Some Internet resources for learning English

Quite  a number of students are concerned about their English language skill (both written and oral). There are some useful e-resource from the Internet, notably youtube, see the following examples:

1. Present simple vs present continuous tenses: (lesson 1) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEBRIBtq7q0&feature=relmfu; (lesson 2): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHARoD1remo&feature=relmfu
2. Past continuous, past perfect and past perfect continuous: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ojy2YUrL2_4&feature=results_main&playnext=1&list=PL891E69DA6560B21E
3. Action verbs vs state verbs: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2MbvSq0BLU&feature=relmfu
4. Future simple tense: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Pao4rTYmIY&feature=relmfu
5. Future continuous and future perfect tenses: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48kdsro9rzM&feature=relmfu
6. English grammar - questions: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjR-3_ctBMA&feature=relmfu
7. English grammar - negative sentences:(part 1) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayn_9JOK_i8&feature=relmfu; (part 2): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16CUBde7P1k&feature=relmfu
8. English grammar - word order/ sentence structure: (part 1): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPyo8-Pr55Q&feature=relmfu; (part 2): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MVynXr3Yt8
9. Listening skills: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssuiqtreiBg&feature=related
10. Pronounciation of 'ed': http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0YJgidX38Q&feature=relmfu
11. Offers, gratitude (English conversation): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=curq04VNYdI&feature=relmfu
12. English conversation - welcoming visitors: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRvSi-MSa1c&feature=relmfu

There are others which you could find in youtube.

International niche marketing for SME in International Marketing

The following discussion agenda is on international niche marketing for small and medium-sized firms (SME) in International Marketing (IM):

 

1. The role of SME sector within the global economy
2. The nature of international marketing in SMEs
• Exporting, international niche marketing, domestically delivered niche services, directing marketing, & participation in the international supply chain
3. Barriers to internationalisation
4. Niche marketing
• The difference between exporting and international niche marketing
5. The significance of generic strategies for SME internationalisation
6. The factors that affet the choice of an SME's international marketing strategy
• Competition and customer factors
• Company factors
• Government support
7. The stages of internationalisation
• Levels of internationalisation
• the passive exporter, the reactive exporter, the experimental exporter,  the well-established exporter, and the proactive exporter
• Characteristics of successful international business-to-business marketers
• Stages in international development
• The multilateral aspects of the internationalisation process
8. Geographic development of SMEs
9. Born-global SMEs
10. Supply chain internationalisation and SMEs
11. The secret of high growth for SMEs and the reasons for failure
12. The future of SME internationalisation

References

1. Doole, I. and Lowe, R. (2001) "Chapter 6: International niche marketing strategies for small and medium-sized firms (SMEs)", International Marketing Strategy, Thomson
2. On niche market: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niche_market

International marketing planning in International Marketing

The following discussion agenda is on international marketing planning in International Marketing (IM):

1. The planning process and the benefits of planning in IM
2. The development of planning
• The unplanned stage
• The budgeting stage
• Annual business planning
• The strategic planning stage
• Attitudes of planning
3. The problems of international planning in IM
• Problems with the Headquarters
• Problems with overseas subsidiaries
4. Strategic business units and the roles of different levels of management in the planning process
• The 3 management levels and their respective functions
5. The structure of the international marketing plan
6. Aspects of international marketing planning
• stakeholder expectations, situation analysis, resources and capabilities, corporate aims and objectives, marketing strategies, implementation of the plan, & control and feedback
7. Organizational structures for IM
• Product structure, geographic structure, the macropyramid, the umbrella structure, the interglomerate, transnational organizations
8. What makes a good international manager
9. Ethical considerations for international marketing managers

Reference
Doole, I. and Lowe, R. (2001) "Chapter 5: International marketing planning and organisation", International Marketing Strategy, Thomson

Literature review on Corporate Reporting

The subject of Corporate Reporting is covered in professional accounting examination, e.g. ACCA P2 and CIMA P8. Those who are studying for the professional examination will know more about the updated information. My literature review exercise identifies some academic readings which are as follows:

1. Phillips, T.J., Drake, A.  and Luehlfing, M.S. (2010) "Transparency in Financial Reporting: A look at rules-based versus principles-based standards" Academy of Accounting and financial Studies Journal, Vol. 14(4), pp. 11-28
2. Leuz, C. (2011) "Different approaches to corporte reporting regulation: How justifications differ and why", Accounting and Business Research Vol. 40(3), pp. 229-256
3. Gwilliam, D. and Jackson, R.H.G. (2008) "Fair value in financial reporting: Problems and pitfalls in practice: A case study analysis of the use of fair valuation at Enron" Accounting Forum 32, pp. 240-259.
4. Rahman, A., Yammeesri, J. and Perera, H. (2010) "Financial reporting quality in international settings: A comparative study of the USA, Japan, Thailand, France and Germany" The International Journal of Accounting 45, pp. 1-34.
5. Brown, P. (2011) "International Financial Reporting Standards: what are the benefits?" Accounting and Business Research 41(3), pp. 269-285.
6. Rezaee, Z. (2004) "Corporate Governance role in Financial Reporting" Research in Accounting Regulation Vol. 17, 107-149.

The references above indicate some of the academic accounting journals where you should be able to locate other academic articles on this topic. There are textbooks on Financial Reporting/ Financial Accounting which are not examined here.


References

1. On Corporate Reporting: http://www.pwc.com/gx/en/corporate-reporting/frequently-asked-questions/publications/what-is-corporate-reporting.jhtml
2. HK Financial reporting standards: http://www.hkicpa.org.hk/en/standards-and-regulations/standards/financial-reporting/
3. ACCA P2 (videos) on Framework: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSSzr1vT2Nc&feature=relmfu; on introduction of paper: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xj--2cobErE&feature=relmfu; on performance report: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23m_NKpd9lY&feature=relmfu; past paper analysis: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-QRzXEwx6g&feature=relmfu; initial cost ias 16: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4dFhUkLwnM; group working recap: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4dFhUkLwnM; ias 27 rcap: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5EHzsKx8hQ&feature=relmfu; statement of financial position recap: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBiQSb1POvA&feature=relmfu; group continued: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9wFbM_6bKY&feature=relmfu; share based payment: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aX8u9SNgJGg&feature=relmfu
4. Changes in corporate reporting: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jMV1rkOKYU
5. On financial corporate reporting: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVT7aCTnmn0&feature=related

International marketing research in International marketing

The following discussion agenda is on international marketing research in International Marketing:

1. The role of marketing research
2. The role of international marketing research
3. Opportunity identification and analysis
• International markets scanning
• accessibility, profitability, market size
• Existing markets, latent markets, and incipient markets
• Product/ market combinations on market entry
• Demand pattern analysis
• Risk evaluation
4. International marketing segmentation
• Business portfolio matrix: country attractivness and company's compatibilty with each country
• Transnational segmentation
• Hierarchical country - consumer segmentation
5. The inter-national marketing information system
• Perceptions of the quality and accessibility of information in the Asia-Pacific region
6. Primary research in international markets
• Problem and objectives definition
• Development of an innovative approach
• The international marketing research process
• Organising  the research study
• centralisation vs decentralisation
• in-house vs agency
• Research design
• Qualitative research
• Survey methods
• Questionnaire design
• Field work
• Data analysis
• Report preparation and presentation
7. Continuous research

