The concept of "corporate governance", which has appeared in the United States, is however recently subject to vivid discussions across the world. The notion is understood differently in distinct jurisdictions. Nevertheless, corporate governance widely refers to the way corporations are managed. The present study firstly concentrates on the United States since the latter has been the first country to host debates on the topic. Different governance models basically distinguish the North-American and European (Continental Europe) governance systems. However, debates in the United States and Canada concentrate on distinct issues. The third studied country, France has also its own characteristics. International organisations' initiatives on the topic such as the OECD, illustrate the importance given to "corporate governance". Although the uniformity of distinct national governance systems is not likely to be reached in the near future, certain similarities might be pointed at, especially through the recent activism of institutional shareholders.

Thesis (doctoral)--Göteborg University. / Includes bibliographical references.

Zugl.: Vallendar, WHU - Otto Beisheim School of Management, Diss., 2008.

Zugl.: Zürich, Universiẗat, Diss., 1999.

The subject of this thesis is the study of issues of a corporate identity - an instrument which a company (subject) makes an attempt to create a positive image that would allow it to withstand present competetive evironment. The thesis confronts the theoretical basis of a corporate identity creation with the practical reception of this identity. The thesis is supplemented by the marketing research.

M.Comm. / Die waarde van hierdie ondersoek hou verband met die bemarking van 'n onderneming en die handhawing van 'n mededingende voordeel deur die projektering van 'n positiewe beeld (Anon., 1995a:92; Bateman & Zeithaml, 1993:75; Caminiti, 1992:50; Kotler & Armstrong, 1991:240). Hierdie aspek neem toe in belangrikheid soos wat die besigheidsmilieu in Suid-Afrika verander, veral wat betref die toetrede van buitelandse maatskappye tot die Suid-Afrikaanse mark.

A good corporate reputation is extremely valuable, and confers substantial benefits to the organisation. In order to better manage their corporate reputation, companies need to align their corporate identity and corporate image. Where they do not align and there are gaps, company directors need to identify and reconcile those identity-image gaps.In this research study, corporate reputation, and specifically image and identity, is investigated to understand whether there is gap between how the company views itself (corporate identity) and how it is viewed by its stakeholders (corporate image).Directors' perceptions of gaps between corporate identity and corporate image were explored through a qualitative research methodology that focussed on collecting primary data using an exploratory, phenomenological approach. Ten depth interviews were conducted with directors of companies operating in South Africa, who were selected through convenience sampling.A framework is proposed to assist the management of corporate reputation by reconciling identity-image gaps in companies. The core causes of these gaps are found in the company, the staff of the company, and in the external marketplace. Once these identity-image gaps are identified and acknowledged, mechanisms are proposed to reconcile the gaps through focusing on knowledge management, relationship management, communication, trust and implementation. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

No description available.

This publication-based dissertation covers research on corporate venturing activities of established companies over six chapters. The first chapter provides an introduction into corporate venturing and a summary of the four research papers comprising this dissertation. The second chapter is a structured literature review analyzing the heterogeneity inherent in corporate venturing activities. The characteristics that differentiate corporate venturing activities from each other are comprehensively identified, and a framework that integrates existing activities into six clusters is derived. The third chapter is a research paper that explores a recent corporate venturing activity – namely corporate accelerators – in depth. This empirical study, based on 13 case studies, identifies the objectives pursued with these programs and its design configurations and derives four common types of corporate accelerators. The fourth chapter is a research paper that analyzes empirically entrepreneurial start-ups as knowledge sources for established companies in the context of corporate accelerators and incubators. The paper identifies knowledge need, knowledge forms, and knowledge exchange as knowledge elements in these programs. Based on the comparative analysis of 12 case studies, typical combinations of the knowledge elements are found. The fifth chapter is a teaching case study building on the decision of Media-Saturn-Holding, Europe´s leading consumer electronics retailer, to develop the company´s own corporate accelerator program called SPACELAB. The sixth chapter summarizes the contributions of this dissertation for research and practice as well as its limitations and potential directions for further research.:List of tables Table of figures Table of abbreviations 1 Introduction 1.1 Motivation and research gap 1.2 Summary of research papers 1.3 Presentation / publication information of research papers 1.4 References 2 Corporate venturing activities: a review of typologies and proposed framework 2.1 Introduction 2.2 Research method and descriptive analysis of reviewed studies 2.3 Dimensions of corporate venturing activities 2.4 Clustering of corporate venturing activities 2.5 Further research 2.6 Summary of findings and conclusion 2.7 List of appendices 2.8 Appendix 2.9 References 3 Corporate accelerators as recent form of start-up engagement: the what, the why, and the how 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Literature review 3.3 Analysis approach 3.4 Results of empirical analysis 3.5 Corporate accelerator typology: Four distinct types 3.6 Discussion and implications 3.7 Conclusion 3.8 References 4 Start-ups as knowledge sources for companies: an analysis of corporate accelerators and incubators 4.1 Introduction 4.2 Research approach 4.3 Knowledge elements in corporate accelerators and incubators 4.4 Typical combinations of knowledge elements 4.5 Discussion 4.6 Implications 4.7 Conclusions and limitations 4.8 List of appendices 4.9 Appendix 4.10 References 5 Media-Saturn-Holding GmbH - the SPACELAB accelerator: a teaching case study 5.1 Part 1: background and accelerator design options 5.2 Part 2: design choices made and program execution 5.3 Teaching note 5.4 List of appendices 5.5. Appendix 5.6 References 6 Contribution and further research 6.1 Contribution to research 6.2 Contribution to practice 6.3 Limitations and further research 6.4 References

This thesis examines the effect of a responsible investment index (FTSE4Good) on corporate social responsibility (CSR). In the first study I investigate the impact of the FTSE engagement reinforced by the threat of exclusion from the index on companies’ improvements in environmental management. The results show that FTSE involvement doubles the probability that a company will meet stricter environmental management requirements within the three-year period 2002 to 2005. Both the dialogue and the exclusion threat stimulate compliance but the dialogue appears to be more effective where the perceived threat of exclusion is higher. The engagement effect persists for at least five years and is positively related to low concentrated ownership and to domicile in a coordinated market economy. In the second study I examine FTSE4Good’s effect on the probability that a company will implement strong countering bribery practices within the two-year time period 2007 to 2009. The results demonstrate that the combined effect of engagement and exclusion threat is significant in promoting compliance and the two act independently. Stronger anti-bribery provisions are positively associated with companies based in liberal market economies, with better internal governance and higher reputational concerns related to ethical controversies. In the third study I investigate FTSE4Good’s impact on companies’ compliance with climate change criteria. The results show that the index is able to stimulate compliance and the dialogue appears to contribute more than the exclusion threat. I also find that the likelihood of the company adopting the required practices is negatively associated with concentrated ownership and with strong internal governance. Finally, the results offer some evidence that compliance is related to subsequent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. These studies contribute to the understanding as to how different CSR areas are promoted or discouraged by the managers and the owners, and how the institutional environment influences this. The results are consistent with engagement via a responsible investment index being an effective means of large-scale collective monitoring by institutional investors. The findings are also relevant for policy makers who wish to promote active ownership.