Corporate Governance and Business Ethics

• the separation of ownership and control;
• the theoretical foundations of corporate governance and business ethics;
• the role of regulatory frameworks;
• elements of corporate governance (e.g., risk management, internal control, internal auditing);
• emerging topics (e.g., cyber risks, board diversity, sustainability).

• to understand ethical conflicts and the need for corporate governance;
• to identify agents and their interests along with how they interact in firms;
• to compare corporate governance structures and appreciate legal and cultural influences.

• to analyze and evaluate corporate governance structures of firms;
• to assess the quality of corporate governance structures and judge deviating behavior;
• to apply their knowledge to contribute to implementing corporate governance.

• to apply to state-of-the-art research to develop evidence-based management solutions;
• to communicate their insights efficiently and argue their point;
• to challenge their own and others’ analysis and evaluation of corporate governance.

The course combines different teaching methods, including face-to-face teaching (1), written assignments (2, 3), presentation (4), and structured meetings (5, 6).

The semester starts with face-to-face teaching (1–2 weeks). Then the papers are prepared (about 6 weeks). After submission, the papers are immediately distributed for review and review reports are prepared (about 5 weeks). After submission, the reports are forwarded to be considered in preparing the in-class presentations (about 2 weeks). The findings are presented in January. Feedback is given after the presentation. The time schedule is tentative and may be adjusted.

(1) The teacher introduces the students to topics in corporate governance and business ethics.
(2) The students prepare individually or, depending on the course size, in small teams, papers on a topic in corporate governance.
(3) The students review other students’ or teams’ seminar papers to give them feedback, resulting in a review report on that paper.
(4) The students present their findings to and discuss them with their fellow students.
(5) The students regularly meet, individually or as a team, the teacher in his/her office hours to discuss the progress of their work.
(6) The students receive individual feedback by the teacher on their papers, their reports, and their presentations.

• Face-to-face teaching: 8 (2x4 or 4x2 in the first weeks of the semester);
• Meetings with teacher to discuss progress: 5;
• Meeting with teacher to receive feedback: 1;
• Preparation of paper: 80;
• Review of other students’ or teams’ paper: 80;
• Preparation of presentation of findings: 72;
• Presentation and discussion of findings as well as discussion of others’ findings: 24.