Proxy 2001

When it comes to corporate governance, many shareholders are strictly foul-weather friends. In a market that has turned sour, questions of executive and board performance assume an urgency that these same inquiries lack when stock prices are steadily climbing, regardless of the makeup of the board or how lavishly CEOs are compensated. 'What's interesting about this year's proxy season is the amount of activism from investors we're seeing,' says Bruce Goldfarb, senior managing director at Georgeson