In the securities industry of the Czech Republic corporate governance plays a essential position in instilling trader self-confidence and ensuring an effective market. Post the tumble of Communism, the financial system was transitioned from condition owned to capitalist in a quite limited time. Since then, the Czech Republic has appear a prolonged way to speedily achieve specifications of other capitalist marketplaces and successfully acquire accession into the European Union. As the market place carries on its progression, the require for transparency of data and alignment among board customers and managers in corporations greatens.
From the Czech Republic’s voucher privatization program in 1992 to the late 1990’s, company governance was seen negatively and/or non-existent for publicly traded Czech organizations. A path commenced with a deficiency of regulation, continued with a absence of enforcement, and ultimately turned directions beginning in 1998 with the Securities Commission Act. Even now, as Czech businesses attempt to turn into far more competitive on a world-wide scale in the market place, the realization amongst corporations of the need for structured corporate governance and more transparency in their reporting of information will take keep as a continued effort needed to report and align enterprise goals with individuals of other stakeholders.
Via an examination of the leading 10 publicly traded firms, in terms of market place capitalization, on the Prague Stock Exchange, I will assess the availability of information regarding company governance in get to discern the existing condition of compliance with the Corporate Governance Code. This info will provide as a benchmark and will allow investors to relate the positions of the biggest firms on the PSE to other companies in the Czech Republic, and apply the information normally to the Czech securities market. The final results enable buyers and other stakeholders to get an idea of company governance practices and the transparency of data in the firms running in the Czech Republic right now.
Recent Condition of Corporate Governance
I flip now to the investigation of the company governance disclosure in modern Czech industry. Using the 10 premier publicly traded companies (see Desk one) detailed on the Prague Stock Exchange in terms of market capitalization, I will determine the diploma of their said corporate governance coverage disclosure as located in their most latest once-a-year stories. This is the 2004 once-a-year report for all of the organizations. Furthermore, I will briefly assess the availability of data on the companies’ internet sites.
Table one
Leading Ten Listed Firms on the PSE
Rank Company Industry Cap. (Mil. CZK)Industry Cap. (Mil. USD)
one ČEZ 402,881 sixteen,293
2 Erste Financial institution 317,598 twelve,844
3 Český Telecom a hundred and sixty,014 6,471
4 Komerční Banka 128,397 five,193
5 Unipetrol forty two,922 1,736
6 Zentiva forty one,683 1,686
7 CETV 39,718 one,606
8 Philip Morris ČR 32,816 one,327
9 Severočeské Doly fourteen,434 584
10 Prazská Energetika eleven,492 465
Resource: Prague Stock Exchange, Novermber 2005
ČEZ
ČEZ, a joint inventory organization, is the biggest electricity conglomerate in Central and Eastern Europe. The company’s site has an trader segment with details on shares, bonds, and economic details, and lists the date of the yearly general assembly, but does not offer info especially connected to company governance methods and construction in general. Shareholder composition, relations, and dividends are offered on the website. Within the once-a-year report, ČEZ follows the German company governance model, and has essential members of the board also element of administration. Board composition and board members are discussed thoroughly. The board of directors meets weekly as a make a difference of apply, exactly where the requirement is monthly. The organization complies with the Industrial Code concerning safety of shareholder rights, and bases its company governance on the Company Governance Code. The ČEZ Group truly participated in the 2004 drafting of the Corporate Governance Code. General, the firm reports on most of the key corporate governance places, but does not have one segment devoted to their plan, creating it necessary to scan the whole report for related info.
Erste Bank
Erste Lender, based mostly in Austria, is the leading monetary companies service provider in Central Europe. Its web site consists of an trader relations region in which thorough details is provided, and also a company governance area in which the organization discloses it follows the Austrian Code of Corporate Governance in exercise. In the yearly report, the business discloses it follows all of the statutory principles of the Code, and adheres to most of the recommendations. It directs individuals to the site for the true provisions of company governance, making the data obtainable, but not thorough inside the yearly report alone. In addition, policies regarding shareholder legal rights have been not effortless to discern.
Český Telecom
Český Telecom is a telecommunications team that operates primarily in the Czech Republic. The firm has a website with shareholder data such as board framework and notification of the yearly standard meeting. In addition, accessibility to the firm’s once-a-year report leads to in depth company governance dialogue. The firm acknowledges enhanced reporting in this spot beginning with the 2004 once-a-year report as in comparison to prior yearly studies, and as mentioned in the 2002 annual report, the business will be in entire compliance of the Company Governance Code by 2005. One particular observe created in the report consists of a record of the users of the supervisory board that qualify as impartial, an crucial provision as suggested by the 2004 Code.
Komerční Banka
Komerční Banka is amid the most critical banks in the Czech Republic and the Central and Jap European region, and offers comprehensive companies for customers in retail, corporate, and investment decision banking. The company’s internet site provides obtain to crucial shareholder details, and has an trader relations section. Even so, there is not a specific corporate governance segment. Accessing the once-a-year report enables a single to see most of the requirements of company governance, but there is neither specific mention of their general coverage in the direction of corporate governance nor mention of their adherence or deficiency there of to the Company Governance Code.
