| Unit name | Issues in Corporate Governance |
|---|---|
| Unit code | LAWD30001 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | H/6 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Hickman |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
LAWD20037 Company Law (recommended) |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | University of Bristol Law School |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
Why is this unit important?
Corporate governance is an increasingly topical subject, as corporations continue to amass and expend power, and thus continue to exert serious influence over society and the environment. The way that a public company is run affects employees, board members, and stakeholders in ways that intersect with issues relating to economic, social, and gender justice. Beyond this, corporate behaviour has the potential to send shockwaves through the world – as was seen in the 2008 financial crisis. This unit will help you to understand the legal dimensions of these issues, and to connect these with broader economic, social, and political currents in society. Taking a case study approach, this unit offers students the ability to examine these issues through the lens of an existing company and its affairs. You will therefore have the opportunity to learn about crucial legal, economic, and social issues using key texts produced in the commercial world. This will prepare you to approach future employment across a range of fields with a sensitive and nuanced commercial awareness.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
This subject is a natural follow-on from Company Law, and complements a range of commercial as well as more contextual/sociological units – for instance, Employment Law, Corporate Law Simulation, Environmental Law, and Commercial Law. Social and commercial issues converge in the study of corporate governance, and the unit gives students the unique ability to synthesize skills from the analysis of both these issues.
An overview of content
This unit employs a case study-based approach. Using the annual report of a specific FTSE 500 company each year, we will examine the key features of UK corporate governance, drawing occasionally from other disciplines and jurisdictions to shed light on important issues in this arena. Using various legal and academic materials to understand the annual report, the unit provides an overview of the economic and institutional dynamics that influence the use and control of decision-making power in publicly traded companies. The rights, duties and obligations of key participants in corporate governance (especially the board of directors and shareholders) are examined. Special attention is paid to the effectiveness of reforms designed to enhance managerial accountability, including institutional shareholder activism, the use of independent directors, audit and risk management techniques and the design and control of executive remuneration. The unit also explores corporate social responsibility, sustainability issues, boardroom culture and diversity and post-crisis corporate governance reforms.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit?
The unit will enable you to engage with topical issues affecting the corporate and commercial world in a contextual and nuanced way. This unit will introduce you to the social and theoretical dimensions to doctrinal legal issues you may have encountered (or be encountering) in other core or commercial modules. This unit will help you develop a clear understanding of the legal rules relating to corporate governance, whilst opening space for debate about the various social, ideological, and economic presumptions underlying these rules. The unit should therefore equip you to enter the world of employment with a multi-layered understanding of corporate governance in the context of important commercial and broader societal challenges.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this unit, you will be able to:
Teaching on this unit will be delivered through a combination of lectures and seminars. The unit will take a case study approach, using various sections of a FTSE 500 company’s annual report (or similar real-world corporate governance document) to explore different aspects of corporate governance issues. You will engage in directed independent readings of this annual report throughout the year, which will form the basis of discussions in seminars.
The rationale behind using a case study approach here is to get you familiar with engaging deeply and contextually with a specific important type of document used in the practice of corporate governance. This, combined with the conceptual and theoretical information conveyed in lectures and supplementary readings, will enable the unit to synthesize commercial and theoretical approaches in a unique way. You will gain skills that are valuable in the context of both legal practice and academia.
Learning activities on this unit will also include small group work, discussions, individual tasks, and in-seminar presentations. The unit will also involve directed and self-directed learning, which will include activities such as reading materials included on the unit’s reading lists, accessing web-based supplementary materials, independent critical analysis, completion of tasks for in-seminar presentation, and completion of assessments.
This unit is case-study based. Each year, the unit will use the annual report of a specific company as its guiding text.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
Early in the unit, we will have an in-class multiple choice test to check understanding of basic points relating to the UK corporate governance framework and the annual report (the answers to which will be reviewed and discussed within class time) Mid-way through the unit, students will submit or present a 750-1000 word analysis of one section of company’s annual report. Throughout the unit, students will be given the opportunity to ask any questions about the unit or their formative work in lectures, seminars, and during unit tutors’ office hours.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
The coursework comprises a 3000-word response to a question posed in relation to the FTSE 500 company’s annual report (or similar real-world corporate governance document) studied throughout the academic year. This assesses all Intended Learning Outcomes for this unit.
When assessment does not go to plan:
When a student fails the unit and is eligible to resubmit, the unit will be reassessed on a like-for-like basis. The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessment required for credit in the usual way.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. LAWD30001).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
