Corporate Governance and Business Management

The training agenda of this Corporate Governance course provides an intensive exploration of the key principles of financial management and the related practices of corporate governance.

Day 1

• Introduction, codes of practice, implementation, costs and benefits
• Some basic principles; the level playing field
• Corporate governance – the business case
• Good corporate governance and emerging markets
• Industry specifics: banks; government companies
• Legal and regulatory frameworks for governance
• Ethics, corporate social responsibility
• Ethics and culture: the board’s responsibility

Day 2

• The pressure for corporate behaviour change
• The Legal Background of CSR
• Company directors’ obligations and CSR
• Voluntary measures
• Is CSR "Just Public Relations"?
• CSR and corporate governance links

Day 3

• Boards, directors and board committees
• The Board – key principles and practicalities
• The Board’s composition and processes
• Duties of a Director
• Promoting the success of the company
• Role of the chairman
• Executive and Non-executive directors
• Making a difference using non-executive directors

Day 4

• Personalities on the board
• A study in contrasts:  BP’s “where was the chairman?” vs. Singapore Airlines
• Governance and risk – responsibilities of directors and management
• The board and executive management
• The practicalities of the correct relationship
• The ineffective board
• Examples of corporate failure: Maxwell, Polly Peck, Enron, Worldcom
• Analysis of the banking crisis as a failure of governance
• Sarbanes-Oxley and other regulatory responses to corporate governance failure
• Lessons learned from corporate failures

Day 5

• Governance in controlled companies
• The board and strategy
• Shareholders, stakeholders, and the board
• Case study: Prudential and AIA – time for a review of strategy and engagement with shareholders.
• Improving corporate governance in your company
• The Comply or Explain rule
• How to protect the shareholder?
• Communicating with the shareholder
• A Legal framework for corporate governance