Many chief executives probably sympathize with Apple CEO, Steve Jobs’ statement that shareholder meetings keep him awake at night. Sadly, for those thinking of sending the Apple boss a note saying they know the feeling, Jobs was joking.
The quip came at Apple’s shareholder meeting in California last Thursday where there was very little to lose any sleep over. Investors voted down environmental responsibility disclosure measures at the meeting, only for the illegal practices of Apple’s Asian suppliers to be detailed in their supplier responsibility report the next day.
Not all companies are so fortunate, however. A story in today’s FT warns that European companies could face more challenges from non-domestic owners as we approach the annual meeting period.
Foreign investors currently own 37 percent of listed European companies, according to the federation of European Securities Exchanges, up from 29 percent in 2003.
Robin Froggatt-Smith
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