Corporate Governance

Introduction

The aim of the course is to introduce the students to the importance of corporate governance in developing sustainable business enterprises. Recent experiences in Norway and other countries have highlighted the effect that poor corporate governance can have on firm performance, survival and reputation. Today, not only investors, but also public authorities and high performance employees are examining a company's corporate governance and control systems before committing to that firm. This course examines the evolving view of corporate governance in a global perspective, and discusses if sustainability challenge is a possible game changer when it comes to corporate governance.

Course content

• Introduction
• The emergence of corporate governance
• Comparative corporate governance
• The ideal of maximising shareholder value
• Corporate governance and corporate law, the Norwegian experience
• Corporate law and the composition of boards, the Norwegian experience
• Strategy and innovation
• Selection and removal of board members
• Selectrion and compensation of CEOs and the question of shareholder value
• Value measurements, mergers & acquisitions
• Gender and diversity
• Shareholding
• Pupose, value, and good and bad behaviour
• Wrapping up