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This thesis examines the legal duties of directors of UK public companies in the light of the 'stakeholder' approach to the firm. It considers the theory that directors are not simply agents of shareholders, but have a duty to take into consideration and, where appropriate, to balance the interests of several constituencies. Examples of suggested stakeholders include employees, customers, suppliers and creditors, as well as the local community and the natural environment. If this broad view of public company responsibility is warranted, the role of the law in securing a 'stakeholder' style of management needs to be examined, and this study attempts that task. To this end, empirical research was conducted via interviews with public company directors and secretaries from a range of public companies of different sizes operating in many business sectors to investigate: • the extent to which at present they view their role as requiring assessment and inclusion of the interests of stakeholders • the manner in which such assessment and inclusion is actually carried out • the impact which a statutory formulation of duties to incorporate stakeholder interests would or might have on decisionmaking in practice • the effect of board structure on corporate decisionmaking. The effect of 'stakeholder orientation' of company directors on the economic performance and social impact of UK public companies was considered. The DTI's Company Law Review Steering Group has referred to the distinction between 'Enlightened Shareholder Value' and the 'Pluralist' approach. This thesis further reviews those arguments and seeks to set them in their commercial context. It is highly probable that there will be a new UK Companies Act following the next General Election. This thesis suggests a new statutory statement of directors' duties and considers the impact which such statutory wording might have. If directors' legal duties were to be reformulated, that change would needs to buttressed by a mechanism to protect stakeholder expectations, in court as a last resort. This thesis argues that the most promising form for such stakeholder remedies is that of the current 'unfair prejudice' action. If the UK is to avoid being left behind internationally in its system of corporate regulation, it needs to take its European Union obligations and the laws of other Member States into account. It is argued that the UK can find much to learn from the continental European traditions. The conclusion of the thesis focuses on the Company Law Review and its potential economic impact. It is argued that UK company law should address the rights of all stakeholders if it is to be ‘modern’ and ‘competitive’.

II. Electing to Change the Profession: Educating to Influence Change Interested in influencing change? Instructors are often creative in the selection of topics, educational methodologies and technology about how to influence change. This session will focus on creative approaches or subjects that educate about how to influence change in schools and in practice. Facilitators at each roundtable will describe how they try to influence change and the lessons learned from their experiences. Learning Objectives: 1. Discuss how to use students to change practitioners and practice.2. Develop ideas for implementing change for use upon return to institution.3. Identify new ways to implement change in practice.

A partir de l'étude des décisions du Conseil constitutionnel, la recherche porte sur l'exercice d'une technique particulière d'interprétation des normes de référence par le juge constitutionnel. De ces interprétations spécifiques résulte l'élaboration, par le juge, des normes de concrétisation. Les normes de concrétisation sont fondées expressément sur les normes de référence du contrôle de constitutionnalité et des lois et en constituent un mode d'emploi. Elles forment des normes juridiques infra-constitutionnelles dont certaines s'imposent au législateur et d'autres s'imposent au juge constitutionnel lui-même. En effet, une première catégorie indique au législateur les critères qu'il doit respecter pour que les dispositions législatives qu'il adopte soient conformes aux normes de référence. Une seconde catégorie établit des méthodes que le juge constitutionnel va utiliser dans le cadre du contrôle de constitutionnalité des lois. Ces règles nouvelles concrétisent les normes de référence à deux niveaux. D'abord, elles précisent leur contenu. Ensuite, elles facilitent leur application. Les normes de concrétisation sont alors un outil jurisprudentiel qui constitue une règle de droit. Par ces différentes caractéristiques, elles permettent au juge à la fois d'élargir ses compétences et de stabiliser sa jurisprudence. / Based on the analysis of the French Constitutional Council case law, this research studies a specific technique which the constitutional judge uses when interpreting reference norms. Doing so, the constitutional judge creates concretization norms. Concretization norms are built on reference norms of the constitutional law review, and can be viewed as a user manual of these norms. They are infra-constitutional norms. Some of them are binding to the legislator while other command the constitutional judge itself. Indeed, one category establishes the criteria the legislator must follow in order to pass laws in compliance with the Constitution. A second category establishes methods which the constitutional judge will use when proceeding to the constitutional law review. These news rules are a concretization of reference norms on two levels. First, they specify the content of these norms. Second, they facilitate their application. Hence, concretization norms are a judicial tool and a legal norm. Through all these characteristics, concretization norms are used by the constitutional judge in order to extend its jurisdiction but also to stabilize its case law.

