Syllabus for Corporate Governance and Financial Decisions, Master Course

Decisions and guidelines

Master's Programme in Accounting and Financial Management - specialisation Financial Management, Financial Accounting.

Learning outcomes

Corporate governance has become extremely relevant in recent years. This course enables participants to deepen their understanding of how scarce decision making resources are distributed in companies and how companies are efficiently governed. Specifically, participants will develop the following skills:

• an understanding of how corporate governance systems vary between countries and regions,
• an understanding of how owners can monitor and direct management in their financial decision-making,
• an understanding of how various financial decisions relate to and are affected by corporate governance systems,
• an ability to evaluate corporate governance systems and apply corporate governance theories in different contexts,
• an ability of how to read, interpret and critically assess academic research articles,
• an ability to identify and formulate problems in the area of study as well as to present and lead academic discussions.

Content

The content of the course concerns the interplay between corporate governance systems and financial decisions made by the firm's management. Topics that are dealt with include:

• International variations in ownership and corporate governance systems
• Effects of the governance system on financial decisions (capital structure, payout and investment policies)
• The functioning and structure of boards of directors and their consequences

A considerable portion of the learning is associated with seminars where participants discuss assigned readings or cases. Students are encouraged to develop a critical way of thinking with regard to how financial decisions are and ought to be made. A study guide is available to participants prior to the initiation of the course.

Instruction

Teaching relies on lectures, seminars and project assignments. The course is taught in English.

Assessment

The student will get one single grade, equivalent to 7.5 credits.

Examination includes active participation in seminars including written as well as oral, assignments, done individually or in groups, and an individual written examination. The grade for the entire course is based on an assessment of all parts of the examination.

Grading criteria are presented in the study guide that applies to the course section. The following grades will be used: pass with distinction (VG), pass (G), and fail (U). Examinations handed in late will not be assessed except under special circumstances. Any remaining supplemental work must be completed and handed in by the deadline specified in the study guide. Otherwise the entire course (all examinations included) must be retaken during subsequent course sections.

If there are special reasons for doing so, an examiner may make an exception from the method of assessment indicated and allow a student to be assessed by another method. An example of special reasons might be a certificate regarding special pedagogical support from the University's disability coordinator.

Uppsala University does not accept cheating or plagiarism. Suspected incidents of cheating or plagiarism are reported to the Vice-Chancellor, which may issue a formal warning to the student or suspend the student from studies for a certain period.

NOTE: Only completed courses can count toward a degree.

Other directives

​The course substitutes/overlaps among other courses International Financial Management 2FE609, 8FE609, 2FE766, Investments and Finance in the Multinational Corporation 2FE832, 8FE832 and Corporate Governance and Financial Decisions (Contract Education) 8FE854.