O objetivo principal da pesquisa foi investigar quais fatores motivaram empresas brasileiras de capital aberto a adotarem o Comitê de Auditoria como parte integrante de sua estrutura de Governança Corporativa. Como complemento, investigou-se a associação entre características das companhias, como Liquidez, Porte e Emissão de ADR\'s, e a adoção ou não de comitês de auditoria. Para tanto, foi selecionada uma amostra de 100 companhias, extraídas de um universo de 420, com maior volume de negócios entre abril de 2009 e março de 2010. Para esse grupo, foi submetido um questionário a fim de coletar informações referentes à estrutura geral dos comitês de auditoria, bem como informações sobre os motivos que as levaram a implantar o referido comitê. O índice de respondentes foi de 32%. Para analisar os dados dos questionários, a pesquisa foi dividida em duas partes inter-relacionadas. Na primeira, buscou-se interpretar os resultados provenientes do questionário utilizando-se de técnicas estatísticas simples, com o intuito de descrever os resultados. Na segunda, estudou-se as associações entre características das companhias e a opção de elas adotarem ou não o comitê de auditoria em suas estruturas de governança corporativa. A Análise de Correspondência (ANACOR) foi empregada nessa parte. Em relação à primeira parte, pelas respostas das próprias companhias, os principais determinantes para a adoção do comitê de auditoria foram: i) apoiar as atividades do Conselho de Administração; ii) atender à legislação norte-americana - SOX; iii) atender à Resolução do Conselho Monetário Nacional / Banco Central do Brasil; e iv) incrementar o sistema e as práticas de governança corporativa. Em relação aos resultados da segunda parte, de forma geral, os resultados sugerem que empresas com alta liquidez estão fortemente associadas com a adoção de comitês de auditoria e empresas com baixa liquidez estão associadas à ausência de comitês em sua estrutura de governança. Outro resultado obtido foi com relação ao porte das companhias. Pela ANACOR, foi possível verificar a associação de comitês de auditoria e outros comitês do conselho a empresas de médio e grande porte, com uma maior aproximação entre empresas de médio porte. Por fim, observou-se que empresas que emitem ADR\'s cujos níveis de exigências são mais baixos (ADR\'s Nível 1 e Regra 144-A) estão associadas com a ausência de comitês, enquanto que as empresas que emitem ADR\'s Nível 2 e 3, estão associadas com a adoção de comitês em suas estruturas de governança corporativas, mas não necessariamente o comitê de auditoria. Esse resultado pode ser explicado pela flexibilidade existente na legislação norte-americana que possibilita às empresas optarem pela adaptação do Conselho Fiscal às normas da Securities and Exchange Commission. Todavia, é necessário salientar as limitações inerentes à pesquisa. A primeira importante limitação é com relação à amostra, tendo em vista que as companhias não foram selecionadas aleatoriamente, e sim pelo volume de transações. Logo, há um viés de seleção na amostra, cujo resultado direto é a impossibilidade de generalização dos resultados. Em seguida, cabe salientar que as definições apresentadas na pesquisa também podem ser criticadas, tendo em vista que o conceito de governança corporativa está limitado às características do comitê de auditoria. As técnicas estatísticas também podem ser criticadas, pois as análises descritivas e ANACOR não permitem afirmar haver causalidade entre as variáveis estudadas. / The main objective of this research was to investigate which factors motivated Brazilian public companies to adopt the Audit Committee as part of its Corporate Governance organizational structure. Additionally, it was investigated the association between characteristics of companies, such as Liquidness, Size and Issuance of ADRs, and the adoption or lack of audit committees. For this purpose, a sample of 100 companies were selected, drawn from a universe of 420, with higher trade volume between April 2009 and March 2010. For this group, a questionnaire was sent to collect information regarding the overall structure of audit committees, as well data related with the reasons which led them to establish such a committee. The rate of respondents was 32%. To analyze the data, the research was divided into two interrelated parts. In the first session, the results were analyzed based on simple statistical techniques, in order to describe the results. In the second session, the results were analyzed based on associations between the companies\'characteristics as well as the option to adopt them with regards the Audit Committee in their corporate governance organizational structures. The Correspondence Analysis (ANACOR) was used in this session. Based on the survey results of the first session, the main determinants for the adoption of the Audit Committee are: i) to support the Board of Directors activities; ii) to comply with USA SOX law; iii) to comply with the Resolution established by National Monetary Council / Central Bank of Brazil; and iv) to enhance the best practices of Corporate Governance. Moreover, the results of the second session, in general suggested that the companies of high liquidness are strongly associated with Audit Committees adoption while the companies of low liquidness are associated with the absence of committees in its organizational structure. Another result was related to the size of the companies. As per ANACOR, it was possible to verify the association between the Audit Committees and other board of directors committees with companies from middle to large size with slightly trend to middle size companies. Finally, it was observed that companies with ADR\'s launch which requirement levels is low (ADR\'s level 1 and Rule 144-A) are associated with the absence of Audit Committees while the companies with ADR\'s launch with high requirement level (ADR\'s level 2 and 3) are associated with the adoption of its committees on corporate governance structures, but not necessarily the audit committee. This result can be explained for the flexibility of U.S. law that allows the companies to opt for the adaptation of Fiscal Council to the rules of Securities and Exchange Commission. Notwithstanding is necessary to highlight the limitation inherent in this research. The first important limitation is related to the sample used, considering that the companies were not selected randomly, but by the volume of transactions. So there is a selection bias, whose offer the impossibility of generalizing results. Furthermore, it is important to highlight that the presented definitions in the survey could be criticized considering that the Corporate Governance concept is limited by characteristics of the Audit Committees. The statistics techniques could also be criticized once the descriptive analysis and ANACOR couldn\'t guarantee the causality between the study variables.

