Good morning, everyone, and welcome to another working week. We hope the weekend respite was relaxing and invigorating, because that oh-so familiar routine of phone calls, online meetings, and deadlines has returned. But what can you do? The world, such as it is, continues to spin. So time to give it a nudge in a better direction with a cup of stimulation. Our choice today is Jack Daniel’s. Yes, this is a real thing. Feel free to look it up. Meanwhile, we have assembled the latest list of items of interest for you to peruse. On that note, time to get cracking. We hope your day is meaningful and productive. And as always, do keep in touch. …
AstraZeneca’s plan to pay chief executive officer Pascal Soriot up to £18.7 million has been branded “excessive” by two shareholder advisers, The Financial Times writes. Since taking the helm in 2012, Soriot has turned AstraZeneca into the second-largest company on the FTSE 100 index and last year received £16.9 million. The company said higher pay is “necessary to increase the competitiveness” versus U.S. and European peers. But Glass Lewis and ISS, which make recommendations to shareholders on how to vote at annual meetings, disputed the claim and urged investors to vote against the plan at AstraZeneca’s annual general meeting on April 11.
Harvard Business School professor Francesca Gino sued Data Colada following their public allegations of research misconduct against her — a move data manipulation researchers said has had a chilling effect on the field, The Harvard Crimson says. Data Colada — run by two business school professors — issued data manipulation accusations against Gino in 2023. In August, Gino sued Harvard and Data Colada for $25 million, accusing the university of gender discrimination and claiming the two conspired to damage her reputation with false accusations. Several academic misconduct researchers said the case has already had a dampening effect on research integrity efforts.