Global Corporate Governance

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2012:

Approximately 2.5 hours of personal study per hour of class time is required to achieve a satisfactory level of performance

Entry to Master of International Business, Master of Human Resource Management, Master of Commerce (Management), Master of Commerce (Marketing), Master of Management and Master of Management (Human Resources). (MC-MGTS, MC-MGMT, MC-MGTHRES, MC-MGMTHRE, MC-COMMGT, MC-COMMKT).

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For the purposes of considering requests for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Description, Subject Objectives, Generic Skills and Assessment Requirements for this entry.

The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the disability support scheme can be found at the Disability Liaison Unit website: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

International firms face complex problems of governance and increasing scrutiny. Conflicts between shareholders, workforces, consumers and local communities are heightened by interactions with sovereign governments and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) having their own legal jurisdictions and international agreements. Reputation Risk has become an important factor in creating a winning strategy within an interdependent global economy that continuously creates legal, social and economic threats and opportunities. Within a corporate strategy framework, this subject begins with the basic concepts of agent theory, the stakeholder theory and corporate governance in an era of 'social responsibility', examines cases of governance failure, traces how corporations have improved transparency and accountability in response to evolving best practice, and assesses the impact of legislation and media on governance. Aligning ethics (anti-corruption and anti-cronyism policies) and environment with economic competitiveness in the decision-making process of an international organisation aims at enhancing its long term value.

On successful completion of this subject, students should be able to:

• Understand how the interaction of governments and NGOs impacts on relations between international firms and their stakeholders;
• Understand the importance of reputation risk for international firms and how it can be managed;
• Understand how international firms have identified and responded to governance failure;
• Understand how the aligning of ethics, environmental responsibility with strategic decision making in an international firm can enhance long term value;
• Analyse and synthesise different theories, models and ideas relevant to issues of governance in an international context;
• Appropriately apply these theories, models and ideas to different scenarios as presented in case studies and class materials;
• Critically evaluate usefulness of the different theories, models and ideas in addressing problems of international governance.

Assignments totalling 8,000 words, consisting of:

• 1 group assignment of 3,000 words (40%)
• 2 individual assignments of 2,500 words (30%) each

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This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

On successful completion of this subject, students should have improved the following generic skills:

• High level of development
• Oral communication
• Written communication
• Collaborative learning
• Problem solving
• Team work
• Application of theory to practice
• Interpretation and analysis
• Critical thinking
• Receptiveness to alternative ideas