Law Commons^™

Ending Adverse Possession: Zarb V Parry, Michael Lp Lower

Michael LP Lower

This article outlines the decision of the English Court of Appeal in Zarb v Parry. It highlights the dangers if landowners take ineffective or token action to recover possession.

Proprietary Estoppel, Michael Lp Lower

Michael LP Lower

This is a brief account of the law of proprietary estoppel in England and Hong Kong.

Reflections On Teaching Law, Michael Lp Lower

Michael LP Lower

This essay reflects on the goals of law teaching. It suggests that a commitment to scholarship and to inspiring others to become scholars is at the heart of law teaching. It makes suggestions as to how this can be achieved effectively and on the way that web 2.0 technologies can help. It also points out that a commitment to open access is not also consistent with the University's mission but can also be of economic benefit to the University.

Using Podcasts To Support Students In A Land Law Class, Michael Lp Lower, Keith Thomas, Annisa Ho

Michael LP Lower

This paper describes the experience of creating and using podcasts to support student learning of land law for JD and LL.M. students in Hong Kong. Podcasting involves preparing a series of audio or video broadcast files for download onto a digital media player by students. Four different types of podcast were prepared for the law class in question. Some were simply podcasts, while others were embedded in PowerPoint slides and converted into flash files using ‘Authorpoint’. Together, the podcasts sought to give students an introduction/ review of the main topics and of the problem questions discussed in class.

The aim …

Catholic Social Thought And The Reality Of The Corporation, Michael Lp Lower

Michael LP Lower

The debate about whether society, the corporation and any other type of "universal" has a reality outside of the mind is an old one. Catholic Social Thought (CST) sees the corporation as a community of persons. It has an existence (a life and ability to operate) of its own and is oriented to the good of its participants. This view is contrasted with the nexus of contracts approach, Williamson's Transaction Cost Economics approach and some types of stakeholder theory. It is contended that CST's approach is more realistic.

Employee Participation In Corporate Governance: An Ethical Analysis, Michael Lp Lower

Michael LP Lower

This paper outlines why CST has called for employees to be involved in the governance of the firms that they work for and a share in ownership. It points out the economic issues involved as part of its broader ethical analysis. The John Lewis Partnership is pointed to as a good working model. The possible use of ESOPs to bring about desirable changes is considered. The case for mandatory codetermination is outlined.

John Paul Ii And Employee Participation In Corporate Governance, Michael Lp Lower

Michael LP Lower

Catholic Social Thought ("CST") has called for employees to be active participants in the governance of the enterprises for which they work. This article looks at what CST has to say about employee participation. It shows that John Paul II's distinctive contribution was to lay bare the theological and philosophical justifications for CST's approach to this issue.

Christian Anthropology And The Theory Of The Firm, Michael Lp Lower

Michael LP Lower

Catholic social thought (CST), a branch of moral theology, reflects Christian anthropology (an understanding of human nature that draws on Revelation and natural law theory). CST's understanding of what communities (such as the corporation) are for and how they can best achieve their ends are coloured by its anthropological underpinnings. The same, it is argued, is true for economic theories such as the theories of the firm based on Coase. This paper compares Christian anthropology with the implicit anthropology underpinning some of the dominant economic theories of the firm. Differences at this level go a long way to explaining mismatches …

Natural Law And Agency Theory, Michael Lp Lower

Michael LP Lower

Corporate governance scholarship is awash with theories of the firm: these are "stories" or metaphors that try to shed light on the nature and purpose of the firm as an institution and on one or more of the following questions:

(i) how the institution of the firm "evolved" (or its economic or social purpose); (ii) whether "the firm" is a reality or a rhetorical device; and (iii) the relationship between "the firm" and stakeholders, political society and so on.

Theories of the firm are used both to explain and to help develop law and policy. If the theory is misconceived, …