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ECONOMICS AND MANAGERIAL DECISION MAKING
Trefor Jones
Manchester School of Management
UMIST

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PART I g CORPORATE GOVERNANCE AND BUSINESS OBJECTIVES

INTRODUCTION Firms are major economic institutions in market economies. They come in all shapes and sizes, but have the following common characteristics: g g g g

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Owners. Managers. Objectives. A pool of resources (labour, physical capital, ¢nancial capital and learned skills and competences) to be allocated roles by managers. Administrative or organizational structures through which production is organized. Performance assessment by owners, managers and other stakeholders.

Whatever its size, a ¢rm is owned by someone or some group of individuals or organizations. These are termed shareholders and they are able to determine the objectives and activities of the ¢rm. They also appoint the senior managers who will make day-to-day decisions. The owners bear the risks associated with operating the ¢rm and have the right to receive the residual income or pro¢ts. Where ownership rights are dispersed, control of the ¢rm may not lie with the shareholders but with senior managers. This divorce between ownership and control and its implication for the operation and performance of the ¢rm is at the centre of many of the issues dealt with in this book.

OWNERSHIP STRUCTURES The dominant model of the ¢rm in Western economies is the limited liability company owned by shareholders, but the form varies signi¢cantly between countries. In some countries the control rights of the owners are limited by powers given to stakeholders who may share in the appointment and supervision of