FIN 452: Corporate Governance
Contents
This course studies critical issues in corporate governance. It starts by defining corporate governance and looking at how different governance systems evolved around the globe. Special emphasis will be on corporate governance systems in the U.S. and Germany. We will analyze how new regulations (Sarbanes-Oxley and Dodd-Frank) emerged as a result of various corporate governance scandals (e.g., Enron). The second part of the course consists of an in-depth analysis of selected internal and external governance mechanisms. Examples are the board of directors and executive compensation contracts. We will also discuss various corporate governance case studies.
The course is on the undergraduate level. It will be based on academic research papers and students will work in teams to prepare their own case study on a particular company.
Learning outcomes
After participating in this course, students should be able to:
- Describe the world’s main corporate governance systems, understand the differences among them and compare them to each other.
- Distinguish between internal and external corporate governance factors and understand how they interact.
- Identify the constituents of good and poor corporate governance.
- Solve case studies in the field of corporate governance and apply knowledge to different cases.
- Apply analytical and critical thinking skills when evaluating corporate governance problems and their solutions.
Necessary prerequisites
semester 4 or higher
Recommended prerequisites
Introductory course in corporate finance and econometrics is strongly recommended.
| Forms of teaching and learning | Contact hours | Independent study time |
|---|---|---|
| Lecture | 2 SWS | 7 SWS |
| ECTS credits | 3 |
| Graded | yes |
| Workload | 90h |
| Language | English |
| Form of assessment | Homework and presentation (20%); Student paper, including classroom presentation (80%) |
| Restricted admission | yes |
| Further information | Registration via Portal2 |
Examiner Performing lecturer |  | Prof. Dr. Alexandra Niessen-Ruenzi Prof. Alexandra Niessen-Ruenzi |
| Frequency of offering | Spring semester |
| Duration of module | 1 semester |
| Range of application | B.Sc. Bus. Adm. |
| Preliminary course work | – |
| Program-specific Competency Goals | CG 2, CG 3 |
| Literature | Goergen, M. (2012), International Corporate Governance, Pearson, Harlow, Munich. Thomsen, S. and M. Conyon (2012), Corporate Governance: Mechanisms and Systems, McGraw-Hill Education, Oxford. Larcker, D. and B. Tayan (2011), Corporate Governance Matters, Pearson Education, London. Kim, K.A., Nofsinger, J.R., and D.J. Mohr (2010), Corporate Governance, Pearson Education, London. |
| Course outline |
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