Advanced undergraduate and graduate students, PhD students
Contemporary Corporate Governance Perspectives: Reporting on non-financial matters and the rise and fall of shareholder primacy
You will learn the meaning of corporate governance and how significant it is for keeping companies, their executives and directors responsible for managing the business of the corporation to ensure long-term and sustainable growth for the corporation and all corporate stakeholders. The importance of the interests of all corporate stakeholders will be particularly emphasised. There will also be a specific focus on reporting on non-financial matters like the environment, social responsibilities, and governance (ESG).
A reasonably new trend, namely Integrated Reporting (IR), will be significantly discussed because it is integrated into the thinking and sustainable long-term wealth of countries and the world economy. We have reached the stage that, as far as corporations are concerned, it cannot simply be "business as usual", as "business as usual" results in irreversible damages to the environment and society in its entirety. As part of these fundamental issues, the theoretical and practical consequences of the shareholder primacy model of corporate law will be critically analysed. International sustainable goals and the ways in which these goals can be achieved will be considered.
The focus of the course will also be on the legal consequences and other consequences for corporations, their executives and directors in the event that corporate social responsibilities are ignored.
An Asian Perspective on Corporate Governance, ESG, and Sustainability
Investment decisions are increasingly based on environmental, social, and governance concerns, posing a multitude of risks to long-term sustainable economic growth and returns. These concerns are mostly discussed from a Western point of view, with its foundation grounded in Western philosophy and with a focus on Western practice, etc.
However, these decisions could also be rooted in Asian philosophies, religions, and thoughts with alternative practices, especially in Asian countries. Indeed, Asia is uniquely positioned to investigate those alternative conceptualisations mainly since several South-East Asian countries have a dual economy, one functioning according to conventional/Western principles juxtaposed with an economy that operates according to Islamic rules.
The series will introduce both conventional and Islamic concepts on corporate governance, ESG, and sustainability as well as the ways in which these concepts operate in particular countries in Asia.
For more detailed information on the course content and lecturers, please visit our website.