Understanding the Corporate Governance Score: Are Some Components of Corporate Governance Overrated? Evidence from a Developing Country

Abstract

The corporate governance structure of companies has been subjected to intense examination in recent time due mainly to recent corporate collapses and other financial mis-conduct by management. The benefits of an effective corporate governance structure are well documented, ranging from reduce cost of capital to improved transparency in ethics, morality and financial disclosure. Evaluating the effectiveness of a company’s corporate governance structure normally involves the use of a corporate governance score. This study investigates the appropriateness of some of the more commonly used components in compiling the corporate governance score. The study found that the presence of both an audit committee and a compensation committee along with effect of CEO duality had significant statistical effect on the corporate governance score. However, the results also showed that the size of the board and the number of independent directors were not statistically significant components of the corporate governance score.