Shareholders and Stakeholders


Book Description

This book explores the evolution of the shareholder in post-war Britain within the context of changing legal, political, economic, and social conditions. It examines how the post-war transformation of the shareholder body influenced relationships amongst stakeholders, impacting corporate behaviour and the legal and political efforts to govern industry and financial markets. The book addresses a number of themes, including: 1) how the movements for democratisation influenced the treatment of shareholder interests and the calls for stakeholder representation; 2) how the rhetoric of change created a narrative that deflected from the lack of systemic legal reforms and protected the status quo; 3) how, in the post-war consensus environment, political positions on equity ownership de-radicalised, which proved unsustainable against a background of increasing political polarisation and industrial unrest; and 4) how the institutionalisation of the post-war shareholder body had profound effects on industry, the financial markets, and the economy. With these themes as a foundation, the evolutionary arch of the post-war shareholder is examined, focusing on developments that influenced the treatment and perception of shareholder and stakeholder interests, including nationalisations, shareholder democracy, corporate purpose, and industrial democracy. The book further considers how these post-war changes contribute to the post-1979 legal treatment of shareholder and stakeholder interests, including subsequent changes to the Companies Act and the development of corporate governance codes. Parallels to contemporary movements for stakeholder capitalism, corporate purpose, and ESG are drawn. The historical analysis of the post-war shareholder provides a framework for considering current questions on shareholder primacy and the demands for systemic legal reforms. These missed opportunities for meaningful changes to the treatment of shareholder interests in UK company law serve as useful precedents for evaluating subsequent periods.




Report of the Committee of Inquiry on Industrial Democracy


Book Description

UK. Report on major issues and problems concerning the extension of workers participation in the private sector by means of workers representation on management boards - discusses legal aspects, consequential training needs, the role and views of trade unions, policy and experience in other EC countries, etc. References.




The Labour Constitution


Book Description

By exploring different approaches to the study of labour law, this book re-evaluates how it is conceived, analysed, and criticized in current legislation and policy. In particular, it assesses whether so-called 'old ways' of thinking about the subject, such as the idea of the labour constitution, developed by Hugo Sinzheimer in the early years of the Weimar Republic, and the principle of collective laissez-faire, elaborated by Otto Kahn-Freund in the 1950s, are in fact outdated. It asks whether, and how, these ideas could be abstracted from the political, economic, and social contexts within which they were developed so that they might still usefully be applied to the study of labour law. Dukes argues that the labour constitution can provide an 'enduring idea of labour law', and an alternative to modern arguments which favour reorienting labour law to align more closely with the functioning of labour markets. Unlike the 'law of the labour market', the labour constitution highlights the inherently political nature of labour laws and institutions, as well as their economic functions. It constructs a framework for analysing labour laws, labour markets, and institutions, to allow scholars to critique the current policy climate and, in light of the ongoing expansion of the global labour market, assess the impact of the narrowing and disappearance of spaces for democratic deliberation and democratic decision-making on workers rights.




A Bibliography of British History, 1914-1989


Book Description

Containing over 25,000 entries, this unique volume will be absolutely indispensable for all those with an interest in Britain in the twentieth century. Accessibly arranged by theme, with helpful introductions to each chapter, a huge range of topics is covered. There is a comprehensiveindex.




Corporate Governance


Book Description

The most authoritative, complete, and critical guide to corporate governance.




Capitalism, the State and Industrial Relations


Book Description

Capitalism, the State and Industrial Relations (1982) examines the many different forms of state intervention in industrial relations in Britain, among them being corporatism, liberalism, paternalism and pluralism. This discussion puts forward a sociological explanation of some of the determinants of state intervention. It concentrates on the period since 1960 and on policies such as those embodied in the Industrial Relations Act of 1971 and the Employment Protection Act of 1975. Institutional changes, such as the formation of the Commission on Industrial Relations and of the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service, are also considered. With this in view, this book examines the relationship between class structure, class conflict and state power. The role and influence of organised labour and the industrial working class on the formulation of policy are assessed in order to clarify the social forces constraining and shaping the intervention of the state in industrial relations. One crucial conclusion to emerge is a sceptical assessment of the possibilities for the establishment of a successful corporatist control of industrial relations by means of the state in Britain.







Contemporary British Industrial Relations


Book Description

An examination of contemporary British industrial relations from the early post-war decades (1945-70) to the present. The book looks at the relationship between the law and industrial relations and employer and management strategies in the private sector.




The Oxford Handbook of Modern British Political History, 1800-2000


Book Description

The two centuries after 1800 witnessed a series of sweeping changes in the way in which Britain was governed, the duties of the state, and its role in the wider world. Powerful processes - from the development of democracy, the changing nature of the social contract, war, and economic dislocation - have challenged, and at times threatened to overwhelm, both governors and governed. Such shifts have also presented challenges to the historians who have researched and written about Britain's past politics. This Handbook shows the ways in which political historians have responded to these challenges, providing a snapshot of a field which has long been at the forefront of conceptual and methodological innovation within historical studies. It comprises thirty-three thematic essays by leading and emerging scholars in the field. Collectively, these essays assess and rethink the nature of modern British political history itself and suggest avenues and questions for future research. The Oxford Handbook of Modern British Political History thus provides a unique resource for those who wish to understand Britain's political past and a thought-provoking 'long view' for those interested in current political challenges.