Dennis Campbell

Susan Woodley

The 2003 Special Issue of the Comparative Law Yearbook of International Business deals with issues relating to Corporate Governance. Following a series of scandals involving reporting by public companies in the United States, there has been an increase in the number of measures dealing with, among other things, the liability of directors and managers when submitting company financial returns. The first and most well-known piece of legislation to be introduced was, of course, the United States Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act covers matters including the establishment of audit committees, disclosure committees, and codes of ethics, with an emphasis upon the disclosure of information and transparency. It describes, for example, the principle of ¿vicinity of Insolvency¿ and the relevant information to be disclosed to shareholders and creditors. The issue of directors¿ duties and responsibilities is addressed, together with the consequences of insider trading and conflicts of interests. The Act also contains provisions on whistleblowers and introduces new criminal sanctions for company wrongdoings, as well as enhancing those penalties already in place. As a result of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, many countries have followed suit and adopted their own measures to combat corporate failings, corruption, and the misuse of power. Among those covered in this publication are South Africa, China, a number of eastern and western European states, and various Asian jurisdictions. Other specific topics discussed are, inter alia, generally accepted accounting principles, insolvency, the banking, securities and insurance industries, foreign issuers, and close private companies. Corporate Governance is an extremely topical subject which is of great importance and relevance to anyone involved in company affairs. Many corporate practitioners will, therefore, find this publication highly useful when advising clients on their various rights and responsibilities.

Published Under the Auspices of the Center for International Legal Studies

Trends and Developments in Corporate Governance

This year's volume of the Comparative Law Yearbook of International Business deals with the subject of product liability law. This is a growing area in which manufacturers and supplies are finding themselves more and more responsible for the quality of their products and for the consequences flowing from any defect therein. This book discusses a wide variety of topics which come under the umbrella of product liability, ranging from liability for injuries caused by the use of asbestos and other toxic substances to the responsibility of air carriers in hijack situations. There is a growing amount of litigation throughout the world tackling the problems arising from the safety of products. These laws take into account te manufacturing process, the transportation, storage and delivery of goods, the intended use of products, their fitness for such purpose, and any warnings or instructions as to use given to consumers and end users. This publication also covers the question of jurisdiction in product-related litigation, particulary in crossborder transactions. In many instances, a plaintiff will attempt to bring his action in the United States due to the large amount of damages, especially punitive damages, awarded there by juries in civil actions. Defendants, on the other hand, seek to counter this by raising issues such forum non conveniens. There also is the question of state versus federal jurisdiction within the United States, as well as a discussion focusing on the possible growth of federalism within the European Union and its impact upon product liability nationally and at a European level. A comparison of the divergent cultural attitudes towards property in China and the United States, including the different emphases placed upon the ownership and role of property in society, demonstrates the different views of product liability. Another aspect of defective goods dealt with here is liability for the recall of a dangerous product. There is a chain of responsibility stretching from the manufacturer, trough various levels of suppliers, to the final retailer of goods, which is obviously important when attempting to remove dangerous products from the market as quickly as possible before they can cause widespread injury to consumers. This has been shown to be particularly relevant in cases involving automobiles and food products. Overall, therefore, product liability law is a vital part of the general law protecting consumers, both on a national and international basis, which makes this book a very interesting and useful read for anyone involved in this area.

Susan Woodley

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