Chapter 4 - Main Aspects Of Corporate Governance Flashcards
The two most important elements of corporate governance are?
Transparency and accountability
The five areas of the UK corporate governance code are…
- leadership
- effectiveness
- accountability
- remuneration
- relations with shareholders
What are the other 2 areas of the UK corporate governance code?
- going concern, risk management and internal control
- comply or explain
Under the UK corporate governance code, with regards to risk management and internal control, companies should?
- identify any material uncertainties in their ability to trade as a going concern
- asses their principal risks and explain how they are being managed
- state whether they are able to continue in operation and meet their liabilities
- monitor their risk management and internal control systems at least annually
With regards to the comply or explains section of the UK corporate governance code, what does this mean?
Compliance with the code is not a legal requirement, but it is part of the London stock exchange listing rules. Companies are required to state in their annual report whether they are in compliance with the code, or if not fully compliant to derail, explain where they are not complaint and the reason for this.
The turnbull guidance sets out…
Best practice for internal control for UK listed companies, and assists them in applying the section of the UK corporate governance code that deals with internal control.
In September 2014, the FRC published a revised guidance of the turnbull guidance called…
Guidance on risk management, internal control and related financial and business reporting (the risk guidance)
What is the purpose of the FRC guidance on audit committees?
Assist company boards when implementing the sections of the UK corporate governance code. Dealing with the audit committees and to assist directors serving on audit committees in carrying out their role.
The main roles and responsibilities of the audit committee include:
- Monitoring the integrity of the company’s financial statements
- reviewing the company’s internal financial controls
- making recommendations to the board, for it to be put to shareholders for their approval in the general meeting, in relation to the appointment of the external auditor And to improve the remuneration and terms of engagement of the external auditor
- reviewing and mo irony the external auditors independence and objectivity and the effectiveness of the audit process
- developing and implementing policy on the engagement of the stern all auditor to supply non audit services, taking into account relevant ethical guidance regarding the provision of non audit services by the external audit firm.
- to report to the board, identifying any matters where it considers that action or improvement is needed, and making recommendations as the steps to be taken.
The FRC’s guidance on board effectiveness relates primarily to leadership and effectiveness of the board. The institute of chartered secretaries and administrators developed guidance on the FRC’s behalf and it deals with the following topics:
- role of the board and directors
- board support and role of the company secretary
- descion making
- board composition and succession planning
- evaluating the performance of the board and directors
- audit, risk and remuneration
- relations with shareholders
In the USA a different approach is taken, companies with a listing on the stock exchange in the USA are required to comply with the requirements of the…
Sarbanes-oxley act 2002
Listed companies have to abide by which rules…
The listing rules
The main legislation covering limited companies is…
The companies act 2006
Companies house keeps the public records of companies registered in Great Britain. It lists its three statutory functions as to:
- Incorporate and dissolve limited companies
- examine and store company information delivered under the companies act and related legislation and
- make this information available to the public
If a company is to issue shares to the public it must register as a
Public company and comply with certain additional rules such as having allotted share capital of…
£50,000
The registration documents for companies house set out…
- company’s name
- whether the company is a private or public company
- whether the liability of the members of the company is to be limited and if so whether it is to be limited by shares or guarantee
- the situation of the company’s registered office, I.e whether it is in England and Wales, Wales Scotland or norther Ireland.
- address of the registered office, which must be the same as the situation of the registered office
- the statement of proposes officers and
- the proposes articles of association
If the company is to be limited by shares the document must also include a statement of capital and the initial share holdings
As part of statutory reporting requirements, a confirmation statement is required. What does this contain?
A range of information including the company’s registered office address. The principal business activities. Details of the the directors, company secretary, shareholders and the company’s share capital.
Every company must deliver a confirmation statement to companies house at least…
Once every 12 months.
The companies act requires that every company must keep accounting records which are sufficient to show and explain the company’s transactions and as such to:
- disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the company at that time and
- enable the directors to ensure that any accounts required to be prepared comply with the requirements of the act
By law, a company’s annual accounts must give a….
True and fair view of its economic state
For most companies, the annual accounts will include…
- income statement
- a balance sheet signed by a director
- a directors report signed by a director or the company secretary
The entire set of required documents is sometimes grouped together and called the annual report and financial statements.
The directors of a quoted company must prepare a ????? ?????? Which must be approved by the board of directors and signed by a director or the secretary of the company.
Directors remuneration report