Corporate Governance in the Mod.Company

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2008:

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Student Support and Engagement Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Overview, Learning Outcomes, Assessment and Generic Skills sections of this entry.

It is University policy to take all reasonable steps to minimise the impact of disability upon academic study, and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student's participation in the University's programs. Students who feel their disability may impact on meeting the requirements of this subject are encouraged to discuss this matter with a Faculty Student Adviser and Student Equity and Disability Support: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/disability

Corporate governance is the system by which companies are directed and controlled. This subject focuses on corporate governance in publicly listed companies. Topics include theories of the corporation and their implications for corporate governance; the role of shareholders, directors, management and auditors in corporate governance, with particular emphasis upon the debates relating to the role of institutional shareholders and non-executive directors; the pay for performance debate; international corporate governance, with particular emphasis upon the US, Japan, Germany and the UK; the role of regulators in corporate governance; and the role of market forces in corporate governance.

Note: The essay in this subject is regarded as a substantial piece of legal writing for honours purposes.

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

On completion of the subject, students should have developed the following generic skills:

• attitudes towards knowledge that include valuing truth, openness to new ideas and ethics associated with knowledge creation and usage
• the capacity for close reading and analysis of a range of sources
• the capacity for critical and independent thought and reflection
• the capacity to solve problems, including through the collection and evaluation of information
• the capacity to communicate, both orally and in writing
• the capacity to plan and manage time
• intercultural sensitivity and understanding

In addition, on completion of the subject, students should have developed the following skills specific to the discipline of law:

• legal research skills, including an ability to:
• find case law
• find statutes
• find secondary sources
• find and analyse secondary sources, in the disciplines of finance and economics as well as law
• legal writing skills, including an ability to:
• use case law as part of legal analysis
• use statutes as part of legal analysis
• use secondary sources as part of analysis
• identify and summarise legal and other principles
• use proper referencing and citation