Corporate Governance

The course Corporate Governance is a course within the Master of Science programmes at the Graduate School, School of Business, Economics and Law, University of Gothenburg.

To be eligible for the course Corporate Governance, the participant must fulfil the entrance qualifications for one of the Master of Science programmes at the Graduate School. In addition, the student must have a minimum of 7.5 credits in Accounting and 7.5 credits in Finance, or equivalent.

The course deals with theoretical concepts and empirical research in the field of corporate governance, a central part in the accounting and finance literature, and provides the opportunity for students to analyse corporate governance issues through real cases.

The course takes as a point of departure in the theoretical concepts that are central to most corporate governance research, e.g., agency theory and contract theory.

The course then covers various corporate governance themes commonly treated in the literature that are related to firm outcomes, i.e., firm performance and reporting quality. These themes include ownership structure, executive compensation, regulatory frameworks, boards of directors, and auditing. The course will also cover how corporate governance is related to concerns of corporate sustainability.

On successful completion of the course the student will be able to:

Knowledge and understanding

1. demonstrate understanding of theoretical and empirical research, concepts and themes related to corporate governance.

Competence and skills

2. review and evaluate relevant academic articles within the field of corporate governance

3. explain and communicate corporate governance issues in relation to real cases

Judgement and approach

4. demonstrate understanding of and evaluate how corporate governance can be related to economical as well as social, environmental and ethical issues.

Lectures, seminars and case work. The language of instruction is English.

Learning outcome 1 is assessed through a written exam.

Learning outcome 2 is assessed through a written exam and seminar participation.

Learning outcome 3 is assessed through a case assignment and seminar participation.

Learning outcome 4 is assessed through seminar participation.

Participation in seminars is mandatory. If the course coordinator agrees that the reason for absence or non-submission of compulsory elements is valid, then the missing elements can be replaced with alternative assignments.

Individual exams shall be written individually, cooperation in formulating text, tables, figures etc. is not allowed.

A failed assignment can be supplemented to a pass grade.

If a student who has been failed twice for the same examination element wishes to change examiner before the next examination session, such a request is to be granted unless there are specific reasons to the contrary (Chapter 6 Section 22 HF).

If a student has received a certificate of disability study support from the University of Gothenburg with a recommendation of adapted examination and/or adapted forms of assessment, an examiner may decide, if this is consistent with the course’s intended learning outcomes and provided that no unreasonable resources would be needed, to grant the student adapted examination and/or adapted forms of assessment.

If a course has been discontinued or undergone major changes, the student must be offered at least two examination sessions in addition to ordinary examination sessions. These sessions are to be spread over a period of at least one year but no more than two years after the course has been discontinued/changed.

If a student has been notified that they fulfil the requirements for being a student at Riksidrottsuniversitetet (RIU student), to combine elite sports activities with studies, the examiner is entitled to decide on adaptation of examinations if this is done in accordance with the Local rules regarding RIU students at the University of Gothenburg.

The grading scale comprises: Excellent (A), Very good (B), Good (C), Satisfactory (D), Sufficient (E) and Fail (F). Pass is required on all examination forms. The grade (A-E) corresponds to the total score a student obtains on the exam. Assignments and seminars will be assessed pass/fail. To receive a pass grade (A-E) >= 50% points is required. The scale is tied to fixed score intervals:

A: 85-100%

B: 75-84%

C: 68-74%

D: 60-67%

E: 50-59%

F: <50%

The course will be evaluated upon completion. The results of and possible changes to the course will be shared with students who participated in the evaluation and students who are starting the course.

The course may not be part of a master´s degree from the University of Gothenburg together with the course GM0838 Corporate Governance.