Reference
Doole, I. and Lowe, R. (2001) "Chapter 4: International marketing research and opportunity analysis", International Marketing Strategy, Thomson

Social & Cultural Considerations in International Marketing

The following discussion agenda cover the topic of social and cultural considerations in International Marketing:

1. Social and cultural factors
2. The essence of culture
• Briefs, values, customs
• Layers of culture
3. Social organisation
4. Technology and material culture
5. Law and politics
6. Aesthetics
7. Language and culture
8. Cultural learning
• enculturation
9. Culture and consumer behaviour
• Model of consumer behaviour  in international markets
10. Self-reference criterion
11. High/ low context approach
12. Hofstede's cultural dimensions
• individualism, power distance, uncertainty avoidance, masculinity, confucian dynamism
13. Culture/ communication typologies
• Direct vs indirect
• Personal vs contextual
• Instrumental vs affective
14. Cross cultural diffusion and learning matrix
15. Social and cultural influences in business to business marketing
• Organisational buyers
• Government buyer behaviour
• The business to business buying process
• The role of culture in negotiation styles
• Differences in buyer-seller relationships styles
• Gift giving

Reference
Doole, I. and Lowe, R. (2001) "Chapter 3: Social and cultural considerationsin international marketing", International Marketing Strategy, Thomson

International trading environment in International Marketing

The following discussion agenda is on the international trading environment in International Markting (IM):

1. Wold trading patterns
2. Reasons for world trading
• The  theory of comparative advantage
• The international product life cycle
3. Barriers to world trade
• Marketing barriers
• Tarrif barriers
• Non-tarrif barriers
4. World institutions that foster international trade
• International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
• International Development Association
• International Monetary Fund
• The World Trade Organization
5. Wold trading groups
• Forms of market agreement
• Free trade area
• Customs union
• Common market
• Economic union
• Political union
6. The European Union
• The Single European Market
• European Monetary Union
• International Marketing implications
7. The Free Trad Area of the Americas
• Mercosur
8. The Asian Pacific Trading Region
• Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation
• The Association of South East Asian Nations
9. The Chinese economic area
10. Barriers to developing a cohesive trading region

Reference
Doole, I. and Lowe, R. (2001) "Chapter 2: The international trading environment", International Marketing Strategy, Thomson

An introductory agenda on International Marketing

The following introductory discussion agenda is on International Marketing (IM):

1. International marketing defined
• Domestic marketing
• International marketing
• Global marketing management
2. The international marketing environment
• The SLEPT (social, legal, economic, political and technological) approach
3. The developed triad economies
4. The emerging economies
5. Less developed countries
6. Country associated risks
7. The Internet and the World Wide Web
8. The dual technological/ cultural paradox
9. The international competitive landscape
10. International marketing strategies
• Failure factors
• Success factors
• Characteristics of practice in IM
• The international marketing strategy process

Reference
Doole, I. and Lowe, R. (2001) "Chapter 1: An Introduction to International Marketing", International Marketing Strategy, Thomson

Host-country context considerations in IHRM

The following discussion agenda is on host-country context considerations in International Human Resource Management (IHRM):

1. Standardization vs localization of Human Resource Management (HRM) practices
2. Factors that drive standardization
3. Factors that drive localizations
• The cultural environment
• The institutional environment
4. Mode of operation abroad
5. Subsidiary role
6. Measures creating HRM balance between standardization and localization
7. HRM practices monitoring in the host country
8. HRM in 'offshoring countries'
• The strategic importance of offshoring
9. Emerging issues in host-country context considerations

Reference
Dowling, P.J., Festing, M., and Engle, Sr., A.D. (2008) "Chapter 9: IHRM in the host-country context" in International Human Resource Management, Thomson.

Studying the property market in Hong Kong in final year projects

Quite a number of my students are interested in studying the property market in Hong Kong. I suggest that you do some Internet search to access some relevant reports. Some examples are as follows:

1. http://www.globalpropertyguide.com/Asia/Hong-Kong/Price-History
2. http://www.batgung.com/housing
3. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704888404574547262142088466.html
4. http://rfpmagazine.com/news/3-newsflash/1255-global-uncertainty-and-the-hong-kong-property-market.html
5. http://www.rvd.gov.hk/en/publications/pro-review.htm
6. http://www.ln.edu.hk/econ/staff/Housing%20Market%20Dynamics.pdf

There are academic journals and textbooks related to the Property Market study. For a start, you could do some searching in the academic publisher's website of Emerald: http://www.emeraldinsight.com/browse.htm?content=journals_books&by=subject&subject=91

Career issues in International Human Resource Management

The following discussion agenda is on career issues in International Human Resource Management (IHRM):

1. The repatriation process and practices
2. Individual reaction to re-entry and repatriate adjustment
• Job-related factors
• Social factors
3. Career impacts of international assignments
4. The repatriate role
5. The readjustment challenge
• Company changes
• Home country societal changes
• Family adjustment
• Altered personal perspective
6. Multinational responses
• Staff availability and career expectations
• Return on investment (ROI) considerations
• Knowledge transfer
7. Repatriate program design

References

1. Dowling, P.J., Festing, M., and Engle, Sr., A.D. (2008) "Chapter 8: Re-entry and career issues" in International Human Resource Management, Thomson.
2. On career management: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Career_management

International compensation in International Human Resource Management

The following discussion agenda is on International compensation in International Human Resource Management (IHRM):

1. International compensation objectives
2. Main components of an international compensation program
• Base salary
• Foreign service hardship premium
• Allowances
• Benefits
3. Approaches to international compensation
• The going rate approach
• The balance sheet approach
4. Taxation considerations
5. International living costs data
6. Differentiating between Parent Country Nationals (PCNs) and Third Country Nationals (TCNs)
7. Complexity in global pay

Reference
Dowling, P.J., Festing, M., and Engle, Sr., A.D. (2008) "Chapter 7: International compensation" in International Human Resource Management, Thomson.

International training and development in International Human Resource Management

The following discussion agenda is on International training and development in International Human Resource Management (IHRM):

1. A model on International training and development
• Recruitment and selection, training, development, pre-departure training, international assignment, international team
2. Expatriate training
3. Components of effective pre-departure training programs
• Cultural awareness programs
• Preliminary visits
• Language training
• Practical assistance
• Training and the company code of conduct
• TCN and HCN expatriate training
• Training for non-traditional expatriate assignments
4. Developing staff through international assignments
• Management development
• Organizational development
• Individual development
• International team development
5. Trends in International training and development

Reference
Dowling, P.J., Festing, M., and Engle, Sr., A.D. (2008) "Chapter 6: International training and development" in International Human Resource Management, Thomson.

