Background: Earnings management has been a popular topic of discussion for many decades, and researchers always look for underlying factors that can reduce the phenomenon. A common subject for this has been board independence, and the implications that independent directors have on earnings management. Additionally, researchers have argued that legal protection is a big part in how independent directors can exercise their monitoring, as well as the use of control-enhancing mechanisms (CEM). Purpose: To investigate the relationship between board independence and earnings management. This thesis will also examine if shareholder protection and CEMs respectively affect independent directors´ ability to reduce earnings management. Method: This thesis adopts a positivistic view with a deductive approach using a quantitative method where data was collected using databases, websites, and annual reports. Further, the data was analyzed using a Spearman correlation matrix and an OLS regression for each hypothesis. Findings: The findings show that there exists no relationship between board independence and earnings management. Furthermore, the thesis does not find support that shareholder protection has a moderating influence on the relationship, and thus has no effect on independent directors’ability to reduce earnings management. However, the thesis finds indications that firms who have the CEM of dual-class shares experience increase in earnings management as the share of independent directors increases.

This study mainly discusses the effect, in country level, of minority shareholder protection on shareholder wealth during mergers and acquisitions (M&A). In particular, based on the index of anti-director rights (ADRI) developed by LLSV (1998) and the index of shareholder protection index (SPI) by John Armour et al.(2009), I empirically examine the linkage between M&A activities and indexes as well as the components of these indexes. This study expects the result may show some relevance between of indices and M&A activities, and the legal value of this relevance. The purpose is to show whether minority shareholder protection is workable in M&A activities, and whether it can facilitate M&A markets. To begin with, this paper discusses LLSV¡¦s uniqueness in corporate law study ¡V using empirical method to value whether corporate law matters or not around the world. Then, I analyze LLSV¡¦s possible defects, review criticisms and effects they had incurred. Secondly, we design a study to compare the revised LLSV methodology developed by the Harvard scholar Spamann with SPI index through stock market and M&A market. I also code China¡¦s and Taiwan¡¦s data to make up the lack of samples of cross level variation, and take this as the basis for corporate institutional comparison. This study reports that each of sub-indexes from ADRI and SPI has different relevance to M&A activities: three are positive, five are negative, three are insignificant, and two are valueless of discussion (definition or design defect). Thus we may see the importance of law quantification. We appreciate further research and authorities¡¦ consideration following our work in Taiwan. Finally, the contribution of this study is to attempt to integrate empirical and comparative legal analysis, in response to global corporate governance issues of promoting cross research. On policy implications is that it can predict some investor protection mattes, direct the way of policy adjustment. Besides, this study can also suggest specific amendment for Company Law and Securities law to re-examine how to balance between market development and the protection of minority shareholders.

Corporate governance in general has become the new crucible in which corporations are tested and declared worthy of the trust of international investors. In an age when countries compete in a global economy, compliance with corporate governance standards has become crucial to the survival of businesses. Especially in the Middle East, which is culturally and politically distant from the rest of the world, compliance with the internationally accepted principles of corporate governance has become a challenge. This thesis aims to examine how a specific aspect of corporate governance—disclosure and transparency—is viewed and applied in the Saudi Arabian context. The results of this study are important primarily for Saudi Arabian businesses positioned to play a significant role in the global economy. The Saudi economy is one that has a number of industries such as the oil industry, which forms the largest contributor of the GDP of the nation; about 67%. Other companies in the country include those, which deal in consumer goods, the financial sector, the media, retail, telecommunications, technology, travel and leisure and telecommunications. The largest conglomerates are those that deal in the oil and gas industry. These companies could benefit greatly from the financial strength provided by international investments, the technical and strategic advantages offered by partnerships and joint ventures with foreign companies and the market leadership obtained by gaining the trust and confidence of consumers in the global market. Achieving these benefits becomes feasible only if Saudi firms can comply with the minimum disclosure and transparency requirements. The thesis employs critical and comparative analyses. It explores the academic literature on corporate disclosure and discusses the theories and principles espoused in the context of the Saudi Arabian legal and regulatory framework. Also discussed is the vital role of the Islamic principles in Sharia law, which forms the basis of the Saudi legal system. This study proposes corporate disclosure practices as the basis for comprehensive reform of Saudi Arabia’s Capital Market Authority. The idea of corporations is alien to the Islamic law, but the idea of disclosure and transparency is a fundamental of the Islamic corporate governance. The disclosures that the organizations make have a target of attaining transparency and the promotion of market discipline concerning the same institutions. There is also the conceptualization of the fact that the effectiveness of the corporate organizations relies on how they complement the international standards. The study offers recommendations for increasing transparency, disclosure and the associated principles in the Saudi Arabian stock market and better protecting minority shareholders. These recommendations follow the United Kingdom’s corporate governance approach but reflect the interests, culture, treaties, Sharia principles and legislative reforms of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The thesis concludes by presenting the Saudi perspective on disclosure and transparency and its prospects for future development.

