Edited by Randall S. Thomas, John S. Beasley II Chair in Law and Business, Director, Law and Business Program, Professor of Management, Owen Graduate School of Management and School of Law, Vanderbilt University, US, Paolo Giudici, Professor of Business Law, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Italy and Umakanth Varottil, Associate Professor of Law, National University of Singapore, Singapore

• Contents:1 Introduction to the Research Handbook on Shareholder Inspection Rights 1Randall S. Thomas, Paolo Giudici and Umakanth VarottilPART I THE UNITED KINGDOM2 United Kingdom historical viewpoint 20Jonathan Hardman3 Shareholder Inspection Rights in the UK: hotchpotch provision andinformation deficits 40Brenda HanniganPART II CONTINENTAL EUROPE4 Shareholder inspection rights in Belgium: unpopular or unnecessary? 70Hans De Wulf5 Shareholders’ inspection and investigation rights in France 100Pierre-Henri Conac6 Information rights of shareholders in German company law 121Christoph Teichmann7 Inspection rights in Italy 140Paolo Giudici8 Inspection rights in Spain 150María Gutiérrez Urtiaga and Maribel Sáez Lacave9 Shareholder inspection rights in Sweden and the Nordic Countries 171Jan Andersson10 Right of information and right of inspection in the Netherlands 186Christoph Van der ElstPART III THE AMERICAS11 The paradox of Delaware’s “Tools at Hand” Doctrine: an empiricalinvestigation 205James D. Cox, Kenneth J. Martin, and Randall S. Thomas12 Addendum: recent developments in the “tools at hand” doctrine 249James D. Cox and Randall S. Thomas13 Alternative entity inspection rights 258Peter Molk14 Shareholder investigation rights in Canada: a balancing of competing interests 272Poonam Puri15 Shareholders’ inspection rights in Colombia 289Francisco Reyes Villamizar16 Inspection rights and the Brazilian Law of Corporations 307Marcelo Godke Veiga and Marcelo Vieira von AdamekPART IV ASIA AND AUSTRALIA17 Shareholder inspection rights in Australia: then and now 323Tim Bowley and Jennifer G. Hill18 Shareholder inspection rights in China: law and practice 343Robin Hui Huang19 Over-disclosure in Hong Kong? The role of shareholder inspectionrights in a competitive IFC 361David C. Donald20 Shareholder inspection rights in India: restricted scope and diminished effect 377Umakanth Varottil and Neha Joshi21 Shareholder inspection rights in Japan: a segmented multiple-track approach 396Gen Goto22 Shareholder inspection rights in Korea: law and practice froma comparative perspective 412Kon Sik Kim23 Limited shareholder inspection rights in Singapore: worrying legal gapor unnecessary for rankings? 430Dan W. Puchniak and Samantha S. TangIndex

‘The book is a collection of contributions penned by legal or policy experts who provide a substantive analysis of the field of shareholders’ inspection rights. It is a very coherent piece of work offering an in-depth analysis of the law, case-law and cultural background of the rights in question. It offers a notable contribution to the understanding of this important and complex area. The book is successful in its attempt to present a multi-layered yet coherent analysis of shareholders and their rights. It is an essential reading on the institutional architecture and trans-border nature of companies. Therefore, this book is highly recommended for anyone interested in this field as it is a powerful guide to the complex questions raised when examining shareholders’ rights.’

Edited by Randall S. Thomas, John S. Beasley II Chair in Law and Business, Director, Law and Business Program, Professor of Management, Owen Graduate School of Management and School of Law, Vanderbilt University, US, Paolo Giudici, Professor of Business Law, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Italy and Umakanth Varottil, Associate Professor of Law, National University of Singapore, Singapore

• Contents:1 Introduction to the Research Handbook on Shareholder Inspection Rights 1Randall S. Thomas, Paolo Giudici and Umakanth VarottilPART I THE UNITED KINGDOM2 United Kingdom historical viewpoint 20Jonathan Hardman3 Shareholder Inspection Rights in the UK: hotchpotch provision andinformation deficits 40Brenda HanniganPART II CONTINENTAL EUROPE4 Shareholder inspection rights in Belgium: unpopular or unnecessary? 70Hans De Wulf5 Shareholders’ inspection and investigation rights in France 100Pierre-Henri Conac6 Information rights of shareholders in German company law 121Christoph Teichmann7 Inspection rights in Italy 140Paolo Giudici8 Inspection rights in Spain 150María Gutiérrez Urtiaga and Maribel Sáez Lacave9 Shareholder inspection rights in Sweden and the Nordic Countries 171Jan Andersson10 Right of information and right of inspection in the Netherlands 186Christoph Van der ElstPART III THE AMERICAS11 The paradox of Delaware’s “Tools at Hand” Doctrine: an empiricalinvestigation 205James D. Cox, Kenneth J. Martin, and Randall S. Thomas12 Addendum: recent developments in the “tools at hand” doctrine 249James D. Cox and Randall S. Thomas13 Alternative entity inspection rights 258Peter Molk14 Shareholder investigation rights in Canada: a balancing of competing interests 272Poonam Puri15 Shareholders’ inspection rights in Colombia 289Francisco Reyes Villamizar16 Inspection rights and the Brazilian Law of Corporations 307Marcelo Godke Veiga and Marcelo Vieira von AdamekPART IV ASIA AND AUSTRALIA17 Shareholder inspection rights in Australia: then and now 323Tim Bowley and Jennifer G. Hill18 Shareholder inspection rights in China: law and practice 343Robin Hui Huang19 Over-disclosure in Hong Kong? The role of shareholder inspectionrights in a competitive IFC 361David C. Donald20 Shareholder inspection rights in India: restricted scope and diminished effect 377Umakanth Varottil and Neha Joshi21 Shareholder inspection rights in Japan: a segmented multiple-track approach 396Gen Goto22 Shareholder inspection rights in Korea: law and practice froma comparative perspective 412Kon Sik Kim23 Limited shareholder inspection rights in Singapore: worrying legal gapor unnecessary for rankings? 430Dan W. Puchniak and Samantha S. TangIndex

