Report of the November 10th seminar at the UCL Centre for Commercial Law, London, addressed by the Rt Hon Stephen Timms MP, Dr Arad Reisberg, the Director of the UCL Centre for Commercial Law, Dr Michael Schluter CBE and Jonathan Rushworth.
The Rt Hon Stephen Timms MP introduced the meeting. Click here for an introduction by him. He stressed the importance of relationships, not least, for example, in building a powerful cross-party consensus within the Coalition Government. He also emphasised the need for socially responsible investment with the application of a different set of values and the formulation of fresh responses. He warmly congratulated Michael Schluter, Jonathan Rushworth and their collaborators for their pioneering work on the Charter.
Michael Schluter and Jonathan Rushworth then outlined the proposal for a Relational Business Charter and Relational Ratings Agency, explaining how their work on this innovative approach to addressing current concerns about company structure and behaviour had followed consultation with leading corporate lawyers, fund managers, accountants and economists.
Dr Arad Reisberg, the Director of the UCL Centre for Commercial Law chaired the meeting. In light of Business Secretary Vince Cable’s current consultation on ‘A long term focus for corporate Britain’, Dr. Reisberg drew attention to the relevance of the Relational Business Charter as a means to promote long-term growth. He also highlighted how along the years the relational model underpinning the Charter had accurately identified the flaws of corporate structure and behaviour, making Michael Schluter way ahead of the game.
Left to right: Jonathan Rushworth, Dr Arad Reisberg, Dr Michael Schluter CBE and the Rt Hon Stephen Timms MP
Left to right: Jonathan Rushworth and Dr Michael Schluter CBE
Left to right: Dr Michael Schluter CBE and the Rt Hon Stephen Timms MP