autres publications Gouvernance Normes d'encadrement
La Suède fait son bilan et dessine le futur
Ivan Tchotourian 27 septembre 2015
Très intéressant le rapport annuel du Swedish Corporate Governance Board : « Annual report 2015 ». En plus de ce bilan (selon lequel « The number of deviations from the Code fell last year, as has been the case in many years, but this trend has not continued this year. This year’s survey shows a higher number of reported deviations at a higher number of companies »), les perspectives font une ouverture très claire à la responsabilité sociétale (aux pp. 29 et s.).
The Swedish Corporate Governance Board’s ambition is that its Annual Report not only describes the work of the Board and how the Code has been applied during the past year, but also provides a forum for discussion and debate on current corporate governance issues, both in Sweden and internationally. The Board therefore invites external contributors to publish articles and opinions within the field of corporate governance that are deemed of general interest. The content of these articles is the responsibility of the respective author, and any opinions or positions expressed are not necessarily shared by the Board.
The first two articles address issues concerning com- panies’ work within the fields of sustainability or CSR, a highly topical subject where there is much confusi- on about what this actually is and what it has to do with a company’s operations. Karolina Dubowicz, of the Swedish communications consultancy Hallvarsson & Halvarsson, attempts to clarify the concepts and what they mean. Sarah McPhee, CEO of savings and insurance firm SPP, describes her company’s work and strategy regarding sustainable value creation, as well as her own thoughts on the subject. (…)
Pour accéder au code suédois de gouvernance : Code suédois de gouvernance d’entreprise (Swedish Corporate Governance Board, « Swedish Corporate Governance Code », 2010)
Attention, une révision de ce code est en marche et devrait aboutir à une réforme en novembre 2015 !
À la prochaine…
Ivan Tchotourian
autres publications Gouvernance Normes d'encadrement
Nouveau code de gouvernance au Japon (détour par le Stewardship Code)
Ivan Tchotourian 28 juillet 2015
À l’hiver 2015, le Japon a publié son nouveau code de gouvernance d’entreprise suite au lancement de la stratégie de revitalisation du Japon lancé en 2014. C’est le 1er juin 2015 que ce nouveau code est entré en vigueur.
Dès l’introduction, les mots sont lâchés : « In this Corporate Governance Code, “corporate governance” means a structure for transparent, fair, timely and decisive decision-making by companies, with due attention to the needs and perspectives of shareholders and also customers, employees and local communities ».
Quels principes retrouve-t-on énoncés ?
- Section 1: Securing the Rights and Equal Treatment of Shareholders
- Section 2: Appropriate Cooperation with Stakeholders Other Than Shareholders
- Section 3: Ensuring Appropriate Information Disclosure and Transparency
- Section 4: Responsibilities of the Board
- Section 5: Dialogue with Shareholders
Pour accéder au code de gouvernance intitulé « Japan’s Corporate Governance Code – Seeking Sustainable Corporate Growth and Increased Corporate Value over the Mid- to Long-Term » : cliquez ici.
Pour un commentaire accessible librement sur Internet, vous pourrez aller au lien suivant : ici (cabinet Jones Day). Petit morceau choisi :
The Code takes the « Principles-Based Approach » and « Comply or Explain Approach. » As such, the Code is not prescriptive, and certain principles are purposely drafted in general terms to leave flexibility. The Code expects companies to apply the spirit of the principles set forth under the Code, not follow literally the text of the principles as if they were statutory provisions. The Code leaves room for companies to consider what should work for them to achieve effective corporate governance, and it permits them to decide whether to comply with the principles under the Code or choose not to do so, with a proper explanation of the reasons for not doing so.
Finally, in order to better understand the Code, it is important to know unique features of the Companies Act of Japan, which provides for the three types of corporate governance structures for Japanese listed companies to choose: (i) a company with the board of kansayaku corporate auditors, (ii) a company with three committees (nominating, compensation, and audit committees), and (iii) a company with an audit committee with supervisory functions. Legally, these three types of governance structures are treated equally under Japanese law, and the Code is neutral as to these three governance structures. There are, however, a certain number of Code provisions that are intended to apply primarily to companies with the board of kansayaku corporate auditors since it is not required to have external directors or to have nomination or compensation committees.
Une année auparavant, le Japon par l’intermédiaire de sa Financial Services Agency avait publié son nouveau Stewardship Code (entré en vigueur le 7 avril 2014) : « “Principles for Responsible Institutional Investors” «Japan’s Stewardship Code» – To promote sustainable growth of companies through investment and dialogue ». Les 7 principes énoncés sont les suivants :
- Institutional investors should have a clear policy on how they fulfill their stewardship responsibilities,and publicly disclose it.
- Institutional investors should have a clear policy on how they manage conflicts of interest in fulfilling their stewardship responsibilities and publicly disclose it.
- Institutional investors should monitorinvestee companies so that they can appropriately fulfill their stewardship responsibilities with an orientation towards the sustainable growth of the companies.
- Institutional investors should seek to arrive at an understanding in common with investee companies and work to solve problems through constructive engagement with investee companies.
- Institutional investors should have a clear policy on voting and disclosure of voting activity.The policy on voting should not be comprised only of a mechanical checklist; it should be designed to contribute to the sustainable growth of investee companies.
- Institutional investors in principle should report periodically on how they fulfill their stewardship responsibilities,including their voting responsibilities,to their clients and beneficiaries.
- To contribute positively to the sustainable growth of investee companies, institutional investors should have in-depth knowledge ofthe investee companies and their business environment and skills and resources needed to appropriately engage with the companies and make proper judgments in fulfilling their stewardship activities.
À la prochaine…
Ivan Tchotourian