International mobility in International Human Resource Management

The following discussion agenda covers the topic of international mobility in International Human Resource Management (IHRM):

1. A stakeholder centric process model of international assignment
• Shareholders, customers and suppliers, employees
2. The boundaryless career
3. Strategy in international staffing
4. International worker profile
5. willingness on international mobility
6. Expatriate populatio diversity
7. Global assignment cycle management
8. Recruitment and selection considerations
9. International management selection systems
• open vs closed
• formal vs informal
10. Expatriate adjustment
11. Expatriate preparation
• An integrative framework for pre-departure preparation
12. Performance measurement
13. Repatriation

Reference
Sparrow, P. Brewster, C. and Harris, H. (2004) "Chapter 7: Managing international mobility" in Globalizing Human Resource Management, Routledge.

Global themes in International Human Resource Management

The following discussion agenda is on global themes in International Human Resource Management (IHRM):

1. Core strategic competencies and its integration function in IHRM
2. Employer branding for IHRM
3. The management of value in IHRM
4. Talent Management in IHRM
• Talent pipeline management
• Key indicators in talent management
5. An overall assesment on global themes in IHRM

Reference
Sparrow, P. Brewster, C. and Harris, H. (2004) "Chapter 6: Developing global themes: capabilities, employer branding and talent management" in Globalizing Human Resource Management, Routledge.

Knowledge Management in International Human Resource Management

The following discussion agenda is on Knowledge Management in International Human Resource Management (IHRM):

1. Global best practice transfer in IHRM
2. The role of expatriates, joint ventures and acquisitions in knowledg transfer in global enterprises
3. Model of strategic HR change in Multinational Corporations (MNCs)
4. The complexity of knowledge transfer across multiple layers of management in IHRM
5. The nature of HRM knowledge to be transferred.
6. A review of knowledge transfer in IHRM from the perspective of Knowledge Management
7. The role of global teams and HR networks in knowledge management
8. Global knowledge management strategies in IHRM
9. Global HR centers of excellence for knowledge management

Reference
Sparrow, P. Brewster, C. and Harris, H. (2004) "Chapter 5: Knowledge management and global expertise networks" in Globalizing Human Resource Management, Routledge.

Technology impact on International HRM

The following discussion agenda is on Technology impact on International Human Resource Management (IHRM):

1. The role of corporate Human Resource function and implications on Information Technology management (ITM)
2. Shared service models in IHRM and implications on IT management (ITM)
3. Information technology (IT) as global enablers of Human Resource processes
4. The overall impacts of IT for International Human Resource Management (IHRM)
• The long cycle of investment in IT
• The scale of IT investments
• IT risk management
• Global consistency in IT service delivery
• Pan-regional IT policies
• Data protection concerns
• Changes in the roles of intemediaries in HR supply chain
5. Enterprise modeling techniques
6. HR as gatekeepers of national culture

Reference
Sparrow, P. Brewster, C. and Harris, H. (2004) "Chapter 4: The impact of technology on global HRM" in Globalizing Human Resource Management, Routledge.

Organizational drivers of globalization in IHRM study

The following discussion agenda is on organizational drivers of globalization in International Human Resource Management (IHRM):

1. Global industries and firms within globalizing industries
2. Measurment of the degree of internationalization of firms
3. The notion of organizational capability, notably on global capability
4. Collaboration between organizations, e.g. in the form of partnership arrangements
5. Centers of excellence within organizations
6. Functional alignment in global HRM
7. Factors driving organizational IHRM strategy, with examples:
• Maximize shareholder value
• Create core business or HR processes
• Build a global presence
• Rationalize costs
• Form strategic partnerships
• Take knowledge management initiatives
8. A model of factors involved in the globalization of HRM
• Organizational drivers>HR enablers>Global themes/ HR processes + Globally managed competencies> organizational outcome

Reference
Sparrow, P. Brewster, C. and Harris, H. (2004) "Chapter 3: Organizational drivers of globalization" in Globalizing Human Resource Management, Routledge.

Impacts of globalization on International Human Resource Management

The following discussion agenda is on the impact of globalization on International Human Resource Management (IHRM):

1. The study domains of IHRM and strategic IHRM
• the 3 competing dynamics in IHRM analysis
• Factors that give rise to distinctive national and local solutions to HRM issues
• The strategic pressures that make the national models receptive to change and development
• The firm-level processes through which change and development in HRM practice will be delivered.
2. The main challenges faced by global HR functions
3. Different perspectives on globalization as related to IHRM
• globalization of industries and globalization of markets
• Major themes
• "nothing new" perspective
• IMF positive approach
• negative or neo-colonial perspective
• transformative perspective
• universalist vs contextual paradigms
• cultural vs institutional explanations
• The global convergence thesis vs regional convergence
• Continued divergence vs stasis

Reference
Sparrow, P. Brewster, C. and Harris, H. (2004) "Chapter 1: Understanding the impact of globalization on the role of IHR professionals", and "Chapter 2: Globalization and HRM" in Globalizing Human Resource Management, Routledge.

10 corporate stances in Corporate Social Responsibility

Ditlev-Simonsen and Midttun (2010)'s paper neatly summarizes 10 alternative corporate stances on Corporate Responsibility (CR). This I takes to be a discussion on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). The 10 alternative stances help us to understand more clearly the various viewpoints on CSR from an overall perspective. Their work is useful as a summarization effort in view of the huge CSR literature that we now have. Here, I recap the 10 corporate stances identified from their paper (which they call perspective on CR):

1. Profit maxim
2. Value maxim
3. Stakeholdership
4. Cluster-building
5. Branding
6. Innovation
7. Copying/ imitating
8. Ethics/ morals
9. Managerial discretion
10. Sustainability

To study their article, you do need to have reasonable good knowledge on the subject of CSR and on business management. The paper explains these 10 stances briefly but vividly.

Their paper also provides findings based on a survey exercise, which is relatively easy to grasp.


Reference
Ditlev-Simonsen, C.D. and Midttun, A. (2010) "What motivates managers to pursue corporate responsibility? A survey among key stakeholders" Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management 18, pp. 25-38.

"Competition" in Marketing Management

The following discussion agenda covers the topic of competition in Marketing Management:

1. Competitive forces
2. Identify and analyze competitors
• strategies, objectives, strengths and weaknesses, reaction pattens
• strong vs weak competitors; close vs distant competitors; good vs bad competitors
3. The notion of an industry
• Number of sellers and degree of differentiation
• Entry, mobility and exit barriers
• Cost structure
• Degree of vertical integration
• Degree of globalization
4. Market concept of competition
5. Design the competitive intelligence system
6. Design competitive strategies
• market-leader strategies
• expand the total market
• defense strategies
• expand market share
• market-challenger strategies
• market-follower strategies
• market-nicher strategies
7. Choose a general attack strategy
• frontal attack,  flank attack, encirclement attack, bypass attack, guerrilla warfare
8. Balance customer and competitor orientations

Reference
Kotler, P. (2003) "Chapter 9: dealing with the competition", Marketing Management, Prentice Hall.

Business buying behavior in Marketing Management

The following is a discussion agenda on business buying behavior in Marketing Management:

1. The nature of organizational buying
• the business market
• buying situations
• systems buying and selling
2. Participants in the business buying process
3. Key influencing factors on buying decisions
• environmental factors
• organizational factors
• interpersonal and individual factors
4. The purchasing/ procurement process
• types of purchasing processes
• stages in the buying process
5. Institutional and government markets

Reference
Kotler, P. (2003) "Chapter 8: analying business markets and business buying behavior" in Marketing Management, Prentice Hall.

