Syllabus

LEARNING OUTCOMES

After the course, the student will be able to

• use the concepts of corporate governance in every day thinking
• analyze the role of good governance in the corporate actions, sustainablity and performance
• explain the relationship between the company's management, board of directors and shareholders
• identify the reasons for the variation in corporate governance practices both within and across countries as well as the recent trend of convergence in corporate governance practices
• analyze the the role and importance of various institutions of corporate governance, explain how they work, and evaluate the quality of different corporate governance practices

Credits: 6

Schedule: 15.04.2025 - 04.06.2025

Teacher in charge (valid for whole curriculum period):

Teacher in charge (applies in this implementation): Seppo Ikäheimo, Bianca Beyer

Contact information for the course (applies in this implementation):

CEFR level (valid for whole curriculum period):

Language of instruction and studies (applies in this implementation):

Teaching language: English. Languages of study attainment: English

CONTENT, ASSESSMENT AND WORKLOAD

Content

• valid for whole curriculum period:

  The course underlines the major challenges of corporate governance given principal-agent problems and stewardship approaches. It outlines how institutions of corporate governance are solutions for these problems. The course aligns theoretical thinking with empirical and practical solutions within the field of corporate governance. The course offers insights into the diversity of solutions available and helps to understand country- and company-specific practices of corporate governance.

  The main topics in this course cover the big picture of corporate governance as well as a deeper dive into the main institutions of corporate governance, including the board of directors, investor relations, auditing and internal control, executive compensation, shareholder activism, and external corporate governance. After the course, students will understand the importance of these institutions, their interdependencies and synergies, and their relation to corporate actions and sustainable performance.

Assessment Methods and Criteria

• valid for whole curriculum period:

  1. Weekly exercises that include learning diaries (50% together with 2.)
  2. One comprehensive group work on a pre-specified topic (50% together with 1.)
  3. Final exam (50 %)

Workload

• valid for whole curriculum period:

  • Classroom hours, 30 h
  • Class preparation, 67 h
  • Group work, 20 h
  • Term paper preparation, 43 h

DETAILS

Study Material

• valid for whole curriculum period:

  Material distributed by the lecturers.

Substitutes for Courses

• valid for whole curriculum period:

  Substitutes for Courses

Prerequisites

• valid for whole curriculum period:

  Prerequisites

FURTHER INFORMATION

Further Information

• valid for whole curriculum period:

  Teaching Language: English

  Teaching Period: 2024-2025 Spring V
  2025-2026 Spring V

  Registration:

  Registration for courses in Sisu.

Description