The rise of the independent director in Asia is an issue of global consequence that has been largely overlooked until recently. Less than two decades ago, independent directors were oddities in Asia's boardrooms. Today, they are ubiquitous. Independent Directors in Asia undertakes the first detailed analysis of this phenomenon. It provides in-depth historical, contextual and comparative perspectives on the law and practice of independent directors in seven core Asian jurisdictions (China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan) and Australia. These case studies reveal the varieties of independent directors in Asia, none of which conform to its original American concept. The authors develop a taxonomy of these varieties, which provides a powerful analytical tool for more accurately understanding and effectively researching independent directors in Asia. This new approach challenges foundational aspects of comparative corporate governance practice and suggests a new path for comparative corporate governance scholarship and reform.

This book investigates the key factors shaping corporate governance in China and presents a sophisticated study of corporate governance in China from a comparative and historical perspective. Drawing on extensive corporate governance literature, this book articulates why path dependence theory is the most effective framework for interpreting the development path of Chinese corporate governance. Chenxia Shi reviews the historical role of government in commercial development and regulation in dynastic China and in early corporate law-making, followed by an account of China’s legal and economic development over the last three decades. This historical inquiry identifies government control as the key feature of economic and market regulation in China. In particular, this book canvasses the evolution of governance of State-Owned Enterprises and listed companies, major corporate governance problems, regulatory challenges posed by China’s increasing participation in economic globalization, and enforcement difficulties particularly in relation to investor protection, directors’ duties and accountability. Ultimately, Political Determinants of Corporate Governance in China demonstrates that corporate governance in China is largely determined by political imperatives and those political imperatives have been shaped and re-shaped in a historical process.

About the Book Independent Directors require a special set of skills, attitude and mindset to act independently and take unbiased, neutral views on matters before them in the Board. In order to provide and invigorate basic knowledge in corporate laws, upgrade and evaluate the required skills of Independent Directors and to prepare a databank of such qualified and eligible persons, the rules necessitate to have a Data-bank in place. The Ministry of Corporate Affairs in consonance with Companies (Creation and Maintenance of databank of Independent Directors) Rules, 2019 and Companies (Appointment and Qualification of Directors) Amendment Rules, 2019, empanels Directors that are registered with them and have passed the Online Proficiency Self-Assessment Test. MCA has authorised the Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (IICA) to maintain the Data-bank as well as conduct the Online Proficiency Self-Assessment Test. This book covers the entire gamut of syllabus for the purpose of the Online Proficiency Self-Assessment Test. It has been divided into 4 parts and 36 chapters. Part-I details Syllabus, scheme, scope and text of relevant Notifications. Part-II encompasses 36 chapters covering over 1700 Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) on all these topics including case studies. The chapters also contain the answer key for self-assessment. Part-III contains the text of relevant provisions/extracts of Companies Act 2013, Company Rules, SCRA, SEBI guidelines etc. Part-IV integrates extracts of Indian and International Corporate Governance Codes/ Guidelines for reference and further readings. Key Features A useful guide for Independent Director aspirants appearing for online proficiency self assessment test. Covers entire syllabus viz, company law, SEBI guidelines, corporate governance etc. Includes case studies. Over 1700 Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) with answer key. Author's own experiences and learning as Independent Director shared in MCQs. Useful for other MBA/Commerce/Corporate Governance students.

In addition to the three plenary sessions, this volume contains some of the exemplary papers that were presented at the 2011 conference; representing a collection of leading research in management control and performance measurement and providing a significant contribution to the growing literature in the area.

Nearly seventy years after the last great stock market bubble and crash, another bubble emerged and burst, despite a thick layer of regulation designed since the 1930s to prevent such things. This time the bubble was enormous, reflecting nearly twenty years of double-digit stock market growth, and its bursting had painful consequence. The search for culprits soon began, and many were discovered, including not only a number of overreaching corporations, but also their auditors, investment bankers, lawyers and indeed, their investors. In Governing the Modern Corporation, Smith and Walter analyze the structure of market capitalism to see what went wrong.They begin by examining the developments that have made modern financial markets--now capitalized globally at about $70 trillion--so enormous, so volatile and such a source of wealth (and temptation) for all players. Then they report on the evolving role and function of the business corporation, the duties of its officers and directors and the power of its Chief Executive Officer who seeks to manage the company to achieve as favorable a stock price as possible.They next turn to the investing market itself, which comprises mainly financial institutions that own about two-thirds of all American stocks and trade about 90% of these stocks. These investors are well informed, highly trained professionals capable of making intelligent investment decisions on behalf of their clients, yet the best and brightest ultimately succumbed to the bubble and failed to carry out an appropriate governance role.In what follows, the roles and business practices of the principal financial intermediaries--notably auditors and bankers--are examined in detail. All, corporations, investors and intermediaries, are found to have been infected by deep-seated conflicts of interest, which add significant agency costs to the free-market system. The imperfect, politicized role of the regulators is also explored, with disappointing results. The entire system is seen to have been compromised by a variety of bacteria that crept in, little by little, over the years and were virtually invisible during the bubble years.These issues are now being addressed, in part by new regulation, in part by prosecutions and class action lawsuits, and in part by market forces responding to revelations of misconduct. But the authors note that all of the market's professional players--executives, investors, experts and intermediaries themselves--carry fiduciary obligations to the shareholders, clients, and investors whom they represent. More has to be done to find ways for these fiduciaries to be held accountable for the correct discharge of their duties.