The Failure Of Vocation Limited Essay

Corporate governance in itself has no single definition but common principles which it should follow. For example in 1994 the most agreed term for corporate governance was “the process of supervision and control intended to ensure that the company’s management acts in accordance with the interest of shareholders” (Parkinson, 1994)1. Corporate governance code is not a direct set of rules but a self-regulated framework which businesses choose to follow. This code has continued to change in the past 20 years in accordance with what is happening in the business world. For example the Enron scandal caused reform in corporate governance with the Higgs Report which corrected the issues which were necessary. Although it does not quickly fix problems, it gives a better framework to

The fall of the Australian education Behemoth Vocation Ltd makes a good case study of corporate failure under the title of education. In the aftermath of the collapse of Vocation(Evans, 2014), I start to think about the possibility of saving the company from administration with better application of 3rd version of ASX corporate governance principles. In addition, I would like to introduce the stakeholder theory(Ruf, Muralidhar, Brown, Janney, & Paul, 2001) to analyze the case and support my argument.

Farrar, J. (2008). Corporate Governance: theories, principles and practice. 2nd ed. South Melbourne, Vic: Oxford University Press

This research report documents the findings of an empirical study of judicial findings (of superior courts) relating to the duty to prevent insolvent trading. The duty to prevent insolvent trading is the most controversial of the duties imposed upon company directors.

Phenomenal growth of interest in corporate governance has emerged in recent years. The body of literature on the subject has grown markedly in response to successive waves of large corporate failures. Furthermore, there have been numerous attempts to define what constitutes ‘good corporate governance’ and to provide guidelines in order to enhance the quality of corporate governance.

To the extent of prevention of corporate failure, I argue that three ASX principles and recommendations could halt the demise of Dick Smith. Firstly, the 2nd principle which is “Structure the board to add value” by structuring the board with a majority of independent directors would prevent CEO dominance because some suggest that independent outside directors can reduce the influence of dominant individuals (ASX, 2014, p. 17). In accordance with Gallagher and Bennie (2015, p. 20), the independent directors are likely to focus on the company’s objectives and not to make decision relying on others. Furthermore, an addressing of independent directors would reduce the reliance on management, and create the effectiveness on monitoring (Dechow et al. 1996 cited in Christensen, Kent, and Stewart (2010)), as well as capability to lessen the conflict of interest between managers and shareholders (Hardjo & Alireza, 2012, p. 4). Thus, DSE’s board would be more active to monitor the CEO’s performances because independent directors pay attentions to the interest of company (Gallagher & Bennie, 2015, p. 20) and shareholders (Hardjo & Alireza, 2012, p. 4)

The article is written to help readers gain a solid understanding the roles of corporate governance, both inside and outside the company. Its goal is simply to impart information, not make claims or arguments on its own. I will be judging it mainly on the sources gathered, numerous examples and explanations given and the overall effectiveness it possesses in effectively communicating its ideas.

At the least the board will have operated outside the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) Corporate Governance Principles and Recommendations (ASX 2010, p13-49). These principles form the basis of good corporate governance ideas in Australia and are designed to optimise corporate performance and accountability (ASX 2010, p5) and draw from the ‘if not why not’ philosophy.

How the latest edition (3rd) of the ASX Corporate Governance Principles plausibly halts the failure of Dick Smith Electronics will be discussed in this essay. I argue that ASX Corporate Governance Principles is one of the corporate governance practices that many listed entities in Australia should comply with in order to achieve good corporate governance preventing the collapse of corporations and increasing investors’ confidence. Regarding Dick Smith Electronics as a listed entity, it would survive and continuously operate as a biggest Australia electronic retailer if the better application of this practice is fully adopted.

The ASX Corporate Governance Council defines the ‘corporate governance’ as the framework of rules, relationships, systems and processes within and by which authority is exercised and controlled within corporations (Corporate Governance Principles and Recommendations, 2014). The term “failure” of a corporate can be described as “Insolvency” in Australia (Michaela Rankin, 2012). And the reasons for corporate failure can be grouped into six categories: 1. Poor strategic decisions. 2. Greed and the desire for power. 3. Overexpansion and ill-judged acquisitions. 4. Dominant CEOs. 5. Failure of internal controls 6. Ineffective boards(Michaela Rankin, 2012).

Approaching the conclusion of this course, I have learned a lot that could be used in both my everyday life, as well as my current and future career. This course have not only open my eyes to see some of challenges that await me in my future career as a Health Care Manager, but it has also taught me some real life lessons that can be used in my personal life. One thing that was useful is the video that talks about vocation. The video did not only remind me of my job has a vocation (calling), and how relevant it is to society and the people that I served, moreover myself as a Christian. “Vocation 101: What is Vocation?”. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihnzFH2L818

The Group of Vocation Ltd consisted of 22 corporate entities. It provided its training lessons to government and corporate customers around the major states and territories in Australia. Especially, the major revenue of Vocation Ltd was from the Federal and State government(Vocation Limited and its associated entities 21 December 2015, 13).

Corporate governance refers to ‘the ways suppliers of finance to corporations assure themselves of getting return on their investment’ (Shleifer and Vishny, 1997: 736). Corporate governance discusses the set of systems, principles and processes by which a

This report sets out to review corporate governance at a private company, namely, Paramount Insurance Company. The specific objectives were to identify the relevant codes the organisation follows, why they are important and review the structure, process and

Corporate governance is founded on laws, policies, processes, systems and behaviours and together they provide a system for the way in which an organisation is directed, administered and controlled. As such, the Charity Commission, (the ‘Commission’) recognises that to deliver its strategic aims, objectives and priorities successfully, it needs sound corporate governance arrangements in place, (Charity Commission UK). Corporate Governance is not - or should not be - about debate and discussion on executive compensation, shareholder protection, legislation and so on. In recent times, corporate governance became not only a subject of fierce debate and public outcry, but also, as a result of this and arising legislation, a subject which been wearisome for many company directors. The hidden gem here is to a great