Monthly archive

Director of the Asian Peace-building & Rule of Law Program (APRL) at SMU School of Law, Mahdev Mohan, co-wrote a commentary on investment in Myanmar. He said that although Myanmar has instituted a series of political reforms that will attract investors to the country, companies should respect human rights and not let the gold rush result in human abuse. He added that the Centre for Corporate & Investor Responsibility at the Sim Kee Boon Institute for Financial Economics at SMU is currently studying how countries such as Myanmar should address human rights risks. The studies show that the prudent use of resources could help the country overcome poverty, but human abuses coupled with conflict, corruption and corporate complicity could lead to significant business-related harm. 

The judging criteria for a widely-followed award for corporate governance is being revamped to give shareholders a greater say and to add to its international credibility. In a new two-part process to be used this year, a team from the Sim Kee Boon Institute for Financial Economics (SKBI) at SMU will identify companies that score highly on its own SKBI Singapore Corporate Governance Index and those with good shareholder rights practices. The SKBI index, is based on principles developed by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development and uses criteria such as equitable treatment of shareholders and transparency.

The selection process of a corporate governance award given out by the Securities Investors Association (Singapore), or SIAS, has been changed from this year onwards. Previously, the award's selection process assessed companies for whether they complied with and exceeded the recommendations of the Code of Corporate Governance in Singapore. This time, the annual Singapore Corporate Governance Award will reflect the input of international fund managers and analysts, as well as whether companies follow international best practices. This year, SIAS developed a new scoring methodology with the Sim Kee Boon Institute for Financial Economics at SMU, as well as Brendan Wood International, a consultancy that helps clients measure how they perform in the capital markets.