Assignment:
Present your views regarding the role of alternative governance structures as well as the appropriate role of the SEC and other regulatory agencies in determining the behavior of the firm and its management.
Pick one of the topics below for the research paper:
1. What do you think about the concept of TBTF as it applies to financial and non-financial corporations?
2. What are your views regarding the role of CSR (corporate social responsibility) ?
3. What are your views regarding the role of ESG (environmental, social, and governance)?
Additional Explanation on what is needed:
There are basically three topics available for the paper and you want to pick just one and concentrate your research and writing on that topic. First is the issue of TBTF or "Too Big To Fail" which has created an ongoing debate since the 2008-2009 financial crisis. The issue is whether it is appropriate to provide TBTF status to specific large firms and thereby create an incentive for them to take added risk since they know they will not be allowed to fail although it does require them to accept some fairly onerous requirements. Be very careful labeling the 2008 "TARP Bailout" as a taxpayer loss; the reality is that the Treasury has been completely repaid and earned a profit in excess of $85 Billion.
Second topic would be CSR or "Corporate Social Responsibility" which has come to be seen by many as a part of Corporate Governance wherein the firm has an obligation to deal with issues such as community well-being, environmental awareness and voluntary compliance with regulations along with many other issues. The point of CSR is that the firm is responsible not only to its owners but also to many who rely on the firm for employment, safety, future growth opportunities and the like.
The third topic would be environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investing by the 20 - 34 year old group often referred to as Millennials. These investors appear to have a strong focus toward the concept of "sustainability" and a preference to invest in firms whose "ESG" characteristics are consistent with that concept. Numerous brokerage firms have created special units to work with investors to help channel the purchase of equity in firms that address ESG challenges. One study by Morgan Stanley found that about 84 percent of millennials were interested in sustainable investing. Significantly, they're also twice as likely to invest in a stock or a fund if sustainability is part of the value-creation thesis.