Samsung Electronics has pledged to boost its 2016 dividend payout more than a third to Won4tn ($3.5bn) and consider restructuring

三星电子(Samsung Electronics)已承诺将2016年的股利支出提高逾三分之一，至4万亿韩元（合35亿美元），并考虑重组。

As it seeks to ease investors’ anxieties over meagre returns and poor corporate governance.

该集团正寻求缓解投资者对于低回报和糟糕公司治理的担忧。

The moves, which fall short of a proposal last month by activist hedge fund Elliott Management, were positively received by analysts, who suggested that the South Korean group was edging towards overdue reform.

这些举措虽然没有达到维权投资者——对冲基金埃利奥特管理公司(Elliott Management)上月提出的要求，但分析师们反应积极，认为这家韩国集团正在逐渐推进早该进行的改革。

In October, Elliott launched a campaign for a slice of Samsung’s $60bn cash pile by calling for a special $27bn payout to shareholders.

10月，埃利奥特发起了要求三星从600亿美元累积现金向股东返还一部分的努力，提议三星进行一笔270亿美元的特别派息。

Elliott, which at the time revealed a $1.2bn stake in the company, also proposed that the group split into holding and operating companies — a development widely seen as necessary to improve corporate governance while allowing the founding Lee family to retain control.

当时披露拥有三星12亿美元股份的埃利奥特还提议，将该机构分拆为控股公司和运营公司——这种安排被广泛视为改善公司治理，同时让创立三星的李氏家族保持控制的必要之举。

The company responded yesterday by announcing it had undertaken a review to determine what is the right corporate structure, a process it said would take at least six months.

昨日，三星回应称，已着手评估，以确定什么是正确的公司结构，三星称这个过程至少需要6个月。

The developments come at a difficult time for Samsung Electronics.

出现这些动向之际，三星电子陷入困难时期。

In October, the group took a $5bn hit when it axed its newly released Galaxy Note 7 after some handsets caught fire.

今年10月，由于一些上架销售不久的Galaxy Note 7起火，三星停产这款手机，蒙受了50亿美元的损失。

More recently, the company has been ensnared in South Korea’s political ¬crisis.

最近，三星还卷入了韩国的政治危机。

Its headquarters in Seoul were raided this month following allegations it had funnelled millions of euros into foundations run by a close friend of South Korea’s president.

在被指向韩国总统的密友执掌的基金会输送数百万欧元后，三星在首尔的总部本月遭到突击搜查。

Samsung confirmed the raid but has offered no further comment on the matter.

三星承认遭到搜查，但未对此事进一步置评。

Under the new plan, the company will commit 50 per cent of its free cash flow to shareholder returns in both 2016 and 2017 and increase this year’s dividends per share by 36 per cent year on year.

根据新的计划，三星将在2016年和2017年将50%的自由现金流返还股东，并将今年的每股股息同比提高36%。

The rest of the 50 per cent of free cash flow will be returned in the form of shareholder buybacks starting January in 2017, it said.

剩余的50%自由现金流将从2017年1月起以股票回购形式返还，三星表示。

Elliott had proposed that the company issue a one-off dividend payment of Won30tn and return 75 per cent of its free cash flow to shareholders.

埃利奥特建议三星进行30万亿韩元的一次性派息，并将75%的自由现金流返还股东。