O objetivo principal da pesquisa foi investigar quais fatores motivaram empresas brasileiras de capital aberto a adotarem o Comitê de Auditoria como parte integrante de sua estrutura de Governança Corporativa. Como complemento, investigou-se a associação entre características das companhias, como Liquidez, Porte e Emissão de ADR\'s, e a adoção ou não de comitês de auditoria. Para tanto, foi selecionada uma amostra de 100 companhias, extraídas de um universo de 420, com maior volume de negócios entre abril de 2009 e março de 2010. Para esse grupo, foi submetido um questionário a fim de coletar informações referentes à estrutura geral dos comitês de auditoria, bem como informações sobre os motivos que as levaram a implantar o referido comitê. O índice de respondentes foi de 32%. Para analisar os dados dos questionários, a pesquisa foi dividida em duas partes inter-relacionadas. Na primeira, buscou-se interpretar os resultados provenientes do questionário utilizando-se de técnicas estatísticas simples, com o intuito de descrever os resultados. Na segunda, estudou-se as associações entre características das companhias e a opção de elas adotarem ou não o comitê de auditoria em suas estruturas de governança corporativa. A Análise de Correspondência (ANACOR) foi empregada nessa parte. Em relação à primeira parte, pelas respostas das próprias companhias, os principais determinantes para a adoção do comitê de auditoria foram: i) apoiar as atividades do Conselho de Administração; ii) atender à legislação norte-americana - SOX; iii) atender à Resolução do Conselho Monetário Nacional / Banco Central do Brasil; e iv) incrementar o sistema e as práticas de governança corporativa. Em relação aos resultados da segunda parte, de forma geral, os resultados sugerem que empresas com alta liquidez estão fortemente associadas com a adoção de comitês de auditoria e empresas com baixa liquidez estão associadas à ausência de comitês em sua estrutura de governança. Outro resultado obtido foi com relação ao porte das companhias. Pela ANACOR, foi possível verificar a associação de comitês de auditoria e outros comitês do conselho a empresas de médio e grande porte, com uma maior aproximação entre empresas de médio porte. Por fim, observou-se que empresas que emitem ADR\'s cujos níveis de exigências são mais baixos (ADR\'s Nível 1 e Regra 144-A) estão associadas com a ausência de comitês, enquanto que as empresas que emitem ADR\'s Nível 2 e 3, estão associadas com a adoção de comitês em suas estruturas de governança corporativas, mas não necessariamente o comitê de auditoria. Esse resultado pode ser explicado pela flexibilidade existente na legislação norte-americana que possibilita às empresas optarem pela adaptação do Conselho Fiscal às normas da Securities and Exchange Commission. Todavia, é necessário salientar as limitações inerentes à pesquisa. A primeira importante limitação é com relação à amostra, tendo em vista que as companhias não foram selecionadas aleatoriamente, e sim pelo volume de transações. Logo, há um viés de seleção na amostra, cujo resultado direto é a impossibilidade de generalização dos resultados. Em seguida, cabe salientar que as definições apresentadas na pesquisa também podem ser criticadas, tendo em vista que o conceito de governança corporativa está limitado às características do comitê de auditoria. As técnicas estatísticas também podem ser criticadas, pois as análises descritivas e ANACOR não permitem afirmar haver causalidade entre as variáveis estudadas. / The main objective of this research was to investigate which factors motivated Brazilian public companies to adopt the Audit Committee as part of its Corporate Governance organizational structure. Additionally, it was investigated the association between characteristics of companies, such as Liquidness, Size and Issuance of ADRs, and the adoption or lack of audit committees. For this purpose, a sample of 100 companies were selected, drawn from a universe of 420, with higher trade volume between April 2009 and March 2010. For this group, a questionnaire was sent to collect information regarding the overall structure of audit committees, as well data related with the reasons which led them to establish such a committee. The rate of respondents was 32%. To analyze the data, the research was divided into two interrelated parts. In the first session, the results were analyzed based on simple statistical techniques, in order to describe the results. In the second session, the results were analyzed based on associations between the companies\'characteristics as well as the option to adopt them with regards the Audit Committee in their corporate governance organizational structures. The Correspondence Analysis (ANACOR) was used in this session. Based on the survey results of the first session, the main determinants for the adoption of the Audit Committee are: i) to support the Board of Directors activities; ii) to comply with USA SOX law; iii) to comply with the Resolution established by National Monetary Council / Central Bank of Brazil; and iv) to enhance the best practices of Corporate Governance. Moreover, the results of the second session, in general suggested that the companies of high liquidness are strongly associated with Audit Committees adoption while the companies of low liquidness are associated with the absence of committees in its organizational structure. Another result was related to the size of the companies. As per ANACOR, it was possible to verify the association between the Audit Committees and other board of directors committees with companies from middle to large size with slightly trend to middle size companies. Finally, it was observed that companies with ADR\'s launch which requirement levels is low (ADR\'s level 1 and Rule 144-A) are associated with the absence of Audit Committees while the companies with ADR\'s launch with high requirement level (ADR\'s level 2 and 3) are associated with the adoption of its committees on corporate governance structures, but not necessarily the audit committee. This result can be explained for the flexibility of U.S. law that allows the companies to opt for the adaptation of Fiscal Council to the rules of Securities and Exchange Commission. Notwithstanding is necessary to highlight the limitation inherent in this research. The first important limitation is related to the sample used, considering that the companies were not selected randomly, but by the volume of transactions. So there is a selection bias, whose offer the impossibility of generalizing results. Furthermore, it is important to highlight that the presented definitions in the survey could be criticized considering that the Corporate Governance concept is limited by characteristics of the Audit Committees. The statistics techniques could also be criticized once the descriptive analysis and ANACOR couldn\'t guarantee the causality between the study variables.

