Mastering Corporate Governance

Yes. The theories module compares shareholder primacy with stakeholder approaches and sets out one-tier, two-tier and hybrid board structures, which gives a family business a vocabulary for its own arrangement. The module on the separation of ownership and control is especially useful where founders sit on the board and in management, because it explains how reserved powers and authority limits keep those roles distinct.

Module six distinguishes executive, non-executive and independent directors, explains why independence matters to the quality of challenge in the boardroom, and extends the idea to diversity of skills, background and thought. It closes with board evaluation and refreshment, so a nomination committee finishes with a practical basis for reviewing whether the current board has the independence and mix the organization needs.

Module nine covers the UK code and its comply-or-explain approach, the international principles behind many national codes, the United States, European Union and emerging-market frameworks, and the difference between hard law and soft law in governance. Participants in the Gulf, India or the UK can relate their own listing rules and regulator guidance to the models the module describes.

Module ten sets out the board's role in overseeing risk rather than managing it, the meaning of risk appetite and risk culture, the main internal control frameworks, and the three lines model that explains how management, risk functions and internal audit provide layered assurance. Risk managers and internal auditors gain a clearer picture of what the board expects from them and why.

The format was chosen with that in mind. Everything is self-paced on the Blue Ocean learning platform, available on web and in the mobile app, so a director can work through a module in a hotel room or between board cycles with nothing to attend. The company secretary sees progress on the administrator dashboard and can agree a completion date with each participant rather than imposing one.

Two ways. Each participant who completes the modules and assessments receives a digital, verifiable MBE credential from Blue Ocean Corporation that can be checked by anyone it is shared with. In parallel, the organization's administrator dashboard holds the completion record for the whole cohort, so when a regulator, investor or audit committee asks what governance training the board has undertaken, the answer is already documented.

Use the Register Now button on this page. It opens Mastering Corporate Governance on the Blue Ocean Academy website, where you can enroll and start learning at your own pace.