ACCOUNTABILITY OF CORPORATIONS

Individual coursework

Building on the group work, you are required to individually undertake further research on the allocated case study and write a report of a maximum of 3000 words.
Must choose this company:Enron Corporation

http://www.enron.com/
2. The Assignment

2.1 General Information

The accountability of corporations has become increasingly significant over the last few decades. In many cases, this is due to high-profile corporate scandals and failures. These have frequently been blamed on weaknesses in corporate governance mechanisms, leading to the subsequent development of codes and regulations in the UK and internationally to improve the quality of corporate governance.

Examples of high-profile corporate scandals and failures include:

– Enron Corporation
– Worldcom
– Maxwell Communication Corporation
– Parmalat SpA
– Satyam Computer Services.

Individual coursework

Drawing from the group research, you are required to:

a) Discuss the corporate governance structure/ mechanism for your allocated case study which existed before the CG failure was identified, clearly highlighting any gaps in the mechanism which contributed to the failure. Please refer to theory and other sources of reference as relevant, and pay particular attention to any failures by key stakeholders (e.g. Board of Directors, auditors and institutional investors) in discharging their responsibilities which contributed to the failure.
b) Discuss how corporate governance mechanisms have been strengthened subsequently and assess whether in your view these are now more effective in helping to avoid recurrence of such a CG failure.
You should submit this coursework in both hard copy and e-copy form. The hard copy version should be submitted to the NBS Information Desk (at the reception on Newton 7th floor) by the required deadline and the e-copy version should be submitted to the drop box on NOW no later than the required deadline.

3. Further Guidance

There will be further guidance in seminar sessions and drop-in sessions.

The assessment is subject to the academic regulations set out in the student handbook. Please refer to the appendix of the module document for further information on the definition of assessment irregularities and penalties for late/non submissions.

Should you have any queries in respect of the assessment or its guidelines please contact the module leader, Dhru Shah, dhru.shah@ntu.ac.uk as soon as possible, and certainly before any deadlines.
4. Module Learning Outcomes

This module requires students to develop and enhance their ability to comprehend, criticise, evaluate, discuss and debate the important accountability issues of contemporary business life.

By the end of this module, you should have the following:

Knowledge and understanding:
a) Recognise the influencing factors within corporate governance
b) Identify the relationship between the corporate governance frameworks and the requirements of stakeholders
c) Discuss the concept of corporate citizenship
d) Explain the ethical dilemmas faced by organisations

Skills, qualities and attributes
e) Apply the ethical frameworks to decision making
f) Demonstrate the accountability of organisations through the use of corporate governance frameworks
g) Illustrate the role of organisations within society
h) Demonstrate the ability to work within a group.

In the light of the above, the following marking grids will be used when assessing your work. Note CG = corporate governance.

Student Feedback Form

Course: Various Student ID:
Module Name: Accountability of Corporations
Grade:
Module code: ACCA20510
Assessment type: Group presentation Graded by:
1st Assessor

2nd Assessor
Assessment Date:
23 April 2014 Date Graded

Module learning outcomes assessed:
Knowledge and understanding:
a) Recognise the influencing factors within corporate governance
b) Identify the relationship between the corporate governance frameworks and the requirements of stakeholders
c) Discuss the concept of corporate citizenship
d) Explain the ethical dilemmas faced by organisations