My master thesis deals with the position of members of the board of directors in a joint-stock company. The focus of this thesis is to deliver a complete overview of information on members of the board of directors of a joint-stock company and other aspects related to the performance of this function. The entire thesis is divided into six chapters, where the first chapter deals with the board of directors and its role in a company. Followed by a chapter on a sole fuctioning of a member of the board of directors. Subsequently the thesis deals with the agreement on performance, which steadily continues in the definition of rights and duties of members of the board of directors. Significant part of this work is dedicated to the sphere of action of the board of directors and the responsibility of its members.

The Swedish corporate law scholars have long debated whether there is something similar to the American business judgment rule (BJR) in the Swedish Companies Act (SCA). Recently, the discourse shifted to claim that the BJR exists in Swedish case law and should be introduced in the SCA in the form of a statute. However, the Swedish corporate law scholars have not investigated in much detail whether the BJR should be introduced in the SCA. An eagerness to introduce the BJR might seem bewildering due to the corporate scandals at the beginning of this century and the global financial crisis of 2008–2009. These events left corporate law scholars and those in the business community with the pressing question of whether the board of directors is sufficiently accountable, and the BJR appears to do the very opposite. In view of the foregoing, this thesis examines whether the BJR should be introduced in the SCA. This examination enables a comparative analysis of the liability rules of the board of directors in Sweden and Delaware, which is the dominant source of state corporate law in the United States. This thesis also steps outside traditional legal sources and considers other disciplines such as moral and political philosophy, sociology, and the methodology of law and economics.   This thesis finds that the BJR does not balance the values of the authority of the board of directors and the need to hold it accountable for its decisions and actions in an appropriate manner because it allows the value of authority to completely dominate. An appropriate balance between these values of authority and accountability requires that none of the values be so preeminent that any of them completely dominate. The BJR is made more critical because the Delaware courts apply it generously in favor of the board of directors and adopt an inveterate attitude in cases raising duty of care, thus, weakening the duty of care as a viable and meaningful accountability mechanism. Given these findings, this thesis concludes that the Swedish legislator should only consider introducing the BJR in the SCA if it is articulated in a different way. Alternatively, if it is given a dual function to protect both the authority of the board of directors and the need to hold it accountable for its decisions and actions. The justifications behind the BJR do not change the conclusion because they do not fully defend the existence of the BJR and the dominance of the value of authority. This thesis also considers the benefits of introducing the BJR in the SCA, but they also do not change the overall conclusion.  Instead, the conclusion is strengthened by the fact that a no liability rule can emerge when the BJR is combined with other protective devices in the SCA in the same way as it does in Delaware if the BJR is not modified or given a dual function. The no liability rule appears to deter the threat of legal liability as an effective accountability mechanism, which cannot be defended by either social norms or market forces.