‘The book is a collection of contributions penned by legal or policy experts who provide a substantive analysis of the field of shareholders’ inspection rights. It is a very coherent piece of work offering an in-depth analysis of the law, case-law and cultural background of the rights in question. It offers a notable contribution to the understanding of this important and complex area. The book is successful in its attempt to present a multi-layered yet coherent analysis of shareholders and their rights. It is an essential reading on the institutional architecture and trans-border nature of companies. Therefore, this book is highly recommended for anyone interested in this field as it is a powerful guide to the complex questions raised when examining shareholders’ rights.’

Edited by Randall S. Thomas, John S. Beasley II Chair in Law and Business, Director, Law and Business Program, Professor of Management, Owen Graduate School of Management and School of Law, Vanderbilt University, US, Paolo Giudici, Professor of Business Law, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Italy and Umakanth Varottil, Associate Professor of Law, National University of Singapore, Singapore

• Contents:1 Introduction to the Research Handbook on Shareholder Inspection Rights 1Randall S. Thomas, Paolo Giudici and Umakanth VarottilPART I THE UNITED KINGDOM2 United Kingdom historical viewpoint 20Jonathan Hardman3 Shareholder Inspection Rights in the UK: hotchpotch provision andinformation deficits 40Brenda HanniganPART II CONTINENTAL EUROPE4 Shareholder inspection rights in Belgium: unpopular or unnecessary? 70Hans De Wulf5 Shareholders’ inspection and investigation rights in France 100Pierre-Henri Conac6 Information rights of shareholders in German company law 121Christoph Teichmann7 Inspection rights in Italy 140Paolo Giudici8 Inspection rights in Spain 150María Gutiérrez Urtiaga and Maribel Sáez Lacave9 Shareholder inspection rights in Sweden and the Nordic Countries 171Jan Andersson10 Right of information and right of inspection in the Netherlands 186Christoph Van der ElstPART III THE AMERICAS11 The paradox of Delaware’s “Tools at Hand” Doctrine: an empiricalinvestigation 205James D. Cox, Kenneth J. Martin, and Randall S. Thomas12 Addendum: recent developments in the “tools at hand” doctrine 249James D. Cox and Randall S. Thomas13 Alternative entity inspection rights 258Peter Molk14 Shareholder investigation rights in Canada: a balancing of competing interests 272Poonam Puri15 Shareholders’ inspection rights in Colombia 289Francisco Reyes Villamizar16 Inspection rights and the Brazilian Law of Corporations 307Marcelo Godke Veiga and Marcelo Vieira von AdamekPART IV ASIA AND AUSTRALIA17 Shareholder inspection rights in Australia: then and now 323Tim Bowley and Jennifer G. Hill18 Shareholder inspection rights in China: law and practice 343Robin Hui Huang19 Over-disclosure in Hong Kong? The role of shareholder inspectionrights in a competitive IFC 361David C. Donald20 Shareholder inspection rights in India: restricted scope and diminished effect 377Umakanth Varottil and Neha Joshi21 Shareholder inspection rights in Japan: a segmented multiple-track approach 396Gen Goto22 Shareholder inspection rights in Korea: law and practice froma comparative perspective 412Kon Sik Kim23 Limited shareholder inspection rights in Singapore: worrying legal gapor unnecessary for rankings? 430Dan W. Puchniak and Samantha S. TangIndex

‘The book is a collection of contributions penned by legal or policy experts who provide a substantive analysis of the field of shareholders’ inspection rights. It is a very coherent piece of work offering an in-depth analysis of the law, case-law and cultural background of the rights in question. It offers a notable contribution to the understanding of this important and complex area. The book is successful in its attempt to present a multi-layered yet coherent analysis of shareholders and their rights. It is an essential reading on the institutional architecture and trans-border nature of companies. Therefore, this book is highly recommended for anyone interested in this field as it is a powerful guide to the complex questions raised when examining shareholders’ rights.’