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• Article | Harvard Business Review (website) | October 14, 2019

  A Guide to the Big Ideas and Debates in Corporate Governance

  Lynn S. Paine and Suraj Srinivasan

  How corporations govern themselves has become a matter of broad public interest in recent decades. Amid this many commentators and experts still disagree on such basic matters as the purpose of the corporation, the role of corporate boards of directors, the rights of shareholders, and the proper way to measure corporate performance. The issue of how shareholder interests should be considered in corporate decision making is particularly contentious. This article is a resource for understanding today’s key debates around governance and identifying the main areas in which changes are being called for. Many readers are grappling with these questions now or may have to address in the near future; in any case, the debates are sure to affect how business operates across the globe.

  Keywords: Corporate Governance; Mission and Purpose; Governing and Advisory Boards; Business and Shareholder Relations; Performance; Measurement and Metrics;

  Citation:

  Paine, Lynn S., and Suraj Srinivasan. "A Guide to the Big Ideas and Debates in Corporate Governance." Harvard Business Review (website) (October 14, 2019).  View Details

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• Case | HBS Case Collection | March 2018 (Revised September 2019)

  China Vanke: Battle for Control (A)

  Lynn S. Paine, Charles C.Y. Wang, Dawn H. Lau and Anthony K. Woo

  In June 2016, the board of China Vanke, one of China’s largest and best-known private residential real estate developers, must vote on a proposed acquisition that is opposed by its largest shareholders, state-owned China Resources Co. and the lesser-known property developer and financial services company Baoneng. The case describes how Baoneng amassed enough shares in Vanke to become its largest shareholder, displacing China Resources in that position. In response to Baoneng’s unwelcome advance and in support of its “railway plus property” strategy, Vanke’s management has proposed the acquisition of a unit of Shenzhen Metro, the government-owned operator of Shenzhen’s underground subway. The proposed acquisition, to be financed by issuing shares, will make Shenzhen Metro Vanke’s largest shareholder and dilute the holdings of both China Resources and Baoneng. China Resources has publicly expressed misgivings about the transaction and the board’s handling of its announcement. With three out of the 11 board seats occupied by China Resources affiliates, and a two-thirds majority needed for the proposal to pass, the vote would determine the future of Vanke.

  Keywords: China Vanke; China Resources; Hostile takeover; board of directors; shareholding structure; shareholder rights; asset restructuring; Corporate Governance; Governing and Advisory Boards; Valuation; Business and Shareholder Relations; Real Estate Industry; China;

  Citation:

  Paine, Lynn S., Charles C.Y. Wang, Dawn H. Lau, and Anthony K. Woo. "China Vanke: Battle for Control (A)." Harvard Business School Case 318-117, March 2018. (Revised September 2019.)  View Details

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• Article | Harvard Business Review (website) | August 22, 2019

  CEOs Say Their Aim Is Inclusive Prosperity. Do They Mean It?

  Lynn S. Paine

  Earlier this week, the Business Roundtable issued a statement on corporate purpose. It is noteworthy both for its endorsement of inclusive prosperity as an ideal and for its rejection of maximizing shareholder returns as the sole corporate objective. However, the real significance of this week’s statement will depend on whether—and how—it is translated into practice. As of now, there are at least four reasons to view the statement as more of a symbolic gesture than a plan to change how corporate America functions.

  Keywords: Mission and Purpose; Goals and Objectives; Corporate Governance;

  Citation:

  Paine, Lynn S. "CEOs Say Their Aim Is Inclusive Prosperity. Do They Mean It?" Harvard Business Review (website) (August 22, 2019).  View Details

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