Disclosure of Proxy Voting Information by Australian Managed Investment Schemes

The US Securities and Exchange Commission requires registered management investment companies to disclose how they vote proxies relating to portfolio securities they hold. The primary purpose of this rule is to enable fund investors to monitor the role of institutional shareholders in the corporate governance practices of public companies. In Australia, despite reform proposals, there are no regulations requiring institutional investors to report proxy voting procedures and practices. There is little evidence of voluntary disclosure of proxy voting by Australian managed investment schemes in equities, indicating that there are costs involved in such disclosure.     

Networks to Nerdistan: The Role of Labor Market Intermediaries in the Entry‐level IT Labor Market

Although networks have long governed economic relations, they assume even more importance in a knowledge‐based economy. Yet, some argue that because of the lack of social networks and human capital, some groups are permanently ‘switched off’ the networks of the global economy. Evidence presented in this article suggests that instead there is latent potential for access to the network, due to the rise of networked community‐based organizations and the increasing accessibility of technology. Based on surveys and in‐depth interviews with almost 700 workers and training providers, I show how the switched off are entering jobs in information technology through network ties and the acquisition of soft skills, or communication and interaction skills. Although community‐based training providers are best positioned to help disadvantaged jobseekers enter the network society, changes in the US workforce development system are reinforcing network exclusivity, rather than facilitating this upward mobility.