Various Committees on Corporate

Governance

Various Committees on Corporate

Governance
With the CG reports of Adrian Cadbury in the United Kingdom, Mervyn King in South Africa and Kumarmangalam Birla in India the subject was reduced to controlling shareholder operations and ensure ethical practices in the financial sector. From there, it has moved into other areas of the organization but unfortunately restricts itself to the management and control of funds. The ambit of significance of CG lies far beyond this.

Cadbury Committee Report (1992)

The Cadbury Report, titled Financial Aspects of Corporate Governance, is a report of a committee chaired by Sir. George Adrian Cadbury that sets out recommendations on the arrangement of company boards and accounting systems to mitigate corporate governance risks and failures.

Cadbury Committee Report (1992)

The 'Cadbury Committee' was set up in May 1991 with a view to overcome the huge problems of scams and failures occurring in the corporate sector worldwide in the late 1980s and the early 1990s. It was formed by the Financial Reporting Council, the London Stock of Exchange and the accountancy profession, with the main aim of addressing the financial aspects of Corporate Governance.

Other objectives include :

i. uplift the low level of confidence both in financial reporting and in the ability of auditors to provide the safeguards which the users of company's reports sought and expected; ii. review the structure, rights and roles of board of directors, shareholders and auditors by making them more effective and accountable; iii. address various aspects of accountancy profession and make appropriate recommendations, wherever necessary; iv. raise the standard of corporate governance; etc

Keeping this in view, the Committee published its final report on 1st December 1992.
The report was mainly divided into three parts:I. Reviewing the structure and responsibilities of Boards of Directors and recommending a Code of Best Practice

I.

Considering the role of Auditors and addressing a number of recommendations to the Accountancy Profession Dealing with the Rights and Responsibilities of Shareholders

II.

(I)
Reviewing the structure and responsibilities of Boards of Directors and recommending a Code of Best Practice

 The boards of all listed companies should comply with the Code of Best Practice. All listed companies should make a statement about their compliance with the Code in their report and accounts as well as give reasons for any areas of noncompliance.

The Code of Best Practice is segregated into four sections and their respective recommendations are :-

1. Board of Directors - The board should meet regularly, retain full and effective control over the company and monitor the executive management. There should be a clearly accepted division of responsibilities at the head of a company, which will ensure a balance of power and authority, such that no one individual has unfettered powers of decision. All directors should have access to the advice and services of the company secretary, who is responsible to the Board for ensuring that board procedures are followed and that applicable rules and regulations are complied with.

2. Non-Executive Directors - The non-executive directors should bring an independent judgement to bear on issues of strategy, performance, resources, including key appointments, and standards of conduct. The majority of non-executive directors should be independent of management and free from any business or other relationship which could materially interfere with the exercise of their independent judgment, apart from their fees and shareholding.

3. Executive Directors There should be full and clear disclosure of directors total emoluments and those of the chairman and highest-paid directors, including pension contributions and stock options, in the company's annual report, including separate figures for salary and performance-related pay.

4. Financial Reporting and Controls - It is the duty of the board to present a balanced and understandable assessment of their companys position, in reporting of financial statements, for providing true and fair picture of financial reporting. The directors should report that the business is a going concern, with supporting assumptions or qualifications as necessary. The board should ensure that an objective and professional relationship is maintained with the auditors.

(II)
Considering the role of Auditors and addressing a number of recommendations to the Accountancy Profession

 The Cadbury Committee recommended that a professional and objective relationship between the board of directors and auditors should be maintained, so as to provide to all a true and fair view of company's financial statements. Auditors' role is to design audit in such a manner so that it provide a reasonable assurance that the financial statements are free of material misstatements. Further, there is a need to develop more effective accounting standards, which provide important reference points against which auditors exercise their professional judgement.

 Secondly, every listed company should form an audit committee which gives the auditors direct access to the nonexecutive members of the board. The Committee further recommended for a regular rotation of audit partners to prevent unhealthy relationship between auditors and the management. It also recommended for disclosure of payments to the auditors for non-audit services to the company.

The Accountancy Profession, in conjunction with representatives of preparers of accounts, should take the lead in:-

(i) developing a set of criteria for assessing effectiveness; (ii) developing guidance for companies on the
form in which directors should report; and

(iii) developing guidance for auditors on relevant audit procedures and the form in which auditors should report.
However, it should continue to improve its standards and procedures.

(III)
Dealing with the Rights and Responsibilities of

Shareholders

 The Committee's report places particular emphasis on the need for fair and accurate reporting of a company's progress to its shareholders, which is the responsibility of the board. It is encouraged that the institutional investors/shareholders to make greater use of their voting rights and take positive interest in the board functioning. Both shareholders and boards of directors should consider how the effectiveness of general meetings could be increased as well as how to strengthen the accountability of boards of directors to shareholders.

