Effective corporate governance should be developed based on nine key principles:
1. Value-adding philosophy. Corporate governance should provide the foundations
for all seven corporate governance functions (oversight, managerial,
compliance, internal audit, advisory, external audit, monitoring) to add value
to the company’s sustainable and enduring performance.
2. Independence. This concept determines the extent to which the corporate
governance process and its related mechanisms minimize or avoid conflicts of
interests and self-dealing actions of its directors, officers, auditors, legal counsel,
financial analysts, investment bankers, and other key personnel. Corporate governance
reforms (Sarbanes-Oxley [SOX], SEC rules, best practices, and listing
standards) regard independence as the backbone of corporate governance. Other
corporate governance principles, functions, and mechanisms evolve around and
are affected by the concept of independence in both appearance and in fact.
3. Ethical conduct. Corporate governance should promote ethical conduct for all
corporate governance participants throughout the company. Doing so entails an
appropriate tone at the top and a firm commitment from corporate governance
participants to adhere to ethical behavior and conduct. A corporate culture
of compliance and ethics should be integrated into the company’s corporate
governance structure to encourage all personnel to do the ‘‘right thing’’ and to
understand that this is vital to the achievement of sustainable performance.
4. Accountability. Accountability forms the cornerstone of corporate governance
by continuously monitoring best practices and by effectively discharging responsibilities.
The main drivers of accountability are the acceptance of responsibility,
ethical decision making, transparency, and candor, which result in the establishment
of trust and a mutually beneficial working relationship between the
company and its shareholders. Corporate governance should foster accountability
and responsible decision making throughout the company. All corporate
governance participants should be held accountable for their decisions, actions,
and performance.
5. Shareholder democracy. Corporate governance should promote shareholder
democracy in director elections by recognizing and respecting the rights of
shareholders. It can be achieved through the requirements of declassified boards,
nomination of directors by shareholders, and the majority-vote election procedures
for directors. In addition, the rights and interests of all stakeholders
should be acknowledged and respected. These requirements, among others, are
discussed further in Chapters 3 and 10.
6. Integrity of financial reporting. Corporate governance should safeguard the
integrity of financial reporting by enhancing the quality, reliability, and transparency
of financial reports. Under the Exchange Act rules, public companies
must disclose required information by filing annual and quarterly reports and
other current reports when certain events occur. The required disclosure should
be adequate to inform the marketplace about the company’s performance and
to protect investors.
7. Transparency. The company’s actions, governance, and the financial and nonfinancial
aspects of its business should be easily available and understandable by
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