What is an owner? And, what is an owner of a publicly traded corporation? It’s clear that they are not the same thing. We don’t own a corporation like we own a car or property. Even individual owners of corporate stock don’t really “own” the corporations. We have neither the rights nor responsibilities commonly associated with the term ownership.
Where No One Has Gone Before
Getting worldwide ownership to cooperate on an issue might seem like an effort in herding cats: everyone is going to do their own thing. The thing is, nobody is really doing their own thing. What we have is an uncoordinated body of ownership that blindly follows management.
New Book: Emerging Ownership
It’s hard to find good news in recent economic reports – or really any since the financial crisis. Some are beginning to look at new forms of ownership for possible answers. It’s a fascinating issue and a new book on the topic offers wisdom and insight. Owning Our Future: The Emerging Ownership…
Dual Class Ownership
A couple of years ago I posted a video proposing multiple-class stock as a way to empower owners and hold management to account. Now seems like a good time to discuss the downside of dual-class or multiple-class stock because there have been some recent high profile offerings that bring…
Neutered Securities
Now that the clamor over Facebook’s public offerings has abated somewhat – both the purchasing scrum and the disappointment over the results – let’s look at this type of “ownership.” Facebook isn’t the first to offer what I call “neutered securities.” Carlisle is another high-profile offering. While different from Facebook in that…
Confronting Power
The only way I know to combat corporate power as it now stands is for government to exercise its powers as owners of a preponderance of publicly traded stock. Self-regulation didn’t work and any attempts at government regulation are thwarted or circumnavigated. You can’t control a corporation from outside…