Submitted by Flávia Furtado Pessoa de Mendonça (flaviafurtpessoa@gmail.com) on 2017-02-06T16:46:37Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação_final.pdf: 699787 bytes, checksum: 2c7f4669c8ae8ce09d6df21d2d9b8923 (MD5) / Rejected by Pamela Beltran Tonsa (pamela.tonsa@fgv.br), reason: Boa tarde Flávia, Para que possamos dar andamento ao seu trabalho é necessário fazer alguns ajustes. Vou encaminhar para seu e-mail e apos as modificações submete-lo novamente, qualquer duvida estamos a disposição. att, Pâmela Tonsa on 2017-02-06T16:55:35Z (GMT) / Submitted by Flávia Furtado Pessoa de Mendonça (flaviafurtpessoa@gmail.com) on 2017-02-06T16:56:49Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação_final.pdf: 699787 bytes, checksum: 2c7f4669c8ae8ce09d6df21d2d9b8923 (MD5) / Rejected by Pamela Beltran Tonsa (pamela.tonsa@fgv.br), reason: Segue e-mail com as instruções. on 2017-02-06T17:13:20Z (GMT) / Submitted by Flávia Furtado Pessoa de Mendonça (flaviafurtpessoa@gmail.com) on 2017-02-06T21:56:49Z No. of bitstreams: 1 V_Final_Dissertação.pdf: 663080 bytes, checksum: f0dd7f728566fbdf6508116ee4f3b840 (MD5) / Rejected by Pamela Beltran Tonsa (pamela.tonsa@fgv.br), reason: Bom dia Flávia, Para que possamos aprovar seu trabalho é necessário alguns ajustes conforme norma ABNT/APA. * Conforme a norma é necessário ter AGRADECIMENTO, RESUMO E ABSTRACT deve ser em letra maiúscula. Após os ajustes você deve submete-lo novamente para analise e aprovação. Qualquer duvida estamos a disposição, Pâmela Tonsa 3799-7852 on 2017-02-07T10:27:49Z (GMT) / Submitted by Flávia Furtado Pessoa de Mendonça (flaviafurtpessoa@gmail.com) on 2017-02-07T11:54:54Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação 7 fev.pdf: 663438 bytes, checksum: da318f2809429d14d0837b10759e9367 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Pamela Beltran Tonsa (pamela.tonsa@fgv.br) on 2017-02-07T12:20:18Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação 7 fev.pdf: 663438 bytes, checksum: da318f2809429d14d0837b10759e9367 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-02-07T17:13:04Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação 7 fev.pdf: 663438 bytes, checksum: da318f2809429d14d0837b10759e9367 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-12-20 / A dissertação teve o objetivo de investigar de que forma os Mecanismos Externos de Governança (MEG) impactam a alavancagem da empresa, em uma amostra de 40 países, que engloba um total de 12.968 empresas. O diferencial do estudo está na distinção entre os MEG que afetam a proteção dos acionistas daqueles que afetam os direitos dos credores. Os resultados sugerem que as empresas se alavancam de maneira coerente ao previso pela Teoria da Pecking Order. Observou-se os MEG associados à proteção dos investidores, de fato, influenciam na escolha pela estrutura de capital da empresa. Empresas com alta proteção aos direitos dos acionistas foram, em média, menos alavancadas do que empresas com baixa proteção aos acionistas. Alta proteção dos credores possui impacto positivamente relacionado com a alavancagem, o que sugere que alta proteção aos credores diminuem o custo da dívida e fazem com que as empresas deem preferência a este tipo de financiamento externo. Os resultados se mostraram robustos diante de algumas variações no modelo. / This study aimed to investigate how the External Governance Mechanisms (EGM) impact the company’s leverage, in a sample of 40 countries, including a total of 12,968 companies. The differential of the research lies in the distinction between EGMs that affect the protection of shareholders from those that affect the creditors rights. The results suggest that firms leverage are consistent to what was predicted by the Pecking Order Theory. It was observed that EGMs associated with investor protection do in fact influence the choice of the firm’s capital structure. Companies with high protection of shareholder rights were, on average, less leveraged than companies with low shareholder protection. High creditors protection has a positive impact on leverage, which suggests that high creditors protection reduces the cost of debt and makes companies prefer this type of external financing. The results were robust considering some variations in the model.