KUMAR MANGALAM BIRLA COMMITTEE REPORT ON CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

Appointed by the SEBI

Shri Kumar Mangalam Birla

 It is almost a truism that the adequacy and the quality of corporate governance shape the growth and the future of any capital market and economy. The concept of corporate governance has been attracting public attention for quite some time in India. The topic is no longer confined to the halls of academia and is increasingly finding acceptance for its relevance and underlying importance in the industry and capital markets.

 The Committees recommendations are not based on any one model but are designed for the Indian environment.

Corporate governance extends beyond corporate law. Its fundamental objective is not mere fulfillment of the requirements of law but in ensuring commitment of the board in managing the company in a transparent manner for maximising long term shareholder value.

 In early 1999, Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) had set up a committee under Shri Kumar Mangalam Birla, member SEBI Board, to promote and raise the standards of good corporate governance. The report submitted by the committee is the first formal and comprehensive attempt to evolve a Code of Corporate Governance', in the context of prevailing conditions of governance in Indian companies, as well as the state of capital markets.

The Committee's terms of the reference were to:

1) suggest suitable amendments to the listing agreement executed by the stock exchanges with the companies and any other measures to improve the standards of corporate governance in the listed companies, in areas such as continuous disclosure of material information, both financial and non-financial, manner and frequency of such disclosures, responsibilities of independent and outside directors;

The Committee's terms of the reference were to:

2) draft a code of corporate best practices; and 3) suggest safeguards to be instituted within the companies to deal with insider information and insider trading.

 The primary objective of the committee was to view corporate governance from the perspective of the investors and shareholders and to prepare a Code' to suit the Indian corporate environment. The committee had identified the Shareholders, the Board of Directors and the Management as the three key constituents of corporate governance and attempted to identify in respect of each of these constituents, their roles and responsibilities as also their rights in the context of good corporate governance.

 Corporate governance has several claimants shareholders and other stakeholders which include suppliers, customers, creditors, and the bankers, the employees of the company, the government and the society at large. The Report had been prepared by the committee, keeping in view primarily the interests of a particular class of stakeholders, namely, the shareholders, who together with the investors form the principal constituency of SEBI while not ignoring the needs of other stakeholders

Mandatory and non-mandatory recommendations

The committee divided the recommendations into two categories, namely, mandatory and non- mandatory. The recommendations which are absolutely essential for corporate governance can be defined with precision and which can be enforced through the amendment of the listing agreement could be classified as mandatory. Others, which are either desirable or which may require change of laws, may, for the time being, be classified as non-mandatory.

Mandatory Recommendations:
Applies To Listed Companies With Paid Up Capital Of Rs.3 Crore And Above Composition Of Board Of Directors Optimum Combination Of Executive & NonExecutive Directors Audit Committee With 3 Independent Directors with One Having Financial and Accounting Knowledge. Remuneration Committee

Mandatory Recommendations:
Board Procedures At least 4 Meetings Of The Board In A Year With Maximum Gap Of 4 Months Between 2 Meetings. To Review Operational Plans, Capital Budgets, Quarterly Results, Minutes Of Committee's Meeting. Director Shall Not Be A Member Of More Than 10 Committee And Shall Not Act As Chairman Of More Than 5 Committees Across All Companies Management Discussion And Analysis Report Covering Industry Structure, Opportunities, Threats, Risks, Outlook, Internal Control System Information Sharing With Shareholders

Non-Mandatory Recommendations:
Role Of Chairman Remuneration Committee Of Board Shareholders' Right For Receiving Half Yearly Financial Performance Postal Ballot Covering Critical Matters Like Alteration In Memorandum Etc Sale Of Whole Or Substantial Part Of The Undertaking Corporate Restructuring Further Issue Of Capital Venturing Into New Businesses

 As per the committee, the recommendations should be made applicable to the listed companies, their directors, management, employees and professionals associated with such companies, in accordance with the time table proposed in the schedule given later in this section. Compliance with the code should be both in letter and spirit and should always be in a manner that gives precedence to substance over form. The ultimate responsibility for putting the recommendations into practice lies directly with the board of directors and the management of the company.

 The recommendations will apply to all the listed private and public sector companies, in accordance with the schedule of implementation. As for listed entities, which are not companies, but body corporates (e.g. private and public sector banks, financial institutions, insurance companies etc.) incorporated under other statutes, the recommendations will apply to the extent that they do not violate their respective statutes, and guidelines or directives issued by the relevant regulatory authorities .

 The Committee recognizes that compliance with the recommendations would involve restructuring the existing boards of companies. It also recognizes that some companies, especially the smaller ones, may have difficulty in immediately complying with these conditions. The recommendations were implemented through Clause 49 of the Listing Agreements, in a phased manner by SEBI.