Shareholder activism is the way in which shareholders can assert their power as owners of a company to influence its behavior. Shareholders have rights to propose resolutions that are voted on at a company’s annual meeting. Resolutions need a majority to pass and are generally non-binding. Their power is in media coverage.

Currently, our project is supporting the Student Investment Club (SIC) by researching resolutions submitted to SIC-owned companies. We then present the resolutions for the club to vote on, and facilitate the actual proxy vote. We are also doing research concerning the impact of shareholder resolutions on different companies behaviors. We also present an SR perspective on companies that are pitched to the SIC.

Research about Shareholder Advocacy

http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=663523

http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=218650

http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=885365