Constructive Engagement

The relationships between investors, directors and companies have never been so vital, or so confusing. Gone are the days when being a non-executive director (NED) meant an agreeable lunch and when CEOs wanted them to meet investors 'over my dead body'. Even the most admired companies can be engulfed in scandal and the NEDs find themselves having to drive through fundamental changes. The corporate environment is full of pitfalls for unwary boards. And there are plenty of headline stories of directors who have failed to measure up. Equally, a high quality board which has the confidence of the investors is a major strategic asset: making better decisions, attracting better people and allowing bolder strategies to succeed with investor backing. Nicholas Beale uses research gathered from leading FTSE 100 chairmen, directors, non-executive directors and investors to explore their changing roles. What emerges is a fascinating and instructive picture of constructive engagement; an approach that sees these companies (and the people behind them), each in their own way, address the challenges that are at the heart of global capitalism, and that have lead to the Higgs Review, Sarbanes-Oxley and other regulatory attempts to address corporate mismanagement. From discussions with over 100 leading practitioners, detailed studies of three leading companies, three leading investors and an extended case study on investor engagement at Royal Dutch Shell, the author draws a series of ideas and guidance for all of the parties involved. Sadly this book has come too late for the directors and investors of those companies that have crashed and burned, but all others who are, or aspire to be, directors or significant investors in listed companies should read this book, learn the lessons it has to offer and start adopting them in the organization(s) with which you work and in the portfolios you develop. For more information visit www.conseng.net

From the vantage point of comparative philosophy and with the goal of cross-tradition constructive engagement, this anthology explores how analytic and "Continental" approaches in philosophy, as understood broadly and presented in the Western and other traditions, can learn from each other and jointly contribute to the contemporary development of philosophy on a range of issues. The volume includes 14 essays which are organized into two parts respectively on analytic and "Continental" approaches in and beyond the Western tradition. The anthology also includes the volume editors’ specific introductions to the two parts as well as a general introduction to the whole volume.

Study on problems and prospects for cooperation in development between ASEAN and Burma.

The Bloomsbury Research Handbook of Chinese Philosophy Methodologies presents a new understanding of the changing methods used to study Chinese philosophy. By identifying the various different approaches and discussing the role, and significance of philosophical methods in the Chinese tradition, this collection identifies difficulties and exciting developments for scholars of Asian philosophy. Divided into four parts, the nature of Chinese philosophical thought is illuminated by discussing historical developments, current concerns and methodological challenges. Surveying recent methodological trends, this research companion explores and evaluates the methodologies that have been applied to Chinese philosophy. From these diverse angles, an international team of experts reflect on the considerations that enter their methodological choices and indicate new research directions. The Bloomsbury Research Handbook of Chinese Philosophy Methodologies is an important contribution to the education of the next generation of Chinese philosophers.