Do you believe the form of a presentation can affect stock prices as much as the substance of a presentation?
What are your thoughts about the “pecking order” of capital and how it may have played a role in the bankruptcy?
Uber has a new CFO, who has had IPO experience, plus experience as a CEO. Do you agree with the assessment that “boards love to see CFOs who have done more than finance”? What in Mr. Chai’s background did Uber’s board want.
What is the role of “activist investors”? If you were CEO of Nielsen, what would you do in response to the 8% ownership of Mr. Singer? Do you agree with Mr. Singer’s proposal for Nielsen? Why or why not?
Lowe’s CEO has announced retirement. If you were on the search committee for a replacement, what would you look for in a candidate? How directly does the person in the top spot affect the overall firm’s performance?
Do you think BlackRock is “right” to require firms to discuss these societal issues, in addition to financial metrics? Why or why not? What is BlackRock hoping to achieve? Is this the best way for BlackRock to achieve its goals?
Tim Cook received $102 million in total compensation for the latest fiscal year. Is this about right? Too much? Too little? How would you determine what is the optimal amount and the optimal components of his pay?
What are solutions to the perceived problems of executive compensation being based on faulty performance measures and inappropriate peer firms? If you were CEO, would you agree to the changes in how your compensation would be calculated? Why or why not?
So, the writer suggests that companies with long-tenured CFOs do better, suggesting that keeping a CFO for a long period is “good” for the firm. Or, could be the other way around? Well performing firms keep their CFOs longer. Which is the dependent variable, the explanatory variable?
In your opinion, are CEO raises and pay levels justified? Are they “optimal”? How would you define an optimal pay package?
Does Snap’s share structure, in particular, no-voting rights, affect valuation of the stock? Why or why not?
In your opinion, should all shares of publicly traded companies have equal voting rights? Should all directors be voted on annually? Why do you think Google and other tech firms have dual class shares?
Do you think it is appropriate to hold individuals (such as a named CFO) liable for errors in financial reporting? Why or why not? What are the consequences for bringing talented individuals into CFO roles?
Why is there a trend toward “de-equitizing” the capital markets? Do you believe (over) regulation of public companies plays a part? If you needed cash, what options are available and how would you choose?
If you were on the compensation committee of your firm’s board, would you require indexing equity based compensation? If you were CEO, would you be against it? If so, how would you argue against it?
If you were CEO, and if you believe the results of the research that suggests that explicitly mentioning “shareholder value” in your annual letter to shareholders affects your compensation, how would you write your letter?(!)
Do you think the SEC is right to require firms to disclose gender and race of board members? Why or why not?
If you were on the board of directors, how would you try to quantify synergy as part of your due diligence responsibility in M&A? Is it necessary to do so?
What are the reasons for CFO turnover? Which ones are preventable from “better” hiring? Does it surprise you about the stock price effects of early CFO departure? Why or why not?
