A New Concept of the Corporation: Part 4

This seminar is available to watch here

RIETI/WBF/ECGI

A Webinar Series on:

A New Concept of the Corporation

Part 4 | The Role of Institutional Investors

Part 4 of this series was held on:

Friday, 18 June 2021

16:00 – 17:30 JST | 09:00 – 10:30 CEST | 08:00  – 09:30 BST

Organiser

Icko Suzuki (Waseda University and ECGI)

About the Event

Over the last few years, and particularly since the onset of COVID-19, the purpose of the corporation has been the subject of active debate. In place of shareholder value maximization, new definitions of corporate purpose have been proposed, and their implications for law, regulation, ownership, governance, measurement and performance of business have been much discussed.

On the occasion of the publication of the Japanese translation of Colin Mayer’s book “Prosperity: Better Business Makes the Greater Good” in March 2021, WBF (Institute of Business and Finance, Waseda University, together with RIETI (Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry) and ECGI (European Corporate Governance Institute), jointly organized a webinar series on the new concept of the corporation, the EU/UK experience and its lessons for Japanese corporate governance reforms.

Details of This Webinar

Language: English (Japanese simultaneous interpretation was provided)

Topics

* Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) and sustainable finance

* Ownership of companies by long-term shareholders and portfolio investors

* Engagement and stewardship by institutional investors

* PRI signatories, do they really “walk the talk”?

* Accounting, measurement and valuation of corporate purpose

* Regulation of institutional investment

* The EU/UK/US experience of institutional investment and engagement

* Implications for Japan:

• Could institutional investors become long-term owners of Japanese companies?
• What role should institutional investors play in promoting purposeful businesses in Japan?

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The final episode in this series will cover the following themes:

Part 5: The Purpose of the Corporation and How to Realize its Purpose

• The concept of purpose
• How to realize the purpose of firms
• EU/UK experience on the new purpose of corporations
• The Future of the Corporation project of the British Academy
• Implication of EU/UK experience for Japan 
• Current status of Japanese corporations

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About REITI

The Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI) is a policy think tank established in 2001. Its mission is to conduct theoretical and empirical research, maximize synergies with those engaged in policymaking, and to make policy proposals based on evidence derived from such research activities. 

About WBF

The Waseda University Institute for Business and Finance offers various education activities and programs designed for cultivating management professionals who can lead the next generation, together with Waseda Business School, a leading business school in Japan and Asia accredited by both AACSB and EQUIS.

About ECGI

The European Corporate Governance Institute (ECGI) is global research network and international scientific non-profit association providing a forum for debate and dialogue between academics, legislators and practitioners, focusing on major corporate governance and stewardship issues. 

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