Detta arbete visar en möjlig väg för skapandet av en utökad norm/lagprövning genom att öka lagrådets befogenheter samt självständighet, där den lagstiftande församlingen samt den dömande och uttolkande myndigheten får en tydligare gräns än tidigare, där lagprövning står i fokus. Detta görs utifrån svensk rättstradition, där tidigare lagar omarbetats samt omplacerats utifrån traditionell rättsutredning. Lagrådet har givits en egen personalbudget vilket tidigare låg under Högsta domstolen samt ett eget kapitel i Kungörelse (1974:152) om beslutad ny regeringsform - RF. Lagrådets befogenheter och sammansättning har utökats samt deras tillsättning har överförts från politisk tillsättning till domarnämnden vilket omfattas av flera grupper från samhället, inte bara av politiker. Dessa sammanlagda åtgärder ger ett ökat tryck på parter att göra rätt från början i ett lagarbete, men det ger också möjlighet till att i efterhand granska och omarbeta fel som visat sig på vägen i ett konkret arbete. Detta systematiska sätt att arbeta ger en ökad öppenhet samt rättssäkerhet kring lagskapande och granskande arbete på ett ekonomiskt fördelaktigt sätt. / This work shows a possible path for the inception of an expanded norm / law review by increasing the powers for Council of law and its independence, where the legislative government and the judging law reviewing parts will have a clearer boundary than before, where legal reviewing is in focus. This is done on the basis of Swedish legal tradition, where previous laws have been revised and repositioned based on traditional legal reviewing method. The law council has been given its own staff budget, which was previously under the Supreme Court, and it has been given a separate chapter in The (1974:152) Instrument of government- RF. The council's powers and composition have been expanding and their appointment has been transferred from political appointment to the judicial committee, which is covered by several groups from society, not just by politicians. These aggregated measures give a total increase in pressure on parties to do right from the start, but also give the opportunity to retrospectively review and rework errors that have proven themselves in court’s rulings. This systematic way of working provides increased transparency and legal certainty of reviewing and creating of new law in a positive economic way.

Alors que la doctrine juridique française ne semble porter qu’un intérêt relatif pour les droits étrangers entre 1815 et 1869, elle recourt au contraire de façon intensive au droit comparé entre 1869 et 1914. Comment expliquer ce basculement ? La première période est marquée par le silence d’une large partie de la doctrine relativement aux droits étrangers : ayant à sa disposition de véritables modèles juridiques (les codes napoléoniens), celle-ci ne ressent effectivement pas le besoin de porter son regard au-delà des frontières nationales mais se concentre presque exclusivement sur les seuls textes de ces codes nouveaux. En matière d’enseignement, cela se traduit notamment par l’adoption de la méthode exégétique ; d’ailleurs encouragée par l’Etat… Bien qu’une poignée de juristes français s’élève rapidement contre cette méthode qu’ils jugent insatisfaisante, les pionniers de la comparaison juridique ne forment alors que le cercle restreint des membres de la doctrine française. Mais ils annoncent et préparent leurs successeurs à l’ « ère comparative ». C’est en effet en 1869 qu’est fondée la Société de législation comparée, ses fondateurs pressentant en réalité dès cette date un « retard français », sur le plan juridique mais aussi dans les autres domaines (économie, enseignement, armée, sciences, etc.), qu’il sera difficile selon eux de combler. L’année suivante, la défaite de Sedan ne fait que confirmer leurs craintes. Surtout, elle pousse les jurisconsultes français à s’intéresser activement aux droits étrangers, en particulier celui du vainqueur. D’après eux, la comparaison juridique peut participer au « redressement français ». Du point de vue juridique, elle vise en effet à rénover le droit français et ses codes vieillissants. Ainsi s’explique, en définitive, l’intérêt grandissant porté par les plus célèbres juristes français de la fin du XIXe siècle et du début du XXe siècle au droit comparé. Certains auront même pour ambition de l’ériger en science. / While the French legal doctrine seems to be barely concerned about foreign laws between 1815 and 1869, it appeals intensively to comparative law between 1869 and 1914. How to explain this swing ? The first period was marked by the silence of a large part of the doctrine in respect of foreign laws : having at its disposal genuine legal models (the Napoleonic codes), the doctrine actually does not feel the need to look across national borders but almost exclusively focuses on the texts of these new codes. In terms of education, this is reflected by the adoption of the exegetical method ; incidentally encouraged by the state... Although a handful of French lawyers quickly rise against this method they consider unsatisfying, the pioneers of legal comparison then constitute the limited circle of members of the French doctrine. But they announce and prepare their successors for the "comparative era." It is indeed in 1869 that the Société de legislation comparée is founded, the founders actually foreseeing since then a "French delay" in legal terms but also in other fields (economy, education, military, science, etc.), that it will be difficult to fill. The following year, the defeat of Sedan confirmed their fears. Above all, it pushes the French jurisconsults to take an active interest in foreign laws, especially the one of the winner. According to them, the legal comparison can contribute to the "French recovery." From a legal perspective, it is indeed to restore French law and its aging code. This explains, ultimately, the growing interest by the most famous French jurists of the late XIXth and early XXth century for comparative law. Some will even have the ambition to erect it in science.