Suchergebnisse für unternehmerische Entscheide

Informationskonzept im neuen Aktienrecht

The information asymmetry between shareholders and managers calls for the implementation of an efficient information concept within stock corporations. In the course of the Swiss Stock Corporation Reform of 2020, the former information concept was partially revised. This article takes a critical look at the revised provisions and puts them in context.

Neuausrichtung des «Swiss Code of Best Practice for Corporate Governance» auf den Wandel der Zeit

The «Swiss Code of Best Practice for Corporate Governance», which was first published in 2002 and has since been revised several times, has become the most important guideline for good corporate governance in Switzerland and is widely accepted because it shows practical solutions based on expertise and experience. It compensates for its non-binding nature and lack of legal legitimacy, so to speak…

Die Governance von PostFinance – Zwischen Grundversorgungsauftrag, Systemrelevanz und Kreditverbot

This article deals with the governance of PostFinance, a financial institute held by the Swiss Post. PostFinance has on one hand a service obligation for basic payment transaction services. On the other hand, PostFinance is banned from the credit and mortgage business and has to operate on a restricted business model. On top, PostFinance is qualified as a systemically important financial…

Das Desorganisationsdelikt in Finanzdienstleistungsunternehmen

In 2003, a general criminal provision on corporate liability came into force in Switzerland. This regulates how to attribute certain felonies or misdemeanours committed by individuals to the company for which they work. This innovation was in line with a general trend in continental Europe, but was controversial in business circles and in criminal law doctrine. The legislative bodies therefore…

Neues Aktienrecht als Inspiration für den Gläubigerschutz bei Umstrukturierungen

What is the adequate level of creditor protection in corporate restructurings? The present article sheds a critical light on the current creditor protection provisions in the Swiss Merger Act and proposes, inspired by provisions of the new Swiss Stock Corporation Act, a partial reform of the Swiss Merger Act.

Aussergerichtliche Sanierung einer Aktiengesellschaft

Die im Baugewerbe tätige A. AG befand sich seit längerem in wirtschaftlichen Schwierigkeiten. Gestützt auf ein Stillhalteabkommen mit den Banken B., C., D., E. und F. verfügte sie über…

Kartellrechtliche Fragen bei der Gründung eines Joint Ventures

Opening up new markets or pursuing major projects can often only be achieved with partners, which is why companies form joint ventures. When planning and implementing such cooperation projects, economic and contractual considerations are in practice the main focus. However, the influence of antitrust law on this form of cooperation should not be underestimated. The relevance of antitrust law is…

Schutzzweck der Inhaltskontrolle von allgemeinen Geschäftsbedingungen

This article examines the reason for and justification of controlling the content of general terms and conditions by the legislator and the courts. Based on various individual and institutional protection concepts, it analyzes what the purpose of such content control can and actually should be. This contribution uses a legal theo­ry and law and economics research approach. The results of the…

Verhaltenspflichten des Verwaltungsrats

E. verkaufte seinem Sohn F. im Jahr 1999 die Aktienmehrheit an der C. AG (nachfolgend Kaufvertrag 1). Zwischenzeitlich erwarb F. auch noch die restlichen Aktien der C. AG. Die C. AG hält rund 70% der…

Aktienrechtliche Verantwortlichkeit: Zur gerichtlichen Prüfungsbefugnis im Anwendungsbereich der Business Judgment Rule (Zurückhaltungsregel)

In the context of directors’ and officers’ liability, the ­so-called Business Judgment Rule and its Swiss equivalent – which is also referred to as the Rule of Restraint (Zurückhaltungsregel) – aim to protect the exercise of discretion when making business decisions. According to the Swiss Federal Supreme Court, the judicial review of business decisions must be conducted with restraint if i) the…

Sharing Economy: Zur sozialversicherungsrechtlichen Beurteilung von ­Plattform-Beschäftigten

Driven by digitalisation and the Sharing Economy, the way in which work is performed is changing. Platforms that provide work or carry it out themselves are becoming increasingly important, as are the associated unresolved legal issues. From the perspective of social security law, the question arises as to whether platform workers are self-employed or employed by platforms. Since all platforms…

«Exit» aus der Nachlassstundung nach erfolgreicher Sanierung – ­Erste Erkenntnisse zum neuen Art. 296a SchKG

Under Swiss insolvency laws, companies in financial distress aiming at a restructuring rather than a winding-up can opt for a debt-restructuring moratorium (Nachlassstundung) as an alternative to bankruptcy proceedings. While composition proceedings are significantly less frequent in practice than formal bankruptcy proceedings, they are often used by major companies with numerous employees and a…

Auf dem Weg zu einer digitalen Wettbewerbsordnung – Reaktionen des deutschen Gesetzgebers

Germany changed the Act against Restraints of Competition in 2017, partly in order to give a regulatory answer to the changes of the digital economy. The legislator answered to multi-sided markets with network effects, data-driven business models and the rise of «super platforms». Reforms related to the definition of market and the criteria for market power. A new merger threshold was introduced…

Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown – Zur Rolle des Verwaltungsrates in schweizerischen Publikumsgesellschaften

The board of directors of a Swiss public company is stuck between a rock and a hard place. Shareholders breathe down directors’ necks with earnings expectations, but the results are delivered by an executive management under the board’s control rather than by the board itself. The executives who run the business on a day-to-day basis know the company better than the board. This allows them to…

Global agieren, lokal profitieren – und keine Verantwortung?

