MSc Accounting and Finance

This course is concerned with the relationship between theories, methods and regulation in the area of corporate governance. The importance of corporate governance became more exposed at the beginning of the twenty-first century as a series of corporate meltdowns from managerial fraud, misconduct, and negligence led to significant loss of shareholder wealth. This course provides students with advanced understanding of how a company is directed and controlled and, in particular, with the role of the management and the need to ensure that there is an effective framework for accountability of directors to owners. Also, the course provides a discussion regarding recent developments in the corporate governance regulatory agenda.

The aim of this course unit is to explain and evaluate major theoretical and research approaches to the analysis of issues in corporate governance and accountability. This course will give the students an international perspective on some of the most fundamentally important issues facing global business and society today and develop an advanced theoretical and practical understanding of the fast-changing fields of governance and accountability.

On completion of this unit successful students will have achieved the following learning outcomes:

• Appreciate the challenges in developing a coherent and effective corporate governance system;
   
• Understand the role of key governance players, such as, the board of directors, executive managers, shareholders and other stakeholders within the firm as well as regulators;
   
• Grasp the importance of providing appropriate incentives to executive directors and the difficulties in creating an optimal incentive structure;
   
• Acknowledge the significance of external corporate governance mechanisms, like the financial reporting environment and the market for corporate control;
   
• Recognize the importance of alternative models of governance. The methods of assessment for this unit allow students to demonstrate achievement of all intended learning outcomes.

Written Examination (100%)