Consumer buying behavior in Marketing Management

The following discussion agenda examines the topic of consumer buying behavior in Marketing Management:

1. Influences on buyer behavior
• cultural factors
• social factors
• personal factors
• psychological factors
2. The buying decision process
• buying roles
• buying behavior
• Stages of the buying decision process
• problem recognition>information search>evaluation of alternatives>purchase decision>postpurchase behavior
• Other models of the buying decision process:
• Health model, customer activity cycle model

Reference
Kotler, P. (2003) "Chapter 7: analyzing consumer markets and buyer behavior", Prentice Hall.

Environmental scanning in Marketing Management

The following discussion agenda  is on environmental scanning in Marketing Management:

1. Needs and trends in the macroenvironment
• Megatrends and trends
• identify major macroenvironmental forces
• demographic environment
• economic environment
• natural environment
• technological environment
• political-legal environment
• social-cultural environment
2. Respond to major macroenvironmental forces
• From a mass market to micromarkets
• Marketing for the new economy
• Cause-related marketing

Reference
Kotler, P. (2003) "Chapter 6: scanning the marketing environment" in Marketing Management, Prentice Hall.

Market-oriented strategic planning in Marketing Management

The following is a discussion agenda on market-oriented strategic planning in Marketing Management:

1. Strategic planning notions in Marketing Management
• Types of plans
• strategic marketing plan
• tactical marketing plan
• marketing plan
• Organizational levels of planning
• corporate level
• the Boston Consulting Group's Growth-Share Matrix
• division level
• strategic business units (SBU)
• the SBU life cycle
• business unit strategic planning: business mission, SWOT analysis, Market Opportunity Analysis
• The strategic-planning gap
• Strategic formulation
• Porter's generic strategies
• Operational effectiveness and strategy
• Strategic alliances
• Marketing alliances
• Program formulation and implementation
• Feedback and control
2. The marketing process
• the value-delivery sequence
• steps in the planning process
• the marketing process
• Analyzing market opportunities
• Developing marketing strategies
• Planning marketing programs
• Managing the marketing effort
3. Product planning
4. Contents of the marketing plan
• Executive summary and table of contents
• Current marketing situation
• Opportunity and issue analysis
• Objectives
• Marketing strategy
• Action programs
• Financial projections
• Implementation controls

Reference
Kotler, P. (2003) "Chapter 4: winning markets through market-oriented strategic planning" in Marketing Management, Prentice Hall.

Introductory ideas on Marketing Management

The following is a discussion agenda on the introductory notions on Marketing Management:

1. The definition of marketing
2. The scope of marketing and major marketing tasks
3. Major markets:
• consumer markets
• business markets
• global markets
• nonprofit and governmental markets
4. Core marketing concepts
• target markets and segmentation
• marketplace, marketspace and metamarket
• marketers and prospects
• product, offering, and brand
• value and satisfaction
• exchange and transactions
• relationships and networks
• marketing channels
• supply chain
• competition
• marketing environment
• marketing program
• Company orientations toward the marketplace
• the production concept
• the product concept
• the selling concept
• the marketing concept
• integrated marketing
• the customer concept
• the societal marketing concept
5. How business and marketing are changing
• company responses
• marketer responses

Reference
Kotler, P. (2003) "Chapter 1: defining marketing for the twenty-first century" in Marketing Management, Prentice Hall.

The implications of the new economy on Marketing Management

The following discussion agenda is on the implications of the new economy on Marketing Management:

1. Key drivers of the new economy
• digitalization and connectivity
• disintermediation and reintermediation
• customization and customerization
• industry convergence
2. Impacts on business practices
• More organizing by customer segments
• More focusing on customer life-time value
• More focusing on marketing scorecard
• More focusing on stakeholders
• Everyone does the marketing
• Build brands via performance
• More focus on customer retention
• More in-depth customer satisfaction measurement
• More under-promise, over-delivery
• The new hybrid
3. How marketing practices are more e-business based
• B2C, B2B, C2C
• Pure-click vs brick-and-click companies
• Build a revenue and profit model
4. How marketing  practices are more customer relationship marketing in stance
• Customer databases and database marketing
• Data warehouses and datamining

Reference
Kotler, P. (2003) "Chapter 2: adapting marketing to the new economy" in Marketing Management, Prentice Hall.

Customer satisfaction and value in Marketing Management

The following discussion agenda cover the notions of customer satisfaction, value and retention in Marketing Management:

1. Customer Value and customer satisfaction notions
• Customer perceived value
• Total customer satisfaction
• Tools for measuring satisfaction: complaint and suggestion systems, customer satisfaction surveys, ghost shopping, lost customer analysis
2. The nature of high-performance business
• stakeholders, processes, resources, organization and organizational culture
3. How to deliver customer value and satisfaction
• value chain
• the value-delivery network
4. How to attract, retain customers and measure the cost of lost customers
• the need for customer retention
• measure customer lifetime value
• customer relationship management
• The notion of customer bonds
5. Customer profitability, company profitability and total quality management

Reference
Kotler, P. (2003) "Chapter 3: building customer satisfaction, value, and retention" in Marketing Management, Prentice Hall.

Studying market demand in Marketing Management

The following discussion agenda examines the topic of Market Demand assessment in Marketing Management:

1. Marketing information system components
• Internal records system
• The marketing intelligence system
• Marketing research system
• Suppiers of marketing research
• the marketing research process
• characteristics of good marketing research
• overcoming the barriers to use marketing research
• marketing decision support system
• quantitative tools used in marketing decision support systems
2. Forecasting and demand measurement
• the measures of market demand
• which market to measure
• Terms used in demand measurement
• market demand, market forecast, market potential, company demand, company sales forecast, company sales potential
• Estimate current demand
• Total market potential
• Area market potential
• Demand measurement methods used : market-buildup method, multiple-factor index method
• Estimate future demand
• Survey of buyers' intention

Reference
Kotler, P. (2003) "Chapter 5: gathering information and measuring market demand" in Marketing Management, Prentice Hall.