The aim of this thesis has been to analyze briefly the instruments of protection for minority shareholders in the limited liability company after the recodification of the Czech private law, to follow the modern trend of this topic and to evaluate the changes in regards to the previous codification. The thesis is structured as follows. The first chapter is divided into two subchapters. In the first one the basic terms important for the rest of the thesis has been explained, such as limited liability company, minority shareholder and qualified minority shareholder.The second subchapter characterizes the importance of protection for minority shareholders. The particular instruments of minority shareholders' protection are listed and analyzed in the second chapter. It has been structured into several subchapters according to the subjects of each type of a minority shareholder protection (qualified shareholders, minority shareholders, all shareholders). The instruments belonging to the qualified shareholders are: the right of calling a general meeting according to the par. 187 of the zákon o obchodních korporacích Code and a right to suggest topics to be discussed at a general meeting. The instruments which may be used by all minority shareholder are: the separate voting and cumulative voting....

Submitted by caio rego (caiovr@gmail.com) on 2017-02-06T22:50:34Z No. of bitstreams: 1 DissertaçãoCaioRego.pdf: 663195 bytes, checksum: bcc4ad3cf583380984dbf0d0b5671666 (MD5) / Rejected by Pamela Beltran Tonsa (pamela.tonsa@fgv.br), reason: Bom dia Caio, Para que possamos aprovar seu trabalho é necessário alguns ajustes conforme norma ABNT/APA. * Seu titulo esta diferente da ATA, caso realmente exista essa alteração é preciso o professor orientador vir até a secretaria para fazer a alteração no verso da ATA com o titulo atual. Caso contrário não poderei aprovar. (INVESTOR PROTECTION AND CONSTRAINTS RELIEF) * Verificar a segunda folha, pois seu nome esta no rodapé da pagina. * Na pagina onde tem a ficha catalográfica, não tem escrita abaixo da caixa. * Conforme a norma é necessário ter AGRADECIMENTO, ABSTRACT E RESUMO - palavras em letra MAIÚSCULA ( no seu caso nesta ordem por ser um trabalho em inglês ) Após os ajustes você deve submete-lo novamente para analise e aprovação. Obs.: Mandarei um modelo em seu e-mail para visualização. Qualquer duvida estamos a disposição, Pâmela Tonsa 3799-7852 on 2017-02-07T10:24:20Z (GMT) / Submitted by caio rego (caiovr@gmail.com) on 2017-02-07T14:33:52Z No. of bitstreams: 1 DissertaçãoCaioVieira.pdf: 664958 bytes, checksum: 191819e57bac8bd461bc698115d3f3ef (MD5) / Rejected by Pamela Beltran Tonsa (pamela.tonsa@fgv.br), reason: Boa tarde Caio, Para que possamos aprovar seu trabalho são necessários alguns ajustes conforme norma ABNT/APA. * Seu título na hora de postar deve ser como esta na ATA, não só na mudança do titulo no trabalho. (INVESTOR PROTECTION AND CONSTRAINTS RELIEF) * Verificar a primeira e a segunda folha, pois seu nome está no rodapé da página. ( isso acontece quando muda para pdf - ficar atento) * Conforme a norma é necessário ter AGRADECIMENTO, ABSTRACT E RESUMO - Letra Maiúscula Após os ajustes você deve submete-lo novamente para análise e aprovação. Qualquer dúvida estamos à disposição, Pâmela Tonsa 3799-7852 on 2017-02-07T16:04:37Z (GMT) / Submitted by caio rego (caiovr@gmail.com) on 2017-02-07T17:18:03Z No. of bitstreams: 1 DissertaçãoCaioVieira.pdf: 666485 bytes, checksum: 3cb122fce819ec6da1fde898c3518471 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Pamela Beltran Tonsa (pamela.tonsa@fgv.br) on 2017-02-07T17:29:01Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 DissertaçãoCaioVieira.pdf: 666485 bytes, checksum: 3cb122fce819ec6da1fde898c3518471 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-02-07T19:00:44Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 DissertaçãoCaioVieira.pdf: 666485 bytes, checksum: 3cb122fce819ec6da1fde898c3518471 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-12-22 / Under financial constraints, firms are kept from following first-best