O presente trabalho tem como objetivo estudar a atuação dos auditores independentes no contexto de uma operação de incorporação entre companhias abertas. Para tanto, abordaram-se os aspectos jurídicos e contábeis relevantes das operações de incorporação e, em seguida, procurou-se definir os deveres gerais e específicos aplicáveis aos auditores independentes e a responsabilidade civil em face das principais atividades desenvolvidas por tais agentes em operações dessa natureza, quais sejam, as atividades de auditoria das demonstrações financeiras e de avaliação da companhia incorporada. / The present work aims to study the performance of the independent auditors in the context of a merger of a publicly held company into another. For such purposes, we addressed the relevant legal and accounting aspects of the merger transactions and then sought to define the general and specific duties applicable to independent auditors and the liability in view of the main activities undertaken by them in transactions of this nature, which are the activities of auditing of financial statements and the valuation of the merged company.

When the European Commission ultimately blocked the merger between American giant General Electrics and Honeywell in July 2001, this decision triggered a firestorm of criticism. Not only had the Commission just stopped a purely American transaction for the first time since the enactment of European Merger Regulation, but it also contradicted its American Counterpart, the US Department of Justice: The Americans had cleared the deal several months earlier. / In spite of constant cooperative efforts during the investigation, the two antitrust agencies could not reach a common position. When scholars and officials tried to find reasons for the divergence between the American and European decisions, they often criticized the Commission's general approach of focusing on competitors rather than on consumers. They further claimed that the Commission had used dubious economic models to block the merger. / This thesis tries to reinstate the reputation of the European Commission as a professional antitrust institution. The criticisms often left the impression that the Task Force of the Directorate-General for Competition of the European Commission constituted a politically-orientated, rather than economic and legally-orientated, organ. It will be shown that this is actually not the case. / After having analyzed the Commission's decision in detail, and revealing both the strengths and weaknesses of its findings, the thesis will demonstrate that most of the criticisms have to be rejected, and that the Commission had a legal and economic basis in blocking the GE-Honeywell merger.

O presente trabalho tem como objetivo estudar a atuação dos auditores independentes no contexto de uma operação de incorporação entre companhias abertas. Para tanto, abordaram-se os aspectos jurídicos e contábeis relevantes das operações de incorporação e, em seguida, procurou-se definir os deveres gerais e específicos aplicáveis aos auditores independentes e a responsabilidade civil em face das principais atividades desenvolvidas por tais agentes em operações dessa natureza, quais sejam, as atividades de auditoria das demonstrações financeiras e de avaliação da companhia incorporada. / The present work aims to study the performance of the independent auditors in the context of a merger of a publicly held company into another. For such purposes, we addressed the relevant legal and accounting aspects of the merger transactions and then sought to define the general and specific duties applicable to independent auditors and the liability in view of the main activities undertaken by them in transactions of this nature, which are the activities of auditing of financial statements and the valuation of the merged company.

No description available.