Information Technology Management in Supply Chain Management

The following discussion agenda is on Information Technology (IT) Management in Supply Chain Management (SCM):

1. Goals of IT management in SCM
• collect information, access data,  analyze based on data
2. Standardization in IT
• Major phases: proprietary > stand alone > communications > collaboration
3. IT infrastructure
• interface devices, communications, databases, system architecture, electronic commerce
4. SCM systems integration
• Stages of development: disconnected systems >  internal and external interfaces > internal integration and limited external integration efficiency > multienterprise  integration
5. Implmentation of SCM systems
• Enterprise Systems (ES) and Decision Support Systems (DSS)
• "Best-of-breed" vs Single-vendor ES solutions
6. Structure of DSS
• The input database, analytical tools (e.g. queries, statistical analysis, online analytical processing, simulation, artificial intelligence, etc) , presentation tools (e.g. geographic information systems)
7. DSS applications in SCM
• Logistics network design, supply chain master planning, operational planning systems, demand planning, inventory management, transportation planning, production scheduling, master requirements planning, and operational execution systems
8. How to select a DSS in SCM

Reference
Semchi-Levi, D., Kaminsky, P. and Simchi-Levi, E. (2003) Designing & Managing the Supply Chain, McGraw-Hill [Chapter 11: Information Technology for Supply Chain Management; Chapter 12: Decision Support Systems for Supply Chain Manaegement]

Customer value in Supply Chain Management

The following discussion agenda is on Customer Value in Supply Chain Management:

1. Customer Value
• Dimensions of customer value
• conformance to requirements, product selection, price and brand, value-added services, relationships and experiences
2. Strategic pricing
• Revenue management
• Smart pricing
3. Customer Value Measures
• Service level
• Customer satisfaction
• Supply chain performance measures
4. Information Technology and customer value
• Customer benefits and business benefits

ReferenceSemchi-Levi, D., Kaminsky, P. and Simchi-Levi, E. (2003) Designing & Managing the Supply Chain, McGraw-Hill [Chapter 10: Customer Value and Supply Chain Management]

Coordinated product and supply chain design in SCM

The following discussion agenda is on coordinated product and supply chain design in Supply Chain Management:

1. Design for Logistics
• Economic packaging and transportation
• Concurrent  and parallel processing
• Standardization
2. The push-pull boundary
3. Supplier integration into new product development
• The spectrum of supplier integration: none, white box, grey box, black box
• Key considerations on effective supplier integration
4. Mass customization
• What is mass customization?
• How to make it work?
• Mass customization and supply chain management

Reference
Semchi-Levi, D., Kaminsky, P. and Simchi-Levi, E. (2003) Designing & Managing the Supply Chain, McGraw-Hill [Chapter 9: Coordinated Product and Supply Chain Design]

International Supply Chain Management

The following is a discussion agenda on International Supply Chain Management (ISCM):

1. An introduction to ISCM
• International distribution systems
• International supplies
• Offshore manufacturing
• Fully integrated global supply chain
2. Forces at work on ISCM
• Global market forces
• Technological forces
• Global cost forces
• Political and economic forces
3. Risks and advantages in ISCM
4. Requirements for global strategy implementation
5. Issues in ISCM
• international vs regional products
• local autonomy vs central control
• miscellaneous dangers
6. Regional differences in logistics
• Cultural differences
• Infrastructural differences
• Performance expectation differences
• Information system availability
• Human resources

Reference
Semchi-Levi, D., Kaminsky, P. and Simchi-Levi, E. (2003) Designing & Managing the Supply Chain, McGraw-Hill [Chapter 8: International Issues in Supply Chain Management]

Procurement and outsourcing strategies in SCM

The following is a discussion agenda on Procurement and Outsourcing Strategies in Supply Chain Management (SCM):

1. On Outsourcing
• Benefits and risks of outsourcing
• A framework for buy/make decisions
• Dependency on capacity
• Dependency on knowledge
• Product: modular or integral
2. E-procurement
• e-marketplaces: private and public marketplaces
• A framework for e-procurement

Reference
Semchi-Levi, D., Kaminsky, P. and Simchi-Levi, E. (2003) Designing & Managing the Supply Chain, McGraw-Hill [Chapter 7: Procurement and Outsourcing Strategies]

Strategic alliances in Supply Chain Management

The following is an agenda for discussion on Strategic Alliances in Supply Chain Management (SCM):
 

1. A framework for strategic alliances for SCM
2. Third-Party Logistics (3PL)
• Advantages and disadvantages of 3PL
• 3PL issues and requirments
3. Retailer-supplier partnership (RSP)
• Types of RSP
• Requirements for RSP
• Inventory Ownership in RSP
• Issues in RSP implementation
• Advantages and disadvantages of RSP
4. Distributor Integration
• Types of distributor integration
• Issues in distributor integration

Reference
Semchi-Levi, D., Kaminsky, P. and Simchi-Levi, E. (2003) Designing & Managing the Supply Chain, McGraw-Hill [Chapter 6: Strategic Alliances]

Supply chain integration in Supply Chain Management

The following is a discussion agenda on Supply Chain Integration in Supply Chain Management:

1. The benefits and challenges of supply chain integration
2. Push, pull and push-pull systems
3. Demand-driven strategies
4. The ipacts of the Internet on supply chain integration
5. Distribution Strategies
• Direct shipment
• Warehousing
• Cross-docking
6. Centralized vs decentalized control
7. Centralized vs local facilities
• Main  considerations: safety stock, overhead, economies of scale, lead time, service, transportation costs

References

1. Semchi-Levi, D., Kaminsky, P. and Simchi-Levi, E. (2003) Designing & Managing the Supply Chain, McGraw-Hill [Chapter 5: Supply Chain Integration]
2. Supply chain integration (video): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_yMW2b0kNk

The value of information in Supply Chain Management

The following discussion agenda is on the value of information in Supply Chain Management:

1. The notion of the "value of information"
2. The Bullwhip effect
• Quantify the bullwhip effect
• Assess the impact of centralized information on the bullwhip effect
• Methods for coping with the bullwhip effect
3. On effectiveness of forecasting
4. Information for the coordination of systems
5. Locate desired products
6. Lead-time reduction
7. Information and supply chain trade-offs

Reference
Semchi-Levi, D., Kaminsky, P. and Simchi-Levi, E. (2003) Designing & Managing the Supply Chain, McGraw-Hill [Chapter 4: The value of information]

Inventory Management in Supply Chain Management

The following discussion agenda is on Inventory Management in Supply Chain Management:

1. The importance of inventory management
2. The scenario on a single warehouse inventory
• The economic lot size model
• The effect of demand uncertainty
• The effect of initial inventory
• Supply contracts
• Multiple order opportunities
• Continuous review policy
• Variable lead times
• Periodic review policy
3. Risk pooling
4. Centralized and decentralized distribution systems
5. Practical issues on inventory management in SCM
6. Employment of forecasting in inventory management
• Judgment methods
• Market research methods
• Time-series methods
• Causal methods

Reference
Semchi-Levi, D., Kaminsky, P. and Simchi-Levi, E. (2003) Designing & Managing the Supply Chain, McGraw-Hill [Chapter 3: Inventory Management and Risk Pooling]

Logistics Network Configuration in Supply Chain Management

The following is a discussion agenda on the topic of Logistics Network Configuration in Supply Chain Management:

1. What is a logistics network?
2. Strategic decisions on network configuration
• determine the number of warehouses
• determine the location of warehosues
• determine the sizes of warehouses
• determine which products customers will receive from which warehouse
3. Data collection and data aggregation considerations in a network configuration problem
4. Transportation rates, mileage estimation, warehouse costs, warehouse capacities, potential warehosue locations, service level requirements, future demand considerations in a network configuration problem
5. Model and data validation
6. Solution techniques
7. Characteristics of a network configuration Decision Support System (DSS)

Reference
Semchi-Levi, D., Kaminsky, P. and Simchi-Levi, E. (2003) Designing & Managing the Supply Chain, McGraw-Hill [Chapter 2: Logistics Network Configuration]