policies. It is in the best interests of the regulators to diminish this inefficiencies as firms play such a important roles in the economy as generating employment and contributing to the GDP. One of the channels through which regulation may interfere with firms funding availability is by protecting investors. This research assesses the relationship between investor protection and firms’ financial constraints. I split some of the most common measures of investor protection among three classes: creditor protection, minority protection and external investor protection. This division is relevant to screen the importance of a given class to alleviate the constraints: constrained firms are likely to share some characteristics that make them more akin to rely on given funding source, for example: firms facing asymmetric information problems are more suitable to debt financing. The cash-flow sensitivity of cash is used as a proxy for financial constraints. I construct cash saving models based on a sample of 27471 firms in 393 industries (3 digit-SIC), from 2001 to 2015. The models are fitted in two groups: for firms more likely to be constrained, and for firms less likely. To classify the firms between this two groups I rely on the Size and Age index, and on switching regressions with unknown separation points. The results points that creditor protection is related to lower cash-flow sensitivities of cash for the constrained firms, while external investor protection are related to more prevalent constraints. Minority protection present a negative interaction with the cash-sensitivity of cash in the panel model (indicating constraints relief) but positive coefficient relative to the switching regression. For the unconstrained batch, however, the results are mixed for the creditor protection measure, while external investor protection always diminish the firms’ propensity to save cash. / Sob restrição financeira, as firmas se distanciam de suas políticas ótimas. É do interesse dos reguladores diminuir as essas ineficiências pois as empresas desempenham funções importantes como contribuir para o PIB e gerar empregos. Uma das formas com que a regulação pode contribuir com a disponibilidade de financiamento para as companhias é estipulando leis que protegem seus investidores. Essa pesquisa investiga a relação entre proteção ao investidor e a restrição financeiro no meio corporativo. Nela, eu divido as leis que protegem os investidores em três tipos: proteção ao credor, ao acionista e ao investidor externo. A importância dessa divisão se dá por permitir identificar o efeito relativo de uma certa categoria de proteção em aliviar restrições financeiras: firmas restritas possuem características que podem torná-las mais suscetíveis a se financiar por certa forma de financiamento, por exemplo: firmas enfrentando assimetria de informação têm no endividamento sua forma de financiamento mais adequada. Para identificar restrição financeira eu me apoio na sensibilidade do caixa ao fluxo de caixa. Eu construo modelos de formação de caixa baseados em uma amostra de 27471 firmas em 393 industrias (SIC de 3 dígitos). A amostra compreende os anos entre 2000 e 2016. Os modelos são ajustados para 2 grupos: o das firmas mais prováveis de enfrentarem restrição financeira e o das menos prováveis. Para realizar essa classificação eu utilizo o índice de Tamanho e Idade, e em uma switching regression com pontos de separação desconhecidos. Os resultados apontam que proteção ao credor está relacionada a menores sensibilidades do caixa ao fluxo de caixa para ao grupo restrito, enquanto proteção ao investidor externo está relacionada ao restrições mais prevalentes. Proteção ao acionista apresenta uma interação negativa com a sensibilidade da caixa ao fluxo de caixa no modelo em painel, mas o sinal oposto no modelo de switching regression. No conjunto de firmas irrestritas por outro lado, os resultados são inconclusivos para a variável de proteção ao credor, enquanto proteção ao investidor externo sempre aparece relacionado a uma diminuição da restrição financeira.

