Failing Company Defense

A merger or acquisition that has the potential to lessen competition significantly may violate Section 7 of the Clayton Act, 15 U.S.C.S. § 18. However, a "failing company" defense has emerged from case law and legislative history of an amendment to Section 7 that allows an acquisition or merger to proceed if the company being acquired is subject to imminent bankruptcy or liquidation, and the acquiring company is the only prospective purchaser of the failing company.

General Partnership Basics

Partnerships are a traditional form for doing business. General partnerships are made up of two or more persons or entities, each of which takes part in and is responsible for the management of the partnership. Other partnerships and companies may be partners in a general partnership.

Business Conduct Codes

Business Conduct Codes for New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq Listed Companies

Disclosure of Executive Compensation

While each company decides what its executives are paid, the amounts and types of compensation paid to the top executives of public companies is considered material information that the Securities and Exchange Commission has determined must be disclosed to the public.

Duty of Care

A corporate director has the duty to act in good faith in pursuit of the company's best interests and to use the care that an ordinary prudent person in a like position would use under similar circumstances. The Model Business Corporation Act implies that corporate officers have an even higher duty of care because they are intimately familiar with and knowledgeable about the corporation's activities and have better access to corporate information than directors have. Most jurisdictions recognize that high-ranking corporate officers have a fiduciary relationship with the corporation.