The aim of this study is to investigate how inside and outside directors differ in their cognition and reasoning in regards to environmental sustainability issues. The theoretical background derives from a cognitive view and Stakeholder theory. The paper is further based on current research regarding insiders’ and outsiders’ relationship to environmental sustainability. In order to capture the cognition and reasoning of insiders and outsiders, a Think-aloud study was conducted, interviewing a total of 20 board members in the food industry. Results from this study showed that, when faced with environmental issues, outsiders are more likely to request, repeat, ponder as well as clarify the information given. Secondly, outsiders are more likely to consider a long-term perspective. Thirdly, outsiders are more likely to consider an environmental view. Lastly, both insiders and outsiders use analogical reasoning when contemplating around environmental issues. However, insiders are more likely to draw experience from their current position or company while outsiders are more likely to draw experience from outside their current position or company when solving environmental issues.

Problemdiskussion: Mångtalet forskare har argumenterat för behovet av kreativitet i dagens problematiska organisationsklimat och med detta som grund har forskningen om kreativitet fått stor uppmärksamhet och utvecklats i nära alla tänkbara riktningar. Trots detta finns det ett område som fortfarande är mycket outforskat, nämligen det om kreativitet och styrelser. Då samband påvisats mellan styrelser och, de till kreativitet nära besläktade områdena, innovation samt intraprenörskap uppskattar vi emellertid att styrelsen har en betydelsefull roll också i skapandet av kreativitet. Syfte: Vårt syfte är att skapa förståelse för styrelsens roll i skapandet av kreativitet i den enskilda organisationen. Metod: Studien bygger på en flerfallsdesign och är genomförd med en kvalitativ forskningsstrategi och en abduktiv forskningsansats. Som undersökningsmetod användes kvalitativa intervjuer av semi-strukturerad karaktär. Slutsats: För båda fallföretag tolkar vi att styrelsen spelar en betydelsefull och främjande roll i den kreativitetskapande processen i den enskilda organisationen. Den av styrelsens formulerade roller som är av störst vikt i denna process hör vidare till området för strategi. / Problematization: Due to the challenging environment organizations face today, the need for creativity has been raised by numerous researchers and thus the research of creativity has been developed in nearly all possible directions. In spite of this there is still one area that is critically unexplored, namely that of creativity and board of directors. Since connections have been found between boards, innovation and intrapreneurship, areas that are closely related to creativity, we however estimate that boards play an important role in the creativity making process as well. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to create understanding of the board’s role in the creativity making process of the individual firm. Method: Based on case studies from two organizations, the study is conducted with a qualitative research strategy and an abductive research approach. Qualitative interviews of semi-structured nature were used in order to gather empirical information. Conclusion: According to our interpretation the board plays a significant and stimulating role in the creativity making process of both individual firms. Furthermore the board function that is of highest importance in this process belongs to the field of strategy.

Primary and secondary liability of members of the Board of Directors against third persons The aim of my thesis is to analyse thoroughly the regulation of primary and secondary liability of members of the Board of Directors against third persons (so-called 'outside liability') under the laws of the Czech Republic. The reason for choosing this topic is that it is relatively overlooked by most of the authors since they primarily focus on liability of the Directors against their own company (so-called 'inside liability'). By conducting my research I intend to redress such an omission and prove the significance of this issue. Chapter one provides a general overview of the inside liability issue. It explains why the Directors are in discharging their duties primarily accountable to the company for the damage caused by a breach of their duties and why third persons are entitled to claim damages from the Directors only in cases laid down in special statutory provisions. Chapter two together with chapter three form a substantial part of the text and provide the basis for the analysis in the subsequent chapters. Examining the currently effective regulation, these chapters deal with special provisions which constitute direct liability of the Directors for the damage caused to the third persons (most...

