Corporate governance

A business entity is an entity that is formed and administered as per commercial law in order to engage in business activities, charitable work, or other activities allowable.

A subsidiary, subsidiary company or daughter company is a company that is owned or controlled by another company, which is called the parent company, parent, or holding company.

A partnership is an arrangement where parties, known as partners, agree to cooperate to advance their mutual interests.

Incorporation is the forming of a new corporation (a corporation being a legal entity that is effectively recognized as a person under the law).

Internal control, as defined in accounting and auditing, is a process for assuring achievement of an organization's objectives in operational effectiveness and efficiency, reliable financial reporting, and compliance with laws, regulations and policies.

A dividend is a payment made by a corporation to its shareholders, usually as a distribution of profits.

Initial public offering (IPO) or stock market launch is a type of public offering in which shares of a company usually are sold to institutional investors that in turn, sell to the general public, on a securities exchange, for the first time.

An annual general meeting (commonly abbreviated as AGM, also known as the annual meeting) is a meeting of the general membership of an organization.

Crisis management is the process by which an organization deals with a major event that threatens to harm the organization, its stakeholders, or the general public.

In financial markets, a share is a unit of account for various investments.

A management buyout (MBO) is a form of acquisition where a company's existing managers acquire a large part or all of the company from either the parent company or from the private owners.

A limited liability partnership (LLP) is a partnership in which some or all partners (depending on the jurisdiction) have limited liabilities.

The Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC) is an independent Australian government body that acts as Australia's corporate regulator.

An annual report is a comprehensive report on a company's activities throughout the preceding year.

A municipal bond is a bond issued by a local government or territory, or one of their agencies.

Cumulative voting (also accumulation voting, weighted voting or multi-voting) is a multiple-winner voting system intended to promote more proportional representation than winner-take-all elections.

A division of a business or business division (sometimes called a business sector) is one of the parts into which a business, organization or company is divided.

A zero-coupon bond (also discount bond or deep discount bond) is a bond bought at a price lower than its face value, with the face value repaid at the time of maturity.

The President is a leader of an organization, company, community, club, trade union, university or other group.

Institutional Investor Advisory Services India Limited (known colloquially as IiAS) is an Indian proxy firm that provides voting recommendations on shareholder resolutions of Indian listed companies.

A board-only organization is one that is managed by a board that is self-appointed or otherwise not accountable (for all practical purposes) to a base of members through elections, a delegate body, etc.

Executive compensation or executive pay is composed of the financial compensation and other non-financial awards received by an executive from their firm for their service to the organization.

An executive officer (often abbreviated XO) is generally a person responsible for running an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization.

In 2010, the United States implemented the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act; the law required financial firms around the world to report accounts held by US citizens to the Internal Revenue Service.

The Institute of Directors (IoD) is a business organisation for company directors, senior business leaders and entrepreneurs.

A chief scientific officer (CSO) is an executive who manages the scientific, research or technological operations of a company or organization.

The National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) is an independent, not-for-profit, section 501(c)(3) founded in 1977 and headquartered in Washington, D.

The Modern Corporation and Private Property is a book written by Adolf Berle and Gardiner Means published in 1932 regarding the foundations of United States corporate law.

Directors' duties are a series of statutory, common law and equitable obligations owed primarily by members of the board of directors to the corporation that employs them.

The title chief governing officer (CGO) is an uncommon term used to designate the chairman of the board or an officeholder with another title who is considered ultimately accountable for the governance of that organization.

InfoSTEP is a company that sells products in the areas of business intelligence, corporate governance, risk management, data integration, data quality, data services, emerging technologies, cloud computing, master data management and IT business management (ITBM).

The Institute of Directors in New Zealand is a New Zealand-based organisation that supports, represents and sets standards for company directors in New Zealand.