Study on theories and mechanisms of corporate governance

Abstract

This paper aims to review the theories of corporate governance for understanding the theoretical basis of corporate governance mechanisms. Major theoretical studies on corporate governance, including studies done in emerging economies, are included in the review. The paper looks at corporate governance theories from value creation point of view. It is observed that the two perspectives of corporate governance, i.e., shareholder and stakeholder perspectives, are not in contrast to each other but are pointing towards the same goal, i.e., value creation. However, one points towards value creation for shareholders and the other points towards creation of societal value. While reviewing theoretical underpinnings and assumptions for corporate governance perspectives, due consideration has been given to the development of corporate governance mechanism based on various existing theories. A theoretical framework for understanding the relationship between corporate governance mechanism and corporate performance has been proposed. Emerging challenges for corporate governance theories have also been indicated. This being a review paper, one of the major limitations is an unintentional omission of some literature because of non-availability or non-reachability. Literature that would have been present in languages other than English could also not been included in the review.