Introduction to Corporate Governance in Australia

Book excerpt: As the author comments in the Introduction to this book, Corporate Governance is currently a popular topic with regulators, investors, company directors and executives, commentators and academics but this is not just a recent phenomenon. While current interest may be largely a response to major cases of company failure and managerial misconduct, many of the basic issues involved were of concern when limited liability companies were first invented and have been revisited at other times in history. This text offers a very concise introduction to the principles of corporate governance for those wishing to understand the main issues affecting corporate governance in relation to publicly traded corporations. It provides a general overview of the origins and nature of this type of corporation, its stakeholders, the general principles of governance and how they apply to corporations and a brief discussion of Australian as well as international developments that affect Australian companies. The approach adopted in An Introduction to Corporate Governance in Australia emphasises understanding the nature of the entity being governed and how the general principles of governance apply to such an entity.