The Fundamental Dimensions and Dilemmas of Corporate Governance
FUNDAMENTALS OF CORPORATE GOVERNANCE, 4-Volume Set, Thomas Clarke, Marie Dela Rama, eds., SAGE Publications, 2008
52 Pages Posted: 23 Jun 2009
Date Written: June 20, 2009
Abstract
As the scale and activity of corporations has increased immeasurably, the governance of these entities has assumed considerable importance. Business corporations have an enduring impact upon societies and economies, and 'how corporations are governed: their ownership and control, the objectives they pursue, the rights they respect, the responsibilities they recognize, and how they distribute the value they create, has become a matter of the greatest significance, not simply for their directors and shareholders, but for the wider communities they serve' (Clarke and dela Rama 2006:xix). These concerns originated with industrial capitalism, but have become accentuated with the extensive internationalization of corporate activity in recent decades, the global deregulation of financial markets, and a growing awareness of the damaging economic and social consequences when corporate governance failures occur.
This paper contains the introduction to the 4 volume series, Fundamentals of Corporate Governance, published by SAGE Publications in 2008.
The selected readings in this work are intended to demonstrate the wider dimensions and dilemmas of governance and the richness of different interpretations. Volume I examines the operation of the different institutions of ownership and control; Volume II investigates the work of company boards and directors; Volume III delves deeper into executive roles and performance; inally Volume IV explores the wider issues of corporate stakeholders and business sustainability.
Keywords: Corporate governance, theories, fundamentals
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