Corporate Governance study plan
Corporate Governance · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 7 hours per week
Corporate Governance & Company Law and Compliance
Map the full Domain 1 syllabus into a one-page concept map linking ownership structures, shareholder rights, and control mechanisms
Explain in writing the separation of ownership and control and identify three agency problems it creates
Outline the principal statutory duties of directors under company law and match each duty to a governance mechanism
Draft 15 flashcards contrasting shareholder primacy and stakeholder models of the firm
Your checkpoint
A one-page governance concept map plus a 15-card flashcard deck covering ownership, control, and director duties
Corporate Governance & Company Law and Compliance
Compare at least four governance codes or frameworks and tabulate their comply-or-explain versus rules-based approaches
Summarise the role and composition requirements of board committees (audit, remuneration, nomination) with statutory cross-references
Analyse two real enforcement or compliance failure scenarios and identify which duties or controls broke down
Write a 300-word memo advising a hypothetical company on improving shareholder engagement
Your checkpoint
A comparison table of four governance frameworks plus a 300-word shareholder engagement memo
Corporate Governance & Company Law and Compliance
Distinguish the legal tests for directors' conflicts of interest, related-party transactions, and insider dealing
Produce a compliance checklist a company secretary could use before a board meeting to confirm statutory filings are current
Explain minority shareholder protections and the remedies available for unfair prejudice or oppression
Complete 30 mixed practice questions on Domains 1 and 2 and log every error with its root cause
Your checkpoint
A pre-board-meeting compliance checklist and an error log from 30 practice questions
Boardroom Dynamics and Organisational Behaviour
Diagnose five classic boardroom dysfunctions (groupthink, dominance, deference to the chair, information asymmetry, conflict avoidance) and propose a countermeasure for each
Describe the behavioural differences between independent and executive directors and how each affects challenge and scrutiny
Design a board effectiveness review questionnaire covering dynamics, information quality, and decision quality
Role-play a contested board decision in writing, then critique the dialogue for bias and process failures
Your checkpoint
A completed board effectiveness review questionnaire with at least 20 items and a written critique of a simulated board debate
Boardroom Dynamics and Organisational Behaviour & Financial Reporting and Strategy
Explain how cognitive biases (anchoring, confirmation, overconfidence, escalation of commitment) distort board capital allocation decisions
Interpret the four primary financial statements and identify the governance red flags visible in each
Link remuneration design to risk-taking behaviour and describe how incentive structures can encourage short-termism
Build a stakeholder influence and salience map for a company facing an activist campaign
Your checkpoint
A governance red-flag checklist mapped to the four financial statements plus a stakeholder salience map
Financial Reporting and Strategy
Calculate and interpret key ratios (return on equity, gearing, interest cover, free cash flow) and explain their governance implications
Evaluate how accounting policy choices and disclosure quality affect the reliability of reported performance
Summarise the auditor's role, independence requirements, and the governance significance of audit qualifications
Assess a narrative annual report section for tone, transparency, and consistency with the numbers
Your checkpoint
A ratio analysis of one published annual report with a 400-word governance assessment of disclosure quality
Corporate Governance & Boardroom Dynamics and Organisational Behaviour & Financial Reporting and Strategy
Synthesise governance, behavioural, and financial perspectives into a single framework for evaluating board performance
Answer two full-length case-style questions under timed conditions and self-mark against a rubric
Identify the three weakest sub-topics from your error log and re-teach each one in your own words
Practise articulating recommendations concisely in a structured answer format
Your checkpoint
Two timed case-style answers with self-marked rubrics and a revised list of the three weakest sub-topics
Corporate Governance & Company Law and Compliance & Boardroom Dynamics and Organisational Behaviour & Financial Reporting and Strategy
Complete a full mock examination under timed conditions across all four domains
Review every incorrect answer and classify errors as knowledge gaps, misreading, or application failures
Recite the key statutory duties, governance codes, and ratio formulas from memory without notes
Finalise a one-page summary sheet of the highest-yield concepts from all four domains
Your checkpoint
A completed full mock exam with a scored error analysis and a one-page high-yield summary sheet
Milestones
Week 2: Can explain ownership and control structures, director duties, and at least four governance frameworks without notes, scoring 70% or higher on a 20-question self-test on Domains 1 and 2
Week 4: Can diagnose boardroom dysfunctions and propose countermeasures, evidenced by a completed board effectiveness questionnaire and a written critique scoring at least 7 of 10 against your own rubric
Week 6: Can interpret the four financial statements, calculate key ratios, and identify governance red flags, evidenced by a completed annual report assessment
Week 7: Two timed case-style answers self-marked at 60% or higher, with a documented list of the three weakest sub-topics
Week 8: Full mock exam completed under timed conditions with a scored error analysis and a finished one-page high-yield summary sheet covering all four domains