If you have an issue with the current proxy system, you’ve got several more weeks to voice your thoughts to the SEC. Judging from the comments already received, you’ve got plenty of company.

In July, the SEC unanimously voted to issue a concept release seeking public comments on the current U.S. proxy system and asking whether rule revisions are needed to promote greater efficiency and transparency. In a release, the SEC noted that it had been 30 years since it had last conducted a comprehensive review of the proxy voting infrastructure. In the interim, of course, technical and demographic changes have changed the universe of shareholders and the ways in which companies can communicate with them. more

Should you make unified communications part of your business infrastructure? The tech big players think so. Cisco and Microsoft have emerged as leaders in this area. There are good business reasons to unify your communications.

Wikipedia defines unified communication (UC) as the integration of real-time communication services such as instant messaging (chat), presence sensing, telephony (particularly IP telephony), video conferencing, call control, and speech recognition along with non-real-time communication services such as unified messaging (integrated voicemail, email, SMS, and fax). As such, UC is not a single product but a set of products that provides a consistent user interface and user experience across multiple communication devices and media. Adds Daniel DiSano, CEO, Axispoint: “UC has been out there awhile, but now it often is called collaboration.”

Gartner came out with its UC Magic Quadrant in July. According to Gartner, “Differing forms of communication have been developed, marketed, and sold as separate individual applications. In some cases, they even had separate networks and devices. The convergence of all communications on IP networks and open-software platforms is enabling a new paradigm for UC, and is changing how individuals, groups, and organizations communicate.” UC can deliver three big business benefits. more

My research and writing on the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act has so far focused more on specific compliance components, such as “say on pay” and clawback policies. OpenPages Vice President Gordon Burnes regularly huddles with chief risk officers and CFOs at client companies in the financial services sector to keep tabs on the risks that concern them. While Dodd-Frank applies to all companies, firms in the financial services sector have been closely watching the new regulation ever since its inception. Here’s what Burnes had to say about the new law’s likely impact — from a big-picture perspective as well as a financial services standpoint.

Eric Krell: Who gains and who loses in Dodd-Frank?

Gordon Burnes: You might argue that it is a win for those that have advocated greater regulation over the financial services sector (e.g., consumers and businesses) and a loss for those financial services companies that have resisted that greater regulatory oversight. Indeed, the creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau as part of the Federal Reserve will be a powerful advocate for consumers. However, it’s not that simple. First, there’s much rulemaking to ensue from the passage of the legislation, which means that the financial services industry will be able help shape and influence any future regulation that results from the bill. Second, one of the key aspects of banking regulation is capital. Dodd-Frank was careful not to proscribe anything that would contravene the Basel III process, and that process appears to be favorable to banks; the recent capital requirements resulting from the Basel III process sent bank stocks up, not down. Third, some have argued that greater regulation will bring stability to the financial services sector, which in turn will spur investment as businesses get more confident in the economic outlook. And, of course, this investment will benefit the banks themselves. So, in some ways, it’s too soon to tell who wins and who loses: this may be a win-win. more