The news that Tesco overstated its half-year profit guidance by £250m has sent the company’s share price tumbling – and poses serious questions about its auditing and corporate governance. The company…
A company in need of a reconnection with customers.
Shamshahrin Shamsudin/EPA
Malaysia Airlines was hit with two extraordinary crises this year that have rocked the confidence of customers and left the company struggling to manage the damage. Lone passengers are posting pictures…
Commonly held beliefs about what makes a good board of directors are often wrong.
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The Australian Institute of Company Directors is pushing for company directors to be better protected from lawsuits, arguing concern about jail time and fines is impacting director decisions and ultimately…
Tesco boss Philip Clarke has paid the price for another profit warning from the struggling – though still dominant – retailer. But while his track record is picked apart by commentators, scrutiny should…
Shiny suit, bright future? Nokia’s new President and CEO, Rajeev Suri.
Nokia/handout/EPA
Nokia has announced its new strategy. The Finish technology company will focus on the infrastructure business that keeps our mobile lives operating smoothly and will continue to chase opportunities in…
Shell companies can still flourish in sunny tax havens.
Gronkh
Business secretary Vince Cable has announced his intention to create a public register of UK company ownership in a bid to tackle tax evasion and money laundering by shady corporate bodies. But don’t believe…
New guidelines tighten requirements for listed entities to report on risks outside financial ones.
AAP/Tracey Nearmy
Publicly listed companies will need to disclose exposure to economic, environmental and social sustainability risks for the first time under new corporate governance guidelines released today. The principles…
Oxfam has announced the latest set of results from its Behind the Brands project to influence ten leading food and beverage companies to reform their supply chains. The charity’s efforts are only the most…
Investor confidence is evaporating on fears of low returns and increased market volatility. But a new survey also found corporate governance issues weighing on the minds of retail investors.
AAP/Paul Miller
An overwhelming proportion of investors want the introduction of a rating system to identify poorly governed companies, according to a new survey. And over 80% of those polled said they would stay away…
New research highlights the informed nature of buy-sell-buy trades.
Publik16/Flickr
Australian investors and superannuation funds have invested hundreds of billions of their life savings with active fund managers. These funds have very high fees compared with index funds to cover not…
Sixties style - Mad Men characters Roger Sterling and Don Draper still show men how it’s done in business and politics.
AAP
Labor may have “ditched the witch”, but does the ejection of Julia Gillard from her seat of power close the book on the debate about sexism that she championed and the role of women in leadership? Our…
Boards will need to be ‘six-capital literate’ in order to assess performance, identify risks and develop strategy.
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Paul Druckman, the CEO of the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC), recently led the coalition’s global charge on corporate reporting changes to Australia, where he bolstered support and talked…
What is red tape for one company might be a saving grace for another - but a new survey of directors show a high proportion believe it affects their company’s profitability.
Flickr/eblaser
Which one of the following from last century’s corporate office is still around – blotting paper, carbon paper, telex machines, dictation machines, Sellotape, red tape? Well there is some Sellotape to…
The key to corporate social responsibility lies in encouraging individual action and integrity. source: shutterstock.
The first decade of the 21st century has heightened interest in the ethical and social positioning of companies. However, one of the real dilemmas associated with the movement toward more “corporate social…
Rupert Murdoch says News Corp has improved governance since the News of the World scandal that led to the arrest of former News International head Rebecca Brooks.
AAP
News Corporation chairman Rupert Murdoch has survived a push by shareholders to have him removed as chairman, arguing the media giant has seized on the serious wrongdoing that occurred at some of its publications…
If she is unable to gain seats on the board, Gina Rinehart can still establish a control base by initiating a takeover of Fairfax and offering a premium to shareholders.
AAP
Fairfax Media Ltd’s constitution enables the board to allocate board places in addition to the existing directors up to the maximum number of directors allowed in the constitution - not more than 12 unless…
Amid the battlefield in the boardroom, Kerry Stokes won the power battle and gained control of the Seven Network. But will Gina Rinehart have the same sway over board members at Fairfax Media?
AAP
There is a lot going on in the media industry at present. It is not a surprise that newspapers (the paper kind) are struggling to survive in the age of the internet. It is more of a surprise, therefore…
Stuck in Botany Bay: Greenpeace activists celebrate the Danish government’s decision to halt Orica’s plans to ship toxic waste to Denmark.
AAP
Are sustainability-dependent executive bonuses the answer to saving the planet? Research recently conducted by the Centre for Corporate Governance at the University of Technology, Sydney, examined whether…
A lack of questioning following a management or committee report would appear to be an important marker for boards.
AAP
Boards of directors are, under most legal regimes, the ultimate decision-making body in corporations. Yet, as researchers, we know surprisingly little about what they do and how they operate. With a handful…
Despite Cameron’s half-hearted efforts, democratisation of listed UK corporations is unlikely.
AAP
Executive remuneration is out of control in the United Kingdom. The final report by the High Pay Commission concluded that “there is rarely a link between directors’ incentives and the way a company performs…
Associate Dean, Research and External Relations; Executive Director, Madden Center for Value Creation; Phil Smith Professor of Entrepreneurship, Florida Atlantic University