1 Abstract Remuneration of members of the governing bodies of joint stock companies The goal of this thesis is to analyze the law regarding remuneration of members of the governing bodies of joint stock companies. The topic is a timely one, since high bonuses were one of the causes of the financial crisis. The thesis primarily devotes its attention to the law contained in the Commercial Code. The amendments to the Act on Business on the Capital Market are also mentioned. The recommendations of the European Commission and Directive of the European Parliament and Council are then subjected to analysis. Basic issues are addressed in the introduction to the thesis. The governing body of a joint stock company is the Board of Directors and deciding on its remuneration falls within the competence of the General Meeting. Frequently members of the Board of Directors also hold concurrent office in the company as employees. The difference between claimable and non-claimable bonuses and fixed and variable bonuses is explained. A member of the Board of Directors is in principle entitled to at least the usual bonus for performing his or her office according to the average use of the mandate contract. If the parties so agree or the law so stipulates, performance of the office is not paid. The actual declaration of the...

IN ENGLISH: This thesis is focused on the monistic structure of joint-stock companies. The aim of the thesis is to analyse board structures in selected countries, subsequently to identify the features which are typical for a monistic governance structure and, finally, to compare these findings with statutory provisions in the Act on Commercial Corporations. The thesis is divided into seven separate chapters. Chapter One is subdivided into two parts. Part One is an introduction to the topic and attempts to define the term corporate governance. Part Two explains the importance of internal company structure for corporate governance. Chapter Two analyses board structures in Great Britain, the United States, France, Italy, Switzerland, the Netherlands, in the Czech version of Societas Europaea and also, for the purpose of comparison, the typical dualistic internal corporate structure known from Germany. The subjects of the analysis are the relevant statutory provisions on the one hand, and the functioning of governance structures in practice on the other hand. Chapter Three identifies features which are typical for monistic company structure, particularly the existence of a single board of directors which performs a strategy-setting function as well as supervision of management. Chapter Four discusses...

Board involvement in Information Technology (IT) governance and the antecedents and consequences of such involvement are examined from both a theoretical and practical perspective. Practitioner and academic IT governance literature highlight the need for increased board involvement in IT governance; however, it seems that many corporate boards do not practice a formalized style of IT governance, while those that do, face significant challenges. A gap clearly is seen as in spite of the potential benefits of board IT governance and the costs of ineffective oversight, there has been little field-based research in this area, nor adequate application of theory. This research addresses this gap by developing and testing an exploratory multi-theoretic framework of board IT governance. Drawing upon strategic choice and institutional theories, and Ashby’s Law of Requisite Variety, a model of the antecedents (organization factors and board attributes) of board IT governance and its consequences (financial performance and operational performance) is both developed and tested. Unlike previous studies, board IT governance is designated as a central construct in this model rather than a secondary factor. Constructs of board IT governance and IT competency are explored and multi-item measures for both constructs are developed. Board IT governance is conceptualized as the extent of offensive and defensive board oversight activities, while IT competency is conceptualized as the extent of IT expertise (IT knowledge, experience and training) and IT governance mechanisms (structures, processes and relational mechanisms). Detailed interviews with board members enabled a preliminary examination of the theoretical framework. To further test the propositions in the theoretical framework and to validate the measures for the board IT governance and IT competency constructs, an online survey was administered to corporate directors across Canada. Exploratory Factor Analysis and Ordinary Least Squares multiple regression were used to analyze responses from 188 directors. The board IT governance and IT competency constructs were well supported by the data. In addition, the results show that the organizational factors explain 28% of the variance in board IT governance, and that board attributes explain 39% more of the variance, for a total explained variance in board IT governance of approximately 68%. The results also show that board IT governance has a positive impact on operational performance, explaining 19% of the variance in operational performance. However, the proposed impact of board IT governance on financial performance, and the impacts of ‘fit’ between role of IT and board IT governance approach on financial and operational performance were not supported by the survey results. Overall, this research makes a theoretical contribution by: focusing on the board’s role in IT governance; developing a multi-theoretical model of the antecedents and consequences of board IT governance; developing measures of board IT governance and board IT competency, and; empirically assessing the antecedents and consequences of board IT governance.