Corporate Governance and Corporate Competitiveness: an international analysis

Abstract

Empirical studies of corporate governance and corporate competitiveness tend to focus on specific dimensions of these two sets of corporate conditions. The findings on their relationships are mixed and inconclusive. This study uses a questionnaire to survey corporate conditions on a holistic basis, with a sample of international companies. My findings provide strong evidence that firstly, most international companies conform to good corporate governance practices; secondly, the higher such conformance is to good corporate governance practices, the stronger is the firm's competitiveness; thirdly, the relationship between corporate governance and corporate competitiveness is much stronger when corporate governance is evaluated on a holistic basis than on an individual dimension or attribute; and finally, corporate governance attributes are inter-related and it is more appropriate to pursue or study them on a collective basis.