspondent, Financial Times

Eleven

Tues., Apr 30

The Poison Pill – Shareholder Toxin or Value Creator (Handout 10)
 

Thurs., May 2

No Class - Prepare Paper Topic

Twelve

Tues., May 7

Circon – The Role of the Dissident Director (Handout 11)

Thurs., May 9

Guest Speakers:

Guy Adams, President, GWA Capital and Director, Lonestar Steakhouse
Frank Balotti, Partner, Richards, Finger & Layton
William Chandler, Chancellor, Court of Chancery
Edward Lampert, CEO, ESL Investments
Morris Offit, CEO and Founder, Offitbank
Robin Sidel, Staff Reporter, Wall Street Journal
Larry Sonsini, Senior Partner, Wilson Sonsini et al
Raymond Troubh - Director or former Director: Enron; Time/Warner; Starwood Hotels & Resorts, ADT, America West Airlines, Becton Dickinson et al

Thirteen

Tues., May 14

Director and Managerial Responsibility and Accountability

John Byrne, Chainsaw (available in campus bookstore)
 

Wed., May 15

FINAL PAPER DUE (2 copies)

I. Course Formant: Part One

During the first nine weeks, we will be examining selected topics involving significant recent developments in American Corporate Governance.

II. Course Format, Part Two

By our sixth class (February 26, 2002) each student must submit a proposed research topic to the instructor along with a paragraph describing the topic.

III. Papers, Final Deadline

All final papers (2 copies) must be submitted no later than May 15, 2002, 4:00 pm to the instructor.

Attached is a cover sheet that you should use for your paper. No need to bind your report.

IV. Grades and Attendance

Students are required to attend all seminar meetings. Three or more absences will result in a grade of F for the class.

Final grades will be based 50% on class participation and 50% on the final paper.

 

 

Up Modern corporate governance scholarship and theory strongly suggest that the structure of a corporation and that corporation

John L. Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance
Lerner College of Business & Economics
University of Delaware
Lerner Hall, Room 104
Newark, DE 19716-2709
302-831-6157 (office)
302-831-3329 (fax)