The debate about responsible business conduct has gained new momentum in Switzerland due to the responsible business initiative («Konzernverantwortungsinitiative») which triggered the drafting of a counter-­proposal by the National Council in the context of the ongoing revision of the company law. This contribution situates this debate in the relevant international con­text. The analysis’ focus…

Funktion(en) des Aktienrechts – vom Organisationsrecht zum Katalysator der Gesellschaftspolitik?

Swiss Corporate Law (Articles 620 et seq. of the Swiss Code of Obligations) is undergoing permanent changes since the 19^th century. Originally, these articles provided the legal basis for structuring and organizing corporations in the most efficient way – not more; therefore, the main focus was placed on protection of investors (i.e. the legal protection for both shareholders and creditors). Over…

Vertrauen – Begriffliche Grundlagen

In a philosophical tour d’horizon the abundance of con­ceptual foundations of trust is illuminated. Along with Charlie Chaplin and Vladimir Iljitsch Lenin, numerous other personalities have dealt with the term. In sociology, Niklas Luhmann described trust as a mechanism for reducing social complexity, as a function of faith without further review. In antiquity Aristotle’s trust was not only an…

Das Finanzmarktaufsichtsrecht vom vierten Quartal 2016 bis ins vierte Quartal 2017

Als Ausgangspunkt der Finanzkrise gilt gemeinhin der 9. August 2007, als die französische Bank BNP Paribas die Rücknahme von Anteilen an Investmentfonds aussetzte, die im US-Subprime Markt engagiert waren.¹ In der Folge profilierten sich die Notenbanken als unabdingbare Stützen des Finanzsystems.² Die Finanzkrise löste eine gigantische Regulierungswelle aus, die bis heute nicht gänzlich…

Finanznotlagerecht

The Bill of 2016 for a revision of the Swiss Corporation Law addresses, with new and quite lengthy dispositions, the thorny problem of corporate reorganizations in the event of upcoming financial difficulties. On the one hand, the classical and quite formal equity-related ­approach of European Continental Law to prevent ­«unlawful trading» is maintained, i.e. the Board’s duty to take immediate…

Salär-Governance

2017 was a special year for Swiss listed companies. Several compensation reports met fierce resistance from shareholders and proxy advisors, and in one case, a binding vote on executive compensation was rejected. The 2017 proxy season has shown that shareholders do not appreciate compensation models in which osten­sibly pay and performance are not related. Also, the season has shown that over…

Ermessen und Ermessenskontrolle in Revision und Revisionsaufsicht

Judgement is of vital importance in the world of accounting and auditing. With a view to auditing, judgement is the auditor’s leeway in decision-making conferred upon by regulation and standards formulated in an open way. But the exercise of judgement is not at the auditor’s exclusive discretion; it has to be exercised with professional due care, which is conditioned by the observance of the…

Kernfragen der Aktienrechtsrevision

On November 23, 2016, the Federal Council published its proposal for a revised law on companies limited by shares. This article deals with four key aspects of the proposed revision. First, it addresses the proposed amendments regar­ding the capital structure. The authors thereby focus on the rules for capital increases, decreases and the possibility to introduce a so called «capital band». Secon…

Wer kontrolliert die Aktiengesellschaft?

In Switzerland as in other countries, there is a perennial debate relating to the question of who controls a listed company, and whose interests a corporation should serve: the largest shareholders, minority shareholders, or other stakeholders? And what is the influence of management or the recent phenomenon of proxy advisors on decision-making in listed companies? The author analyzes the issues…

Aktuelle Rechtsprechung des Bundesgerichts zum Aktienrecht

During the last two years the Federal Supreme Court issued over 30 company-law cases. The following article discusses two particularly relevant topics of this remarkably rich jurisprudence. A first section deals with cases in which the court had to assess business decisions (in doctrine also referred to as cases of “business judgment rule”). This section provides an in-depth analysis of the three…

Business Judgment Rule und Rechtsrisiken

Legal risks are currently the most dangerous threat for global corporations. This article analyses the question whether the Swiss Business Judgment Rule (BJR) may also provide a “safe harbour” for decisions based on legal uncertainties. This may look surprising, since corporations are bound to comply with the legal environment in which they are operating, therefore illegal behaviour should not be…