Introductory ideas on Supply Chain Management

The following is a list of items for introductory discussion on Supply Chain Management (SCM):

1. What is Supply Chain Management (SCM) and why SCM?
• "A set of approaches utilized to efficiently integrate suppliers, manufacturers, warehouses, and stores, so that merchandise is produced and distributed at the right quantities, to the right locations, and at the right time, in order to minimize systemwide costs while satisfying service level requirements."
• Main concerns: (i) consider every facility, (ii) to be efficient  and cost-effective across the entire system, and (iii) encompasses the firm's activities at many levels.
2. On the notion of Global Optimization
• The supply chain (SC) is a complex and dynamic network
• Different SC facilities have different objectives
3. The concern of uncertainty management
• Key considerations: match supply and demand; limitations of forecasting; multiple sources of uncertainty
4. Key issues in SCM
• Distribution network configuration
• Inventory control
• Supply contracts
• Distribution strategies
• Supply chain integration and strategic partnering
• Outsourcing and procurement strategies
• Product Design
• SCM information systems
• Customer value focus

References

1. Semchi-Levi, D., Kaminsky, P. and Simchi-Levi, E. (2003) Designing & Managing the Supply Chain, McGraw-Hill [Chapter 1: Introduction to Supply Chain Management]
2. What is supply chain management (video): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mi1QBxVjZAw&feature=relmfu

Personnel planning and recruitment in Human Resource Management

The following is a discussion agenda on Personnel Planning and Recruitment in Human Resource Management (HRM):

1. On Job Analysis
2. Methods to collect Job Analysis information
3. On Job Descriptions
4. On Job specifications
5. Job Analysis in a "Jobless" World
6. The Recruitment and Selection Process
7. Workforce Planning and Forecasting
• Forecast Personnel Needs
• forecast supply of inside candidates
• Forecast supply of outside candidates
8. Recruit job candidates
• Internal sources of candidates
• Advertising as a source of candidates
• Employment agencies as a source of candidates
• Executive recruiters as a source of candidates
• College recruiting and interns as a source of candidates
• Referrals and walk-ins as a source of candidates
• Former employees
• Recruiting via the Internet
9. Recruit a more diverse workforce
10. Develop and use application forms

Reference
Dessler, G. (2004) "Chapter 3: Personnel Planning and Recruitment", A Framework for Human Resource Management, Prentice Hall.

Equal Opportunity and Diversity Management in Human Resource Management

The following is a discussion agenda on Equal Opportunity and Diversity Management in Human Resource Management (HRM):

1. On Equal Employment Opportunity Laws
2. Sexual Harrassment
3. Defenses against discriminatio allegations
4. Implications on HRM practices
• on Recruitment
• on Promotion
• On Transfer
• On Layoff
5. Diversity Management and Affirmative Action Programs
• Managing diversity
• Equal employment opportunity and affirmative action
• Affirmative action programs: steps

ReferenceDessler, G. (2004) "Chapter 2: Managing Equal Opportunity and Diversity", A Framework for Human Resource Management, Prentice Hall.

Introductory ideas on Human Resource Management

The following discussion items are noted for introducing the subject of Human Resource Management (HRM):

1. What is Human Resource Management (HRM)? [note: it is not human resources management; resource - not resources]
2. The importance of HRM to managers
• Line and staff aspects of HRM
• The HRM responsibilities of the Human Resource Department
3. The changing environment and the implications on duties of HRM
• Globalization
• Technological advances
• The nature of work
• The workforce profile
4. Strategic challenges of HRM and Strategic HRM
• HR's roles as a strategic partner

Reference
Dessler, G. (2004) "Chapter 1: Managing Human Resources Today", A Framework for Human Resource Management, Prentice Hall.

Employee compensation in Human Resource Management

The following is a discussion agenda on Employee Compensation in Human Resource Management (HRM):

1. Determinants of employee pay
• Compensation laws
• Labour unions
• Compensation policies
• Equity
2. How to establish pay rates
• salary survey
• Job evaluation
• Pay grades
• Wage curves
• Rate ranges
3. Price managerial & professional jobs
4. Trends in compensation
• Competency- and skill-based pay
• Broadbanding
5. Incentive plans
• Piecework plans
• Team or group incentive plans
• Incentives for managers and executives
• Incentives for salespeople
• Merit pay
• Profit-sharing plan
• Employee stock ownership plan
• Scanion plan
• Earnings-at-risk pay plans
6. Employee benefits
• Pay for time not worked
• Insurance benefits
• Retirement benefits
• The cafeteria aproach
• Benefits and employee leasing

Reference
Dessler, G. (2004) "Chapter 7: Compensating Employees", A Framework for Human Resource Management, Prentice Hall.

Performance management in Human Resource Management

The following is an agenda on discussion of Performance Management and Appraisal in Human Resource Management:

1. Basic concepts in Performance Management
• Define the employee's goals
• Set effective goals
2. Basic concepts in Appraising Performance
• Reasons for doing performance appraisal
• Who should do the appraising?
• Basic appraisal methods
• Graphic rating scale method
• Alternation ranking method
• Paired comparison method
• Forced distribution method
• Critical incident method
• Behaviorally anchored rating  scales
• The Management by Objectives method
• Computerized and web-based performance appraisals
• Electronic performance monitoring
• The appraisal feedback interview
• How to improve appraisal effectiveness
3. Performance and career management
• Career-oriented appraisals
• Manage the early career management stages
• Manage promotions and transfers
• Retirement
• Technolog & career planning

Reference
Dessler, G. (2004) "Chapter 6: Performance Management and Appraisal", A Framework for Human Resource Management, Prentice Hall.

Training & Development in Human Resource Management

The following is a list of discussion agenda on Training and Development in Human Resource Management (HRM):

1. Orienting employees
2. Training and development process
• Need analysis, instructional design, validation, implementation
3. Training techniques
• On-the-job training
• Apprenticeship training
• Simulated training
• Audiovisual and distance learning techniques
• Computer-based training
• Training via the Internet, including the Learning Portals
• Training for special purposes
• Literacy training techniques
• Values training
• Diversity training
• Training for teamwork and empowerment
4. Managerial Development and Training
• Managerial on-the-job training
• Action learning
• The case study method
• Management games
• Outside seminars
• University-related programs
• Behavior modeling
• In-house development centers
• Organizational Development
• Build high-performance learning organizations
5. Organizational change
6. Evaluate the training and development effort
• Measure training effects
• Controlled experimentation

Reference
Dessler, G. (2004) "Chapter 5: Training and Developing Employees", A Framework for Human Resource Management, Prentice Hall.

Test & select employees in Human Resource Management

The following are key discussion items on Testing and Selecting Employees in Human Resource Management  (HRM):

1. Basic considerations of testing and selecting employees
   • Why is careful selection important?
   • Test validity
   • Test reliability
   • Ethical and legal questions in testing
2. Use tests at work
   • How are tests used
     • Types: tests of cognitive abilities; tests of motor and physical abilities; measuring personality and interests
   • Management Assessment Centers (related video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BE7QLzPGhbM)
   • Testing on the web
3. Interview perspective employees
   • Selection interview types
   • On the usefulness of interviews
   • Common interviewing mistakes
   • Guidelines for conducting an interview
4. Other selection techniques
   • Background investigation & reference checks
   • Honesty testing
   • Graphology (related video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dv8am_OLLOk)
   • Physical examinations
   • Drug screening
5. Immigration law requirements

Reference
Dessler, G. (2004) "Chapter 4: Testing and Selecting Employees" in A Framework for Human Resource Management, Prentice Hall.

