FIN 452: Corporate Governance
Contents
This course teaches topics in corporate governance based on a mixed-methods approach: lectures, case studies, insights from practice, and students’ research papers. We start by defining corporate governance and looking at how different governance systems evolved around the globe. The second part of the course discusses how the quality of a firm’s governance can be measured and which ESG ratings exist. We then discuss corporate governance related questions around the three main agents of a firm: shareholders, directors, and managers. Finally, students will prepare a research paper on a corporate governance scandal and present it in class.
Learning outcomes
After participating in this course, students should be able to:
- Describe corporate governance systems in different countries and compare them to each other.
- Know different ESG ratings and interpret how they measure the quality of a firm’s social responsibility including its governance.
- Know how shareholders, directors, and managers can contribute to good 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
Students are assumed to have undergraduate level knowledge of corporate finance (capital structure theories, corporate valuation) on the level of the Brealey/
| 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 | Student paper (70%), including classroom presentation (30%) |
| Restricted admission | yes |
| Further information | Registration via Portal2 |
Examiner Performing lecturer |  | Prof. Dr. Alexandra Niessen-Ruenzi Dr. Leah Zimmerer |
| 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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