Jack Welch, former GE CEO (1981 to 2001) was revered for his ability to maximize shareholder value.  Yet in 2009, he explained that shareholder value was

“the dumbest idea in the world. Shareholder value is a result, not a strategy… your main constituencies are your employees, your customers and your products. Managers and investors should not set share price increases as their overarching goal… Short-term profits should be allied with an increase in the long-term value of a company.”

This runs contrary to how many people think about the role of the CEO and the board of directors.  I think it’s spot on, and it is a key reason the business judgment rule, and its role in preserving director primacy, is so critical.   

Last week, a Wall Street Journal article about Dick’s Sporting Goods made the rounds. The article reported: 

Ed Stack, the chairman and chief executive of Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc., arrived at work the Monday after a gunman killed 17 people at a school in Parkland, Fla., nearly certain the outdoor retailer should limit sales of some guns.

. . . .

Dick’s Financial Chief Lee Belitsky asked, “So what’s the financial implication here?” according to Mr. Stack. “I basically said, I don’t really care what the financial implication is, but you’re right, we should look.”

Company executives convened the board via teleconference to explain the proposed plan, took some time to reflect, then gathered again a few days later to vote. “It was unanimous that we should do this and stand up and take a stand,” said Mr. Stack, whose family holds a controlling stake in the retailer.

This revelation led many folks to question whether Stack’s statement that he did not “really care” about the financial implications was a breach of fiduciary duty.  The concern was buoyed by the reality that store sales had dropped about 3% to  4% for the year, and the drop was linked to the decision to limit certain gun sales. 

That said, a drop in sales does not mean there was a breach of any duty any more than an increase in sales means no breach occurred. Results may be evidence, but that’s all they are. Part of the story. Incidentally, though it is not proof, either way, it is worth noting that Dick’s sales dropped, but profits rose after the decision because the company cut costs by replacing some guns with higher-margin items. 

It seems like every time a CEO or board issues a decision that is controversial or chooses to say that he or she supports a certain course of action because they think it is the “right thing to do,” the questions begin about whether either the duty of care or loyalty has been breached.  I maintain that a statement (or series of statements) like that is not sufficient to overcome the business judgment rule to allow a review of the decision.  

This is especially true where, like in the Dick’s situation, there is evidence that the company deliberated appropriately. The WSJ article noted that company executives called together the board to explain the proposed plan, “took some time to reflect, then gathered again a few days later to vote.” The vote was unanimous to end all assault-style weapons sales and to and stop selling guns or ammunition to those under 21 years of age. Interestingly, Walmart Inc. and other retailers followed Dick’s lead later that day. If the deliberative process is a concern, it would seem those following Dick’s should be more vulnerable to a fiduciary duty/business judgment rule challenge than Dick’s. 

For what it’s worth, I think Dick’s or any store deciding NOT to change their sales practice would also be protected by the business judgment rule, just as I think Chick-Fil-A’s decision not to open on Sundays should be protected by the business judgment rule (though if it were a Delaware corporation, I am not sure it would be). 

This is not to say I don’t believe in fiduciary duties. I very much do. I just also believe in a strong business judgment rule, ideally enforced as an abstention doctrine. (I believe in lots of things.)  

I need more than a few public statements before I think anyone should be looking behind an entity’s decision making. Recent examples raising entity fiduciary duty questions, like Dick’s and Nike’s Colin Kaepernick ads, have had positive financial outcomes of the entities, but it shouldn’t matter.  The business judgment rule is there to protect all the decisions of the board that are not the product of fraud, illegality, or self-dealing, not just correct decisions.