Le droit des investissements internationaux est largement présenté au travers de la jurisprudence arbitrale, notamment celle du CIRDI. Une telle approche a paru insuffisante. En effet, dans l'examen des questions touchant le droit des investissements internationaux, la jurisprudence de la CIJ et de sa devancière semble être un passage obligé à certains égards. S'agissant de règles primaires, c’est dans la jurisprudence de la Cour qu’ont émergé et pris forme certaines règles substantielles relatives aux investissements internationaux, et dont la désuétude est loin d'être établie par l'avènement du CIRDI. Par ailleurs, le rôle général de la Cour dans le fonctionnement de l'ordre juridique international à travers les règles juridictionnelles, procédurales, d’interprétation ou encore de responsabilité internationale, est indéniable. Or, certaines de ces règles se présentent comme des chapitres incontournables du droit des investissements internationaux. Ce sont là autant de raisons qui ont conduit à entreprendre une étude sur Le droit des investissements internationaux vu par la CIJ et le CIRDI en l’abordant au travers de la question de savoir si les tribunaux CIRDI puisent dans l’héritage de la Cour sur les problématiques juridiques relatives aux investissements internationaux ou s’en départissent. La confrontation des jurisprudences de la Cour et des tribunaux CIRDI a permis de conclure que le droit des investissements internationaux vu par la CIJ n’est que partiellement le droit des investissements internationaux vu par les tribunaux CIRDI. Globalement, sur une problématique donnée, en même temps que certaines solutions retenues par la jurisprudence des tribunaux CIRDI dénotent un emprunt aux règles et principes posés par la Cour, d’autres s’en départissent, qu'il s'agisse des règles primaires en la matière, ou bien des règles secondaires du droit international dans leur déclinaison dans le cadre du droit des investissements internationaux. Parce qu’elle livre, entre autres, une vue d’ensemble de la jurisprudence de la Cour de la Haye en matière d’investissements internationaux – démarche inédite –, la thèse se présente comme une piste pour les arbitres sur le chemin de l’émergence d’une jurisprudence arbitrale cohérente en droit des investissements internationaux. / To international investment law questions, the ICJ decisions are materials that must be taken into consideration. Indeed, substantive rules in international investment law and their issues are older than the ICSID creation. The legal issues had already been raised in the Court which set rules and principles covering international investment law principles. Thus, it is into the Court’s decisions that some rules relating to international investments was created. From this perspective, the ICJ cases could be seen as a legitimate forerunner for substantive rules in international investment law. In the other hand, the ICJ has a main role in the development and promotion of the rules of international litigation, some of which are of relevance in international investment law. The present work, by using the ICJ cases as guidance precedents, challenges the ICSID decisions to determine if the ICSID follows or not the rules and principles raised by the Court in international investment law. The analysis shows that if some ICSID decisions borrow the principles and rules established by the ICJ, others follow new ways in both primary and secondary rules in international investment law.

This thesis critically examines the statutory unfair prejudice remedy provided for in section 163 of the Companies Act 71 of 2008 (‘the Act’). Section 163 is evaluated against its equivalents in England, Australia and Canada. Section 163 is considered against its predecessors to determine whether problems associated with the formulation and application of its predecessors have now been eradicated. It is argued that although it is important to ensure that company legislation is able to provide protection of an international standard to shareholders to be able to attract capital investment in a competitive market, one has to be cautious of slavishly following legislative trends in foreign jurisdictions. The South African legislature indiscriminately incorporated only parts of the Canadian unfair prejudice remedy in section 163. This approach also resulted, amongst others, in the introduction of foreign concepts. The legislature further failed to take cognisance of the unique historical developments relating to the unfair prejudice remedy in South Africa. This has led to the reintroduction of problems experienced with previous formulations of the statutory unfair prejudice remedy in South Africa and left certain problems relating to the interpretation and application of the statutory unfair prejudice remedy unresolved. Consideration is also given to the interrelationship between section 163 and some of the statutory remedies in the Act. Section 163 is also assessed in the context of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996. In conclusion, recommendations for possible legislative amendments are made and an interpretational framework for the interpretation and application of the statutory unfair prejudice remedy in section 163 is provided. / Mercantile Law / LL. D. (Mercantile Law)