Universitat Internacional de Catalunya - Barcelona

Corporate Governance

• code 11121
• course 4
• term Semester 2
• type op
• credits 3

Main language of instruction: English

Head instructor

Dra. Nina MAGOMEDOVA - nmagomedova@uic.es

Office hours

Upon request

This course aims to provide in-depth understanding of structure and governing bodies of a corporate business organization. Specifically, it enables students to understand principles of corporate governance, the role of board of directors, and the importance of corporate social responsibility.

Business economics

• Understand principles of appropriate corporate management
• Understand shareholders’, board members’ and stakeholders’ interests, duties and responsibilities
• Be able to identify best corporate policies that create transparency, adequate HR practices and appropriate corporate behaviors

• 12 - To be familiar with the main concepts and theories of economic and business philosophy.
• 13 - To be familiar with and understand the terms and processes of company management.
• 24 - To be able to carry out a financial, social and historical analysis of the environment in which a company operates.
• 25 - To understand the commercial function of a company and its objectives.
• 28 - To be able to work in another language and use terminology and structures related to the economic-business world.
• 33 - To be able to search for, interpret and convey information.
• 34 - To develop the ability to predict situations and anticipate events, as well as be able to recognise and interpret an economic situation within a specific context.
• 37 - To be able to apply managerial methods, tools and techniques.
• 39 - To acquire the ability to solve problems and make decisions based on relevant information, applying the appropriate methods and situating the problem within the organisation as a whole.
• 45 - To be able to work with academic papers.
• 48 - To be able to identify the information needs in order to manage the main departments within organisations.
• 51 - To develop decision making skills.
• 52 - To develop interpersonal skills and the ability to work as part of a team.
• 56 - To be able to create arguments which are conducive to critical and self-critical thinking.
• 63 - To be able to analyse business related behaviour and decisions and evaluate them from an economic, social and ethical point of view.
• 68 - To develop mechanisms that encourage sensitivity towards social welfare issues.

• What factors have formed corporate governance throughout corporate history
• How to apply the different theories of corporate governance to explain the behaviors and motivations of executives and shareholders
• The key challenges of the Board of Directors of the 21st century
• The remuneration models of executives and Board Directors
• The challenges of international corporations
• The principles and strategies of corporate social responsibility.

• Historical perspective of Corporate Governance
• Principles and theories of Corporate governance
• The Governance body: investors, shareholders, board of directors
• Diversity of Board of Directors: culture and gender issues
• Internal and external auditing of corporations
• Executive compensation: issues and practices
• Governance of family owned corporations
• Foreign subsidiaries of corporations: challenges of global business
• Corporate Social Responsibility

• Group work (cases, articles, debates, presentations etc.) - 30%
• Individual work – 30%
• Midterm and Final exam – 40%

Books:

• Thomsen, S., Conyon, M. 2012. Corporate Governance. Mechanisms and systems. 1st edition, McGraw Hill 
• Grandori, A. 2004. Corporate governance and firm organization: micro - foundations  and structural forms .  Oxford University Press
• Mallin , C. A. 2006.  Handbook on International  Corporate Governance. Country analyses . Edward  Elgar, UK
• Cohen, S. Boyd, G. 2006.  Corporate  governance and  globalization:  long range planning  issues . Edward  Elgar, UK
• Vives , X.  2000.  Corporate  governance : theoretical and  empirical  perspectives . Cambridge University Press, UK
• Van den  Berghe , L.  2002.Corporate  governance in a  globalizing  world: convergence or  divergence ? Kluwer  Academic  Publishers, USA

Scientific journals:

• Corporate Governance ( Emerald Group  Publishing)
• Corporate Governance: An International review (Wiley)  
• Journal of Business Ethics (Springer)
• International Journal of Disclosure  ad  Governance  (Palgrave)
• Journal of Management and Governance (Springer)
• Journal of Business Research (Elsevier)
• Harvard Business Review

Newspapers and magazines :

• The Time
• The Economist
• The Washington Post
• Financial Times
• Forbes
• Bloomberg
• Business Insider
• Inc.
• Fortune 

E: exam date | R: revision date | 1: first session | 2: second session:

• E1 20/05/2019 10:00h a302
• E2 25/06/2019 08:00h b501