Thesis (LLM)--University of Stellenbosch, 2005. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis compares South African and German Competition Law. The focus is the control of mergers between newspaper enterprises. It has to be asked whether special rules should apply to transactions in this field, considering the importance of an unconcentrated, competitive press from an economic and political point of view. It will be shown that South African and German Competition Law are similar in many respects. Both legal systems follow a flexible, primarily economic approach to the consideration of proposed transactions, taking into account a plurality of factors to determine potential detrimental effects of mergers on competition. Moreover, pro-competitive gains and public interest issues are recognised under South African and German law. When it comes to the control of mergers between newspaper enterprises, though, the two legal systems diverge. Only under German Competition Law, are there specific provisions for press mergers. In view of a recently proposed amendment of the German Competition Law, the appropriate form of regulation that is likely to guarantee a free press, will be investigated. It will also be analysed, whether there is a specific need for press regulation in the South African context. Even though there are no special provisions under South African Competition Law, the South African Constitution leaves space for a broader understanding of the freedom of the press. Hence, it will be examined if the South African Constitution obliges the state to enact particular laws to protect press-plurality. Moreover, it will be analysed if the South African Competition Act should be interpreted in a manner that would promote plurality of the press. In the view of the eminent role of the press for a democratic society, it will be argued in this thesis, that there is a particular need for media regulation. Notably the significant levels of concentration in both German and South African press markets raise concerns as regards the protection of a free and pluralistic press. It will be shown that there are different foreign approaches to maintaining and promoting freedom of the press and it will be suggested that South Africa recognises a need for more press-specific regulation in the future. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie verhandeling vergelyk Suid-Afrikaanse en Duitse mededingingsreg. Dit is gefokus op beheer oor persondernemings. Die vraag word gevra of spesiale reëls van toepassing behoort te wees op transaksies in hierdie sektor, indien die politieke en ekonomiese belang van 'n ongekonsentreerde en mededingende pers in ag geneem word. Dit word uitgewys dat Suid-Afrikaanse en Duitse mededingsreg in vele opsigte soortgelyk is, wat die regulering van samesmeltings betref. Beide regsstelsels volg 'n buigsame, hoofsaaklik ekonomiese benadering tot die oorweging van 'n transaksie. Beide neem 'n veelheid van faktore in ag om te bepaal of 'n transaksie moontlik negatiewe gevolge vir mededinging het. Verder word pro-mededingende en publieke belangsaspekte in beide die Suid- Afrikaanse en Duitse reg in ag geneem. In die geval van 'n samesmelting tussen koerantondernemings verskil die twee sisteme egter. Die Duitse reg het spesiale reëls vir samesmelting van sulke ondernemings. In die lig van wysigings wat onlangs aan die Duitse mededingsreg voorgestel is, word geskikte vlakke van regulering van die pers, wat nodig is om 'n vrye pers te waarborg, ondersoek. Aandag word geskenk aan die vraag of daar'n behoefte is aan regulering van die pers in die Suid-Afrikaanse omgewing. Alhoewel die Suid-Afrikaanse Grondwet nie spesiaal daarvoor voorsiening maak nie, laat die Grondwet plek vir 'n wyer begrip van persvryeid. Dus word vasgestelof daar 'n plig op die staat is om wetgewing in te voer wat die staat dwing om perspluralisme te beskerm. Verder, word bepaal of die Suid-Afrikaanse Mededingingswet op so 'n wyse interpreteer kan word dat dit perspluralisme sal bevorder. In die lig van die sentrale rol vir 'n vrye pers in 'n demokratiese samelewing, word geargumenteer dat, daar 'n spesiale behoefte aan reguleringvan die media is. Die hoë vlakke van konsentrasie in beide die Duitse en Suid- Afrikaanse persmarkte skep besorgheid oor die beskerming van 'n vrye en pluralistiese pers in hierdie lande. Dit word aangetoon dat daar verskillende benaderings tot die beskerming en bevordering van 'n vrye pers in ander lande is en daar word voorgestel dat Suid-Afrika 'n behoefte aan meer spesifieke reëls vir regulering van die pers erken.

The dramatic growth of over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives in the last two decades and the ever-expanding range of financial derivative have triggered concerns as regards investor protection. These concerns have been exacerbated in recent times by phenomenal losses sustained by several large corporations (including municipalities), in the United States, Europe and Asia. This thesis seeks to evaluate the capacity of the existing regulatory framework in Australia to provide protection to participants trading in the OTC derivatives markets. The evaluation is carried out in three parts: first, by identifying the gaps in the Corporations Law regimes, second by determining the extent to which the general criminal and consumer laws are capable of stepping into the breach left open by the Corporations Law and third, by locating the gaps in the supervisory structure by identify the participants who are not subject to any form of supervision by the regulators. The examination conducted in this thesis of the regimes in Chapters 7 and 8 of the Corporations Law reveals a number of gaps in respect of investor protection. Significantly, the OTC derivatives market, which is by far the larger market compared to the on-exchange derivatives market, is generally unregulated by the Corporations Law. Comparative analysis between the sanctions provisions in Chapters 7 and 8 of the Corporations Law and those in the Crimes Act 1900 (NSW) and the Trade Practices Act 1974 (Cth) indicated that whilst these latter Acts have the potential to act as a substitute for some of the sanctions provisions in the Corporation Law, about half of the sanctions provisions under the Corporations Law regime has no equivalent provisions in these Acts. In consequence, some regulatory gaps remain. Gaps also occur in the supervisory structure as the surveillance by regulators of market participants is focused along institutional lines. The failure of the law to provide adequate protection to investors trading in the OTC derivatives markets is due primarily to an outdated, inflexible and inappropriate regulatory framework which, when originally constructed, was not intended to regulated the broad spectrum of financial derivatives. This thesis discusses the gaps and deficiencies in the Corporations Law regime and also discusses the recent recommendations made by the Wallis Committee and the Companies and Securities Advisory Committee as well as the proposals of the Treasury in relation to investor protection. It also provides some suggestions for law reform.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--York University, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 592-662). Also available on the Internet.

