The Accountable Corporation Corporate Governance

A collection of essays on the role of business in society. This book provides provocative analysis, cultural and historical context, and solutions from the public, private, and non-profit sectors toward more responsible, ethical, and accountable business. It features articles by the world's leading scholars, executives, and practitioners.

Corporate Governance and Accountability presents students with a complete and current survey of the latest developments involving how a company is directed and controlled. Providing a broad research-based perspective, this comprehensive textbook examines global corporate governance systems, the role and responsibilities of the directorate, and the frameworks designed to ensure effective corporate accountability for stakeholders. A holistic approach to the subject enables students to develop a well-rounded knowledge of corporate governance theory and practice, policy documents, academic research, and current debates, issues, and trends. Now in its fifth edition, this comprehensive view of the corporate governance agenda features fully revised content that reflects new research and global developments in codes of practice and governance and accountability mechanisms. In-depth chapters contain numerous real-world case studies and compelling debate and discussion topics, exploring corporate transparency, social responsibility, boardroom diversity, shareholder activism, and many other timely issues.

Within corporate governance the accountability of the board of directors is identified as a major issue by governments, international bodies, professional associations and academic literature. Boards are given significant power in companies, and as a consequence it is argued that they should be accountable for their actions. Drawing on political science, public administration, accounting, and ethics literature, this book examines the concept of accountability and its meaning in the corporate governance context. It examines the rationale for making boards accountable, and outlines the obstacles and drawbacks involved in providing for accountability. The book goes on to examine how current mechanisms for ensuring accountability are assessed in terms of fairness, justice, transparency, practicality, effectiveness and efficiency, before discussing the ways that accountability might be improved. Andrew Keay argues that enhanced accountability can provide better corporate governance, helping to reduce the frequency and severity of financial crises, and improve confidence in company practice. As an in depth study of a key element within the exercise of authority and management in corporate entities, this book will be of great use and interest to researchers and students of corporate governance, business and management, and corporate social responsibility.

Recent examples of massive corporate failures, such as Enron, have highlighted the need to reform corporate governance at an international level. The importance of effective corporate governance for corporate success, as well as for social welfare, cannot be overstated. Corporate Governance and Accountability has been written to provide readers with an up-to-date summary of both theory and practice in the area. Features: Provides a full discussion of corporate governance issues taking the broadest view of the corporate governance agenda. Draws on the extensive and original research carried out by the authors and demonstrates the close relationship between academic research and professional practice. Contains numerous contemporary illustrations and case studies, including a chapter dedicated to the collapse of Enron. Focuses on the relevance of corporate governance reform throughout the world. Highlights the importance of corporate social responsibility to companies and institutional investors from a corporate governance perspective. Includes an appendix containing the Combined Code on Corporate Governance issued by the Financial Reporting Council in July 2003. Corporate Governance and Accountability has been written as a core textbook for students taking undergraduate and MBA courses in corporate governance and corporate social responsibility. A website containing answers to end of chapter questions for lecturers can be found at www.wileyeurope.com/go/solomon

This guide provides viable policy options and a step-by-step road map on how to address typical difficulties, risks and hurdles that may be encountered in the governance of state-owned enterprises.

Corporate governance has come to prominence in recent years because of the perceived political importance of issues such as executive pay and apparent accounting scandals. As might be expected in this frenzied climate, politicians have reacted. US politicians reacted with particular speed through the passing of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Dr Elaine Sternberg brings some sobriety and clear thinking to the debate in this new and fully revised edition of Corporate Governance: Accountability in the Marketplace, lucidly defining the purposes of corporate governance and analysing different models of corporate regulation. The Anglo-American model allows corporations to fulfil their corporate purposes more effectively than the stakeholder or the German/Japanese models. Given that problems of executive pay, accounting scandals and so on result in corporations not achieving their proper purposes, Sternberg finds that a change in the regulatory model cannot be the answer. Instead, she proposes that we should look at the ways in which regulation prevents the Anglo-American model from working in practice as effectively as it should in theory. Sternberg shows how a genuine 'market' in corporate governance could be created so that firms had to compete for funds, with their mode of governance being one of the attractions to potential shareholders.

This book brings together a representative collection of perspectives on the way how corporate governance is being aligned with the social responsibility of an organization and the accountability of its management both in large corporations and in medium sized businesses. Examples are given from various industries and branches as well as from different countries and regions across the globe. All examples are commented and explained in detail. Written by a group of selected academic teachers this book is suitable for adoption as a resource for a case driven approach to teaching "Corporate Governance" courses at an upper undergraduate or graduate level.

This report is a clear, accessible and jargon-free analysis of the practical application of Corporate Governance. With short case studies to illustrate UK legal requirements, the author guides the reader through all aspects of the Corporate Governance program, concentrating specifically on its use by organizations who are not required to adopt it, such as listed PLCs.