Prof Susan Watson - Good Faith and Corporate Purpose

The History of Business Law and Governance Workshop examined the trajectory of business law and governance and the various theoretical and doctrinal twists and turns it has taken along the way. It explored the historical underpinnings of a range of key contemporary corporate governance issues, including the nature of the corporation, fiduciary law and the role of corporate officeholders, institutional investors and shareholder engagement/activism, insider trading, corporate social responsibility and ESG, and executive compensation. It also analysed these issues against the backdrop of some major themes in contemporary business law and governance, such as legal origins, convergence versus path dependence, and international versus jurisdictional governance pressure points.

The Workshop was convened jointly by Monash Law’s Centre for Commercial Law and Regulatory Studies (CLARS); University of Auckland Waipapa Taumata Rau Business School; and Queen’s University Belfast, in collaboration with the European Corporate Governance Institute (ECGI).