Unipetrol
Unipetrol, a group of organizations that operate in the chemical industries sector of the Czech Republic, is a major firm in Central Europe. The company’s site has immediate backlinks to board associates as effectively as an investor webpage with accessibility to its yearly stories, but does not provide in depth company governance info. The once-a-year report does not enhance upon the company governance policy of the organization. There is no assertion concerning the company’s plan towards corporate governance, and the details provided is mostly a list of board customers. Skills are not offered, and shareholder rights are not disclosed or discussed.
Zentiva
Zentiva is a pharmaceutical group that retains foremost positions in the Czech and Slovak markets, and amongst the premier players in Central and Japanese Europe. Zentiva’s website offers comprehensive corporate governance info, including the genuine principles governing the boards. trade license in the Czech Republic Trader relations also has a well known position on the firm’s web site, and lists shareholder information, the day of the general assembly, and other important info. As said in the once-a-year report, the business adheres to the Dutch Corporate Governance Code.
CETV
Central European Media Enterprises, or CME, is traded on the Prague Stock Trade as CETV. The company, dependent in Bermuda, is an worldwide television broadcasting organization, and operates a group of networks and stations across Central and Jap Europe. The company’s website consists of the users of the board and their qualifications, as effectively as economic outcomes and firm insurance policies such as their Code of Ethics. Interestingly, analyst studies concerning CME are available on the company’s web site. CME is listed on NASDAQ, so once-a-year report details is obtainable through their site below SEC filings.
Philip Morris ČR
Philip Morris ČR is an affiliate of Philip Morris International, whose parent business is Altria Team. The site for Philip Morris directs all traders inquiring about shareholder information to its mum or dad firm’s web site, though some financial data, its basic conference date, and agenda is disclosed for its Kutna Hora area in the Czech Republic. Just as was the circumstance for CETV, Altria Group has extensive data disclosed in its SEC filings. On the Altria Group web site, company governance is discussed thoroughly, and the by-rules as nicely as board associates and governance suggestions are shown.
Severočeské Doly
Severočeské Doly is the biggest producer of brown coal in the Czech Republic. The business mines, processes, and sells brown coal and its by-merchandise. The firm’s website lists the board members and their qualifications and shareholder framework. There is no area devoted to company governance composition or plan. Within the once-a-year report, the organization disclosed they do not comply with the Corporate Governance Code, but it does respect the legal demands and it hopes to undertake a lot more principles in the future. Important places of corporate governance are simple to locate in the report, and even though the business states it does not follow the Code, it does an incredibly great task of reporting needed as effectively as recommended data.
Prazská Energetika
Prazská Energetika is an electrical power getting, distribution, and income business operating in Prague and Roztoky, and an electricity trader in the wholesale industry in the Czech Republic. Prazská Energetika’s site lists the administration and board users, shareholder composition, and provides obtain to its once-a-year studies. There is not a section specifically for company governance. In the yearly report, the firm studies statutory data as needed by the Professional Code, but does not go into great detail about company governance exclusively. Moreover, it does not point out its adherence to any component of the Corporate Governance Code.
Conclusions
Following reviewing the data offered either on the listed companies’ website or their yearly report (see Desk 2), it was uncovered that the transparency of information has been accomplished. At the very least as said, most all of the companies comply with statutory provisions of the Professional Code and other Acts, and six of the 10 organizations comply with the suggestions of the Company Governance Code. Of the four that have not adopted the ideas of the Code, some point out of the company governance policy is made through the disclosure of the relevant information.
I have located that firms listed on the Prague Stock Exchange with a large industry capitalization have enhanced on their company governance reporting in their 2004 once-a-year stories from preceding several years. Methods have been taken by these firms to undertake the recommendations of the Corporate Governance Code even prior to they have grow to be statutory rules. Despite the fact that these are said actions that have been taken, it is assumed the guidelines are followed as a outcome of the auditor statement regarding the reporting of details contained in the yearly reports. Total, investor self-confidence in the Czech securities market place need to boost in gentle of the increasing transparency of information, and the potential laws of additional corporate governance demands will increase upon this additional.
Table two
Benefits of Business Evaluation
Disclosure of Info ČEZ EB CT KB U Z CETV PMČR SD PE
Does the firm disclose Y Y Y Y N Y Y Y Y Y
company governance structure
and policy?
Does the company use the Y Y* Y N N Y** Y*** Y*** N N
Corporate Governance Code
as a foundation?
Is shareholder ownership Y Y Y Y N Y Y Y Y Y
disclosed and voting legal rights?
Board membership & Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
qualifications disclosed?
Board member remuneration Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
disclosed?
Does the website incorporate a N Y N N N Y N Y N N
company governance region?
*Austrian Code of Company Governance
**Dutch Corporate Governance Code
***United States Securities and Trade Fee Needs
Supply: 2004 Once-a-year Reports for Respective Companies