How successfully China has applied the OECD principles of corporate governance: a critical assessment

This paper attempts to critically analyze how successful China has been in applying the OECD principles of corporate governance. In doing so, assessment has been made in light of the six core issues of the OECD principles. A satisfactory level of progress has been noted in China’s legal and regulatory framework since the 1990s. New laws, regulations, and rules have been enacted, existing ones have been amended, and all the required institutions have been built accordingly in order to ensure good corporate governance practices in the country. However, there are still bottlenecks in terms of the enforcement of these laws, regulations, and rules mainly due to the various structural limitations in the Chinese administration and judiciary. The paper argues that China should now move forward with an accelerated enforcement agenda in the area of corporate governance in order to make China Inc. more competitive and sustainable.     

A new look at the impact of U.S. import barriers on corporate profit expectations

A New Look at the Impact of U.S. Import Barriers on Corporate Profit Expectations. — The notion that industries benefit from protection is firmly grounded in trade theory. However, previous “event studies” measuring the impact of trade restrictions on stock prices reveal that shareholders expect no improvement in industry profits from protection. The implication is that barriers designed to promote industry adjustment are considered ineffective by equity holders. This investigation of U.S. “Escape Clause” cases shows that shareholders do expect protection to enhance profits, but not universally. Outcomes are linked to the type of trade measure selected, with industries protected by tariffs or global quotas faring better than those shielded by nonglobal “Orderly Marketing Agreements.”     

Industrial policy,corporate governance,and the competitiveness of China's national champions: The case of Shanghai Baosteel Group

The paper presents an in-depth case study of the Shanghai Baosteel Group as a contribution to the overall assessment of the competitiveness and catch-up capability of the Chinese national champions after China's WTO accession. Significant competitive advantages of the firm in the domestic industry are identified, with cautionary remarks concerning the future stiff competition with the global steel giants. Through detailed examinations of the corporate governance mechanism and the industrial policy implementation in Baosteel and the whole steel sector, the paper sheds light on the institutional and policy challenges that the Chinese government has to face in building up its big businesses. It is concluded that whether Baosteel could emerge as a globally competitive steel firm depends critically upon the effectiveness of both the further reform of the state-dominated corporate governance system and the improvement of the industrial policy enforcement.     

Foreign direct investment by Japanese firms and corporate governance: in relation to the monetary policies of China, Korea and Japan

Reflecting upon the lessons from the Asian currency crises, more attention is being paid to the importance of consolidation for the domestic financial and capital markets, as well as international cooperation to avoid disturbing factors from abroad, such as massive inflows of speculative capital. The aim of financial reforms being executed in the East Asian countries, such as Japan, Korea, and China, is to improve the managerial efficiency of the business corporations and financial institutions.Recently, foreign direct investment by Japanese firms in the rest of the East Asia has been recovering. However, the existence of a financial system to realize optimal corporate governance is indispensable for the enhancement of direct investment. Namely, it is necessary to improve corporate profitability, and to distribute the increment of such profits between the host and the investor countries, in order to boost the welfare of the respective citizens, notwithstanding the type of foreign direct investment.