[Note provided by John Ruggie: The Special Representative of the Secretary-General is grateful to the New York law firm Fried Frank for conducting this pro bono research on U.S. shareholder activism in relation to human rights. The memo considers recent trends and explores how other corporate law tools, including actions regarding directors' duties, are being used in the area of business and human rights. As in all cases of pro bono research conducted for the SRSG, the opnions expressed in the memo are those of the law firm and do not necessarily reflect the SRSG's."] [Memo includes references to shareholder proposals to Kmart (part of Sears), American Eagle, Lowe’s, Xerox, Newmont, Micron Technologies]