Monash University Handbook 2011 Postgraduate - Unit

Refer to the specific census and withdrawal dates for the semester(s) in which this unit is offered.

Synopsis

This unit explores contemporary thinking, regulation, and practice surrounding the connected areas of corporate governance, responsibility, and sustainability in Australia and comparable corporate regulatory systems worldwide, with particular emphasis upon corporate regulatory systems in Anglo-Commonwealth countries, the EU, and North America. Major topics covered include: major theories and issues of corporate responsibility and governance, recent transnational corporate governance reforms across foreign jurisdictions of relevance in Australia, related corporate social responsibility developments (including business and human rights), and corporate governance in the Australian public sector (including state business interactions, government business enterprises, and frameworks for public sector governance). As the unit exposes students to a variety of comparative, international, and cross-disciplinary ideas and material, it is suitable for students interested in comparative corporate governance from a range of national, academic, and work-related backgrounds, including students who are interested in exploring corporate governance law and regulation as it relates to both the public sector and the private sector.

Objectives

Students who successfully complete this unit should:

1. understand the theoretical debates, models, and concepts that underpin policy, regulation, and practice of corporate governance, responsibility, and sustainability
2. appreciate and evaluate the commonalities and differences between Australian and suitable comparative corporate regulatory systems
3. interpret, apply, and analyse the key elements of corporate governance, responsibility, and sustainability regulation in Australia and select transnational jurisdictions
4. relate international and comparative developments in corporate governance, responsibility, and sustainability to Australian scholarly, regulatory, and business debates about corporate social responsibility (CSR), socially responsible investing and reporting, and investment decision making that accommodates environmental, social, and governance (ESG) considerations
5. compare and contrast the regulation and practice of corporate governance in the Australian business sector with corporate governance in the Australian public sector, including government owned corporations, government business enterprises (GBEs), statutory corporations, and other public sector departments and agencies.

Assessment

Research assignment (3,750 words): 50%
Take-home examination (3,750 words): 50%

Chief examiner(s)

Professor Bryan Horrigan

Contact hours

24 contact hours per semester (either intensive, semi-intensive or semester long, depending on the Faculty resources, timetabling and requirements)