The main ideas underlying the 4 pillars of Corporate Social Responsibility

The notion of "the 4 pillars of corporate social responsibility (CSR) Mostostovicz et al. (2011) are summarized as follows:

1. Psychological forces can lead to ineffectual Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) solutions:
• Failure to assign responsibility for broad outcomes leads to moral myopia
• Moral hypocrisy: a person cites moral arguments without willingness to invest in the consequences of those arguments
2. The 4 pillars (dynamic and aspirational qualities) of CSR:
• The 4 pillars:
• Leadership: the ability to choose freely withoug being influenced byy external social forces
• Ethics: we can only  strive toward a true ethical position by gaining better insight into the origin of our ethical behaviors dynamically over time; pay attention to deep personal virtues.
• Trust: it allows for actions that otherwise would not be possible; if the trustee is trustworthy, the trustor will be better off; trust involves a voluntary transfer of assets without an explicit reciprocal commitment of the trustee; a time lag exists between the act of entrusting and the result of that behavior.
• Personal responsibility
• CSR should grow out of personal commitment and dedication.

References

1. Mostovicz, E.I., Kakabadse, A. and Kakabdadse, N.K. (2011) "Academic paper: the four pillars of corporate responsibility: ethics, leadership, personal responsibility and trust" Corporate Governance Vol. 11 (4) pp. 489-500.
2. What is CSR (video): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJMpw1ebVos&feature=related
3. CSR makes competitive sense (video): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njef36RhR_g

Internal control and risk management - a review agenda

The following is a discussion agenda on internal control and risk management:

1. What is internal control and the context of control
2. Framework and scope of internal control
3. Elements of a sound system of internal control
4. The inter-relatedness of internal control and risk management
5. Responsibilities for internal control and risk management
• The board of directors
• Board policies
• Internal audit function
• Audit committee
• Executive management
• Operational personnel
• Listing rule requirements
6. Reviewing the effectiveness of internal control: the process and monitoring of controls

References

1. Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants (2005) "Internal Control and Risk Management: A basic framework", June.
2. KPMG (1999) "The KPMG Review: Internal Control: A practical guide", October.
3. The Institute of internal control: http://www.theiic.org/

Basic ideas as related to the Board of Directors in Corporate Governance

Based on Kim and Nofsinger (2007), I note the following  discussion agenda as related to the basic ideas on the Board of Directors (BOD) in Corporate Governance:

1. Board of Directors' legal duties
2. Board Committees
3. Scrutiny on Board of Directors
4. Considerations of a "good " board
• Independent boards
• Small boards
• Board structures around the world
• Contingency factors that affect quality of the BOD
5. Potential problems with BOD these days
6. Regulations as related to BOD, notably on BOD independence

References

1. Kim, K.A. and Nofsinger, J.R. (2007) Corporate Governance, Pearson
2. All about BOD: http://managementhelp.org/boards/index.htm
3. Related professional body (Canada): http://www.icd.ca/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Mission_and_Vision&Template=/CM/HTMLDisplay.cfm&ContentID=8320
4. Related professional body (Hong Kong): http://www.hkiod.com/

Some relevant external trends on Corporate Governance practices

Based on A. de Kluyver (2009), the following external trends are noted that have impacts on Corporate Governance practices:

1. Rise of shareholder activism
2. Heightened expectations on Corporate Social Responsibility
3. More hostile takeovers
4. More involvement of Board of Directors in corporate crisis management

References

1. A.de. Kluyer, C. (2009) A Primer on Corporate Governance, Business Expert Press. [Chapter 9: Responding to external pressures and unforeseen events]
2. Hostile takeover (video): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJ2XZn9sD2k

Business ethics as related to Accounting

Based on Hartman and Desjardins (2008), I note the following discussion agenda on Business Ethics as related to Accounting study:

1. The environment for corporate governance, including the implications of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act
2. The role of Accountants as "gatekeepers"
3. The concern of "conflicts of interests" for business  professionals
4. On the COSO framework
5. On the "control environment" and the impacts of ethics and culture
6. The obligations of board of directors
7. On the "conflicts of interest" in financial markets and how to cope with these conflicts
8. On "conflicts of interest" arising from excessive executive compensation
9. On insider trading as unethical behavior

References

1. Hartman, L.P. and Desjardins, J. (2008) Business Ethics, McGraw Hill [Chapter 10: Ethical decision making: corporate governance, accounting, and finance]
2. ACCA lecture on ethics (video): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gH33v727u_A&feature=relmfu

CEO performance evaluation and compensation in Corporate Governance

Based on A.de Kluyer (2009), I note the following discussion agenda on the topic of CEO performance evaluation and compensation in Corporate Governance:

1. On CEO performance evaluation and its main challenges
• Uncertainty on roles and responsibilities
• Lack of time
• Lack of agreement on assessment criteria
• Lack of information on nonquantitative performance
2. On dimensions of performance evaluation
• Bottom line impact
• Operational impact
• Leadership effectiveness
3. Executive compensation
• How much?
• Stock options?
• Golden parachutes?
• Some observations on CEO incentives (re: Jensen and Murphy (2005)):
• Annual changes in executive compensation do not reflect changes in corporate performance
• Compensation for CEOs is no more variable than compensation for hourly and salaried employees
• With respect to pay for performance, CEO compensation is getting worse rather than better
• Some advices on CEO incentives (re: Jensen and Murphy (2005)):
• CEOs should own substantial amounts of company stock
• Cash compensation  should be structured to provide high rewards for outstanding peformance and vice versa
• Make real the threat of dismissal
4. On compensation committee
5. On executive compensation best practices

References

1. A.de. Kluyer, C. (2009) A Primer on Corporate Governance, Business Expert Press. [Chapter 8: CEO performance evaluation and executive compensation]
2. Jensen, M.C. and Murphy, K.J. (2005) "CEO incentives - it's not how much you pay, but how", in Chew, Jr., D.H. and Gillan, S.L. (editors) Corporate Governance at the crossroads: a book of readings, McGraw-Hill.
3. On executive pay: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executive_pay
4. A guide on CEO compensation: http://www.investopedia.com/articles/stocks/04/111704.asp#axzz1qyYU0Zkz
5. On effective CEO performance evaluation: http://www.axi.ca/tca/may2004/featurearticle.shtml

Board of Directors' involvement in strategy development in corporate governance

The following points are noted on the board of directors' role in strategy development in Corporate Governance study:

1. People who are involved in and are responsible for strategy development
2. Board strategy engagement: how
• Strategic thinking
• Strategic decision making
• Strategic planning
• Strategy execution
3. Special situation with board of directors' involvement in strategy
• Decision on capital structure
• Takeovers, and Mergers & Acquisitions
• Monitor strategy implementation and choose appropriate metrics
4. The notion of a strategy-focused board

