CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

Corporate Governance

Corporate Governance and Regulation

After the crisis, there is a trial - and the Rules. Financial crisis of 2008 lead to tighter regulatory action, and a wave of lawsuits this year, both government and market power are trying to plug the gaps exposed by the market crisis, and investors are trying to get at least some of their money. Life is going to get tough on Boardroom down, experts say financial firms will be under strict control of all its activities: on how business is regulated, as is the archives of its e-mail.

Starting with the tone at the top of the depth of the current global economic crisis, and the fact that governments around the world were forced to intervene and use taxpayer money to limit the damage, made incendiary issue of corporate governance. "The public, investors, shareholders and regulators will no longer tolerate the failure of corporate governance in 2009," said Peter Giblin, a visiting professor of corporate governance in the Cass Business School, London, and president of Integrity Europe, corporate governance advisory firm.

"A few years ago, the company could wait out the scandal of corporate governance, the consequences could be potentially catastrophic, with many companies going into administration. Stiffer and more detailed rules will be introduced, resulting in an inevitable increase in control," Mr. Giblin predicts. "In 2009 we see a tendency to all senior managers are judged to be more aggressive in their knowledge of and compliance with appropriate standards of corporate governance and regulations."

Another area that will continue to grow in importance of reporting companies to monitor the entire supply chain. No longer will tolerate ignorance of corporate governance failures at any point in the supply chain, for example, whether the knowledge supplier of raw materials in Asia, manufacturer of the product or your intended use of the final product by the Customer."

Rule everywhere

Executive compensation is one area where more regulation, more likely, said Mr. Giblin, pointing to the growing pressures in the UK and Europe for companies link rewards more closely to executive conduct. Activist shareholders have already paid the organization of rebellion, with big votes against the remuneration policy, probably in some companies. In the UK, City Minister Lord Myners said, investors have been too soft on the pay and benefits to the credit crisis. Corporate governance lobby group Pirc urged investors to vote against the "excessive" remuneration in a number of enterprises.

"I did not hesitate calling developments regulatory minefield - and it is not an exaggeration," says Neil Gerrard, head of legal and judicial practice in the DLA Piper. "We are working on an unprecedented period of financial pressure and market volatility, and the government more strongly than ever that everyone will play by the rules."

For the financial sector, Simon Rawling, managing director of London-based Management Consulting PIPC, said the credit crisis has global regulatory issues that require global solutions. "The last 12 months have shown that we do not have any joined-up global governance or regulatory structure," he ...