Este trabalho examina a disciplina legal do dividendo mínimo obrigatório, a partir da compreensão de suas funções dentro da organização societária e das implicações práticas de sua existência, manifestáveis ao longo do procedimento de formação e partilha do lucro social. Trata-se de estudo que, embora gravite em torno do art. 202 da Lei das Sociedades por Ações, estende-se para os fundamentos do direito societário, excursionando por temas que vão desde as razões da celebração do contrato de sociedade e da função empresarial do lucro até as mais modernas reflexões a respeito do conflito de interesses e do papel dos administradores e dos controladores na sociedade. Além de uma análise detalhada das etapas de apuração, declaração e pagamento do dividendo mínimo obrigatório, o estudo oferece as seguintes principais proposições: (i) a de que o dividendo mínimo obrigatório consiste em solução contratual, estimulada pela lei, para redução dos custos da decisão de partilha do lucro social; (ii) a de que o direito ao dividendo é diverso do direito de participação nos lucros sociais e de que aquele, ao contrário deste último, é tanto derrogável, quanto renunciável; e (iii) a de que o dividendo mínimo obrigatório possui natureza substancialmente específica, reclamando análise autônoma de seu funcionamento. Entre as contribuições esperadas, estão o aperfeiçoamento da aplicação da disciplina legal do dividendo mínimo obrigatório e a retomada da investigação científica da matéria, inexplicavelmente negligenciada pela doutrina brasileira. Estruturalmente, o texto encontra-se dividido em oito capítulos, além da introdução e das considerações finais. O primeiro apresenta o papel do lucro e do dividendo na sociedade. O segundo reproduz o raciocínio doutrinário que conforma o direito do acionista ao dividendo mínino obrigatório, examina as justificativas para sua tutela jurídica e analisa a necessidade contemporânea da manutenção dessa tutela. No terceiro capítulo são discutidas as questões relacionadas à titularidade do dividendo mínimo obrigatório. Os capítulos quarto e quinto tratam, respectivamente, da apuração e da declaração do dividendo mínimo obrigatório. As hipóteses de retenção regular e irregular de lucros sociais são tratadas nos capítulos sexto e sétimo. Do capítulo oitavo constam explicações sobre o pagamento do dividendo mínimo obrigatório. As considerações finais retomam as principais conclusões obtidas ao longo dos capítulos e arrematam o trabalho. / This thesis examines the legal discipline of the minimum mandatory corporate dividend, based on an analysis of its functions within organizations and on the practical implications of its existence, reflected in the procedures for social profits formation and distribution. Although this study centers on article 202 of the Brazilian Corporations Law, it also touches on corporate laws foundations, covering subjects ranging from the reasons for settling a corporate contract and the corporate functions of profits to modern thinking on conflicts of interest and the roles of managers and controlling shareholders. Besides a detailed analysis of the steps in accounting for, declaring, and paying the minimum mandatory dividend, this study also suggests these main propositions: (i) that the minimum mandatory dividend consists of a contractual solution, stimulated by law, that aims to reduce the costs related to the decision to share social profits; (ii) that the right to the minimum mandatory dividend and the right to participate in social profits are not equivalent and that the former, as distinct from the latter, is as revocable as it is renounceable; and (iii) that the minimum mandatory dividend has a substantially singular nature, which requires an independent analysis of its mechanisms. The expected contribution of this study is twofold: to improve the application of the minimum mandatory dividends legal discipline, and to bring to light the scientific investigation of dividend subjects, which inexplicably has been neglected by Brazilian legal doctrine in recent decades. The text is divided into eight chapters, besides the introduction and the final remarks. The first chapter presents the role of profits and dividends in companies. The second explains the doctrinal rationality that sustains the right of shareholders to the minimum mandatory dividend, examines the justifications for its jurisdictional protection, and analyzes the contemporary necessity for this protection. In the third chapter, issues related 181 to the minimum mandatory dividends ownership are debated. The fourth and fifth chapters concern, respectively, accounting for and declaring minimum mandatory dividends. The hypotheses of regular and irregular retention of social profits are discussed in the sixth and seventh chapters. Explanations of the rules for paying the minimum mandatory dividend are given in the eighth chapter. The final remarks section distills the main conclusions from the eight chapters.

University of Macau / Faculty of Law

The authors discussed on the alleged utility as well as the drawbacks of the mandatory determination of corporate purpose. They analyze and criticize the required characteristics of the corporate purpose by the Peruvian corporate regulation as well as the alleged benefits of making mandatory its determination. The authors propose the elimination of the obligation to determine the corporate purpose in order to give corporations freedom to configure their economic activity without being limited by an outdated rule. / En el presente artículo, los autores discuten la presunta utilidad como inconvenientes de la obligación de determinar el objeto social. En ese sentido, se analiza las características exigidas al objeto social, como los supuestos beneficios que traería su regulación. Los autores proponen la eliminación de la obligación de determinar el objeto social a fin de permitir a las sociedades configurar libremente su actividad, sin verse limitadas por una norma rígida.