Keeping Good Companies articles from February 2006

Keeping Good Companies archives from February 2006

Economic factors that drive business in Australia.(APPLIED CORPORATE GOVERNANCE)
February 1, 2006... Only two economic factors used to drive business activity: fear and greed. These days it is a bit more complicated than that, although perhaps not much more. Actually, on reflection, it is still just fear and greed, but in slightly different...

A principle of good corporate tax governance.(direct forum on tax governance and risk management)
February 1, 2006... In an earlier article published in the June 2005 edition of this journal I submitted that by connecting company directors, officers and boards to tax audit outcomes the Commissioner of Taxation may have merged the board's governance...

Corporate duties below board level: desirable or even feasible?(NEWS AND VIEWS)
February 1, 2006... Analysis of the management of HIH leading to its collapse raised many questions about the adequacy of current company law to ensure such events do not reoccur. Directors' duties and the duties and obligations of other officers in a company have...

Corporate duties below board level: the status quo.(NEWS AND VIEWS)
February 1, 2006... * Exploring the difficulties of definitional changes * Officers, executive officers, senior managers and functionaries--how are they related? * How different are fiduciary duties for directors and non-directors? In May 2005 the...

Responding to James Hardie: insolvency law reforms.
February 1, 2006... On 12 October 2005, the Federal Government announced plans to reform corporate insolvency law in Australia. The government has signalled its intention to release draft legislation for comment in early 2006, with a view to introducing a bill...

Workchoices: a practical guide to the changes in workplace law.
February 1, 2006... On 7 December 2005, Parliament passed the Workplace Relations Amendment (Workchoices) Act 2005 (the Act). This Act fundamentally changes the Australian workplace relations system. Most of these changes are expected to commence in March...

Directors' and officers' insurance.(INSURANCE LAW)
February 1, 2006... In the October 2005 edition of this journal, Rehana Box and Helen Tilley pointed out that most companies indemnify their directors and officers for liabilities incurred by them in the course of carrying out their duties as directors or...

How to adjust to a new corporate culture after a merger.(MANAGEMENT)
February 1, 2006... Whether welcomed or not, corporate mergers are here to stay. However, recent statistics show 66 per cent of organisational transitions fail, very often because top management focuses on 'the deal'. Executives who provide insufficient attention...

Managing documents and risk in the age of corporate accountability.(RISK MANAGEMENT)
February 1, 2006... The management of documents may seem a rather mundane organisational activity, yet it carries major strategic, reputational, compliance and operational risks. Digital documents in particular are ubiquitous, and their advantages of cost...

Robust governance: risk mitigation through distribution, not abrogation through bureaucracy.
February 1, 2006... Governance has recently become a hot topic on the agendas of large and small companies alike, and with good reason. The ability to provide a transparent mechanism for managing your activities is an essential part of any modern day corporate...

Corporate governance in indigenous organisations.(NEWS AND VIEWS)
February 1, 2006... The term 'corporate governance' has been given a wide range of meanings, from a narrow definition that focuses on the processes by which a board of directors (the board) is accountable to an organisation's owners, to a broad definition that...