Reference
A.de. Kluyer, C. (2009) A Primer on Corporate Governance, Business Expert Press. [Chapter 7: The Board's role in strategy development]

Board of Directors in Corporate Governance study

Based on A.de Kluyer (2009), I note the following discussion agenda on the topic of Board of Directors in Corporate Governance:

1. The legal framework on Board of Directors' responsibilities
• in good faith
• reasonably believes
• best interests of the corporation
• care
• person in a like position
• under similar circumstances
2. A governance perspective on board of directors' role
3. A contingency perspective on board of directors' role:
• Contingency factors: the nature of the company, industry, competitive situation, presence of special circumstances, e.g. hostile takeover and a corporate crisis
4. Focus on governance, not management
• Governance guidelines
• Director qualification standards
• Director responsibilities
• Director access to management and, if necessary, to independent advisors
• Director compensation
• Director orientation and continuing education
5. Trends as related to Board of Directors
• On board size
• On board membership
• On director independence
6. On board leadership
• Separate chairman and CEO position, or not?
7. Board committees and director compensation
• The audit committee
• The nominating committee
• The compensation committee
• Director compensation

Related note:

Referencess

1. A.de. Kluyer, C. (2009) A Primer on Corporate Governance, Business Expert Press. [Chapter 3: The Board of Directors]
2. On agency theory: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzS3F8MgbK0&feature=relmfu

Introductory notions in Corporate Governance

Based on A.de. Kluyver (2009; chapters 1-2), I identify the following notions and discussion items as an agenda for introductory discussion on the subject of Corporate Governance:

1. Basic elements of Corporate Governance System
• The role of shareholders
• Relevant legal system
• The securities and exchange commission
• The Exchange
• Different national corporate governance systems: US, German, Japanese systems
2. A historical perspective on the evolution of a national corporate governance system
3. The impacts of financial crisis on corporate governance
4. Who own the corporation
• The legal debate, e.g. conduct or accountability
• The societal perspective: e.g. on corporate purpose
• The historical perspective: e.g. the primacy of shareholder interests
5. On the "shared purpose" of corporate governance
• On the idea of "shareholder value maximization" as the right objective
6. A review of the stakeholder theory on corporate governance

Related notes:
Note 1:

Note 2:

References

1. A.de. Kluyer, C. (2009) A Primer on Corporate Governance, Business Expert Press. [Chapter 1: Corporate Governance; Chapter 2: Governance and Accountability]
2. Relevant facebook forum: https://www.facebook.com/josephho33?ref=tn_tnmn#!/groups/101268536591624/
3. Relevant lecture (video): part 1; part 2; part 3; part 4.

On high-performance board in Corporate Governance

Based on A. de. Kluyver (2009), I formulate the following discussion agenda on High-Performance Board in Corporate Governance study:

1. Board of Directors' main duties:
• provide oversight
• direct the company's affairs as defined by law
• Directors' individual and collective motivation and capabilities
2. Characteristics of an effective board
• Contribute to strategic thinking and feel a strong sense of strategy ownership
• Build the top executive team
• Link reward to performance, with balanced short-term and long-term focus
• Focus on financial viability
• Match risk (e.g. operational risk) with return
• Manage corporate reputation by focusing on transparency and effective communication
• Set the tone from top and implement an effective governance model
3. Board leadership based on right leadership: considerations of a nonexecutive chair or the lead director model
4. Key responisibilities of a chair
• Manage the board
• Maintain communication with others, e.g senior management
• Play a leading role in CEO succession planning
• Evaluate board and resolve conflicts
5. The concern of a heightened sense of role ambiguity and role conflict of the board
6. Evaluate the formal and informal rules on group behavior and individual behavior of board
7. Barriers to board effectiveness:
• Time and information deficits
• knowledge on the company's financial results and competitive positions
• knowledge on the company's culture and customers'/ employees' feeling about the company
• Need to monitor the company's compliance with legeal and ethical standards
• Need to monitor business unit peformance wiht dashboards and scorecards
• Need to access external advisors
8. Build the right board composition
9. Self evaluation of board with, for examples, (i) the audit committee, and (ii) checking to ensure the board's qualification are acceptable to the company.

References

1. A.de. Kluyer, C. (2009) A Primer on Corporate Governance, Business Expert Press. [Chapter 10: Creating a High-Performance Board]
2. On corporate governance: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporate_governance

Compliance and risk management in Corporate Governance

Based on A.deKluyer (2009), a discussion agenda is formulated on the topic of Compliance and Risk Management in Corporate Governance study:

1. The managerial implications of the new regulatory climate
• The provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act
• The changing role of the audit committee and the audit committee's relationship with outside auditors
• Warren Buffett's view on the challenges facing the audit committee
2. Legal issues in oversight of Board of Directors
• Board of directors' duty of care
• The Business Judgment rule
• The duty of Oversight
• How can a board protect itself?
3. Early warning signals ( red flags) for the board to spot a corporate culure that is susceptible to conflicts of interest and manaagement abuse
4. Questions about ethics and compliance for the board
5. Questions about hedging, derivatives and trading risks
6. On Enterprise Risk Management: its aims and the board of directors' role in the risk-management process
7. On codes of ethics and codes of conduct
• A good code of ethics is for the CEO to sign and for the board of directors to endorse

References

1. A.de. Kluyer, C. (2009) A Primer on Corporate Governance, Business Expert Press. [Chapter 6: Oversight, Compliance, and Risk Management]
2. On Sarbanes-Oxley Act: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarbanes%E2%80%93Oxley_Act; also refer to related video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Hrl2FhOf6s&feature=related
3. On enterprise risk management: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enterprise_risk_management
4. Scope of enterprise risk management (video): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9iSFiBWVmI
5. Internal control (video): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTIVVb5nHXw&feature=related
6. Internal control lectures (video): Lecture 1; Lecture 2; lecture 3.
7. On  audit committee lecture (video) : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSpNZZWFTJY

CEO selection and succession planning in Corporate Governance

Based on A.de. Kluyver (2009) , a discussion agenda is produced on CEO selection and succession plannning in the study domain of Corporate Governance, as follows:

1. Board of Directors' responsibility on CEO Selection
2. CEO succession planning as an ongoing process
3. Types of CEO turnovers and the managerial implications
4. Common board mistakes in CEO selection and CEO replacement strategies
5. Insider or outsider as CEO: pros and cons
6. How to groom the next CEO and the challenges of doing so
7. Major components of effective CEO succession planning:
• 5-10 years' planning
• Involvement of the full board
• An open ongoing dialogue with an annual review
• A shared and comprehensive selection  criteria
• A formal assessment process
• A good working relationshup wotj an executive search firm
• A comprehensive emergency succession plan

References

1. A.de. Kluyer, C. (2009) A Primer on Corporate Governance, Business Expert Press. [Chapter 5: CEO Selection ad Succession Planning]
2. On CEO selection: http://executivesource.ca/uncategorized/the-ceo-selection-challenge/
3. Corporate board and CEO selection (pdf): http://www.enterpriseethics.org/Portals/0/gl_corp_boards_ceo_succession_holcomb.pdf