CLARKE, T., 2005. Accounting for Enron: shareholder value and stakeholder interests. Corporate Governance: An International Review. 13(5), pp. 598-612.
(Although this article is from 2005 it explains the issue around agency theory and remoteness of shareholders and board of directors really well.)
Question 1:
The article discusses that the Enron experience challenged core beliefs and practices and also that “the market has become the master” (Coffee, 2004).
Discuss and explain these comments
Question 2:
From the article can you identify what where the seeds of Enron’s downfall?
Question 3:
Can you discuss and explain if you can apply agency theory to the Enron situation?
Question 4
How can we avoid situations like Enron in the future? Was the banking crisis just a global repeat of Enron?
THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE BOARD (Week 6 Seminar Materials)
READ: NIELSEN, S. and HUSE, M., 2010. The Contribution of Women on Boards of Directors: Going beyond the Surface. Corporate Governance: An International Review. 18(2), pp. 136-148.
1. What are the criticism of past research on this topic?
2. Discuss the meaning of:
i. Strategic control
ii. Financial control
Can you see why they have been chosen?
2. Page 138 discussed leadership behaviour theories – explain these theories. Do you agree with them.
Institutional Investors (Seminar materials week 7)
Suggested Reading: Solomon Textbook Chapter 5 and 6
1. Discuss whether institutional investors are effective activists monitoring company management.
2. Find three examples of attempts at shareholder activism from the chapter or from other sources. To what extent where they successful and why?
3. There has been a significant decline in trust in institutions. What do you think has caused this and how might it be rectified?
ETHICS QUESTIONS
ETHICS, MORALITY AND VALUES (seminar materials week 4)
Read: Seider et al., (2009) Morality, Ethics and Good Work: Young People’s Respectful and Ethical Minds, Chapter 16, Morality, Ethics and Gifted Minds, D. Ambrose and T. Cross (eds.), London, Springer Dordrecht Heidelberg. (Week 4 Seminar Materials)
- Discuss Seider et.al’s, (2009) conception of Morality.
- Greene (2001) asserts that “There is a growing consensus that moral judgements are based largely on intuition”. What do you think he means by this statement?
- The authors offer five factors that can encourage respectful and ethical behaviour. Discuss
- In ‘The Cheating Culture’ David Callahan (2004) described unethical behaviour as having become routine over the past two decades, whilst Seider et.al, (2009) suggest “... young professionals...as they enter the real world, many young adults believe the competition to get ahead necessitates ethical compromises”.
Would you agree or disagree with these statements?
PHILOSOPHICAL ETHICAL THEORIES (seminar materials week 5)
Read Article: Rand, A. (1961). The Virtue of Selfishness in The Elements of Moral Philosophy, Chapter 6. (Week 5 Seminar Materials)
Q1. Rand, when discussing one’s duty to help starving people, suggests that we could forgo our luxuries and give the money for famine relief instead…that the fact that we don’t suggests that we regard our luxuries as more important than helping starving people.
Discuss your own opinion of this statement
Q2. Rand, when discussing one’s duties, talks about ‘common-sense’ morality and ‘natural’ duties.
Discuss both concepts in relation to one another
Q3. What is your perspective on ethical egoism? Please use the three main arguments for and against the theory to guide your answer.
Q4. Finally, should our morality include some recognition of the needs of others?
PHYCOLOGY OF ETHICAL DECISION MAKING (seminar materials week 6)
Read Article: Payne, S.L. and Giacalone, R.A., (1990), Social Psychological Approaches to the Perception of Ethical Decision Making, Human Relations , Volume 43, pgs 649-665
Q1 Evaluate the usefulness of Kohlberg’s model of moral reasoning
Q2 Can people be trusted to honestly reflect on whether their decisions were competent and moral? Explain your answer with reference to self-serving bias and cognitive conservatism (pp. 654/655).
Q3 Explain what the authors mean by Impression Management outlining Reputational Tactics and Remedial Tactics (pp. 656/657). How effective do you believe these practices to be?
THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE BOARD (Week 6 Seminar Materials)
READ: NIELSEN, S. and HUSE, M., 2010. The Contribution of Women on Boards of Directors: Going beyond the Surface. Corporate Governance: An International Review. 18(2), pp. 136-148.
1. What are the criticism of past research on this topic?
2. Discuss the meaning of:
i. Strategic control
ii. Financial control
3. Can you see why they have been chosen?
4. Page 138 discussed leadership behaviour theories – explain these theories. Do you agree with them.
