HOT TOPIC: Should money be the only consideration in takeovers?

Executives of public companies in Canada and other capitalist countries have a duty to maximize shareholder returns. The best payout often comes when they can manoeuvre a takeover at a significant premium to the price their shares trade on the stock exchange. But should money be the only consideration in such takeovers or mergers? Would it not be better sometimes to consider national pride, local ownership and other intangibles?

Vote either "yes" or "no" by going to the Hot Topic Opinion on our web page at www.CanadianMiningJournal.com. Your comments are always welcome.

Last week our question considered doing risky business in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The results were as expected. Only one of our readers said yes to investing in the DRC. Everyone else had what I consider the good sense to say no.