Research Catalog

Title

Keeping good company : a study of corporate governance in five countries / Jonathan P. Charkham.

Author

Charkham, Jonathan P.

Publication

Oxford : Clarendon Press ; New York : Oxford University Press, 1994.

Items in the Library & Off-site

Holdings

Details

Description

xvii, 389 pages; 25 cm

Summary

• It matters to all of us that companies should be governed effectively. The prosperity of many of those associated with the company - whether directly as managers and employers, or indirectly as shareholders, suppliers, and customers - depends on it. In a broader context how companies run is a significant factor in the competitiveness of national economies as studies of Japanese management, for example, show.
• In a fiercely competitive world we cannot judge our own system and practices in isolation; they must bear comparison with the best. This book aims to do just that. In turn the author describes the system of corporate governance - both in the business environment, and the particular structures and practices of company organization - in five major industrial societies: Germany, Japan, France, the USA, and the UK.
• The book establishes two basic principles of good corporate governance: first, that management must have the freedom to drive the enterprise forward; and secondly that it must exercise this freedom within a framework of effective accountability. Charkham shows how these principles are applied in each country - indicating where methods vary, and that most countries fall short of the ideal.
• In addition, the author highlights the UK's strengths and weaknesses and calls for a thorough overhaul of current theory and practice.

Subject

Corporate governance > Case studies

Bibliography (note)

• Includes bibliographical references and index.

Contents

• 1. Introduction -- 2. Germany. iii. Corporate Governance at Work. iv. The Basic Principles. v. The Developing Scene -- Appendix 2A. Vorstand Rules of Procedure: An example -- Appendix 2B. Aufsichtsrate of Selected Companies -- 3. Japan. ii. The System at Work. iii. Trends and Issues -- 4. France. ii. Industrial Sector. iii. Structure of Corporate Governance. iv. Dynamism and Accountability: An Appreciation. v. A Period of Transition -- Appendix 4A. France: Structure of Output -- Appendix 4B. Consolidated Companies of the Paribas Group -- Appendix 4C. Shareholder's Proxy Form: An Example -- Appendix 4D. History of French Banking -- 5. United States of America. ii. The Machine at Work. iii. Commentary. iv. Developments -- Appendix 5A. Institutional Investor Holdings in US Corporations -- Appendix 5B. Top Fifteen Pension Funds with Investments in Equities -- Appendix 5C. Take-over Defences: An Example -- Appendix 5D. Recommendations of Treadway Commission on Audit Committees.
• Appendix 5E. Objectives of the United Shareholders Association -- Appendix 5F. 1991 Target 50 Results -- Appendix 5G. American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) -- Appendix 5H. Percentage Holdings by Type of Institutional Investor -- Appendix 5J. The Largest Mutual Fund Managers -- 6. The United Kingdom. ii. The Machine at Work. iii. An Evaluation -- Appendix 6A. The Role of Company Boards -- Appendix 6B. University of Exeter Survey into Audit Committees in Financial Institutions -- 7. Which System Is Best? -- Appendix. The Cadbury Code: i. The Code of Best Practice -- Appendix. ii. Audit Committees.

ISBN

019828828X :

LCCN

93030539

OCLC

• 28710857
• ocm28710857

Owning Institutions

Columbia University Libraries