- •Курс английского языка для финансистов
- •Предисловие
- •Unit 1. Economic environment a. Text what is economics all about?
- •B. Dialogue business climate in russia
- •Vocabulary list
- •Exercises
- •Discussion
- •In order to get prepared for participation in the class discussion of the above questions, write several paragraphs on the following:
- •Reading practice
- •Unit 2. Public finance a. Text finance and financial system
- •B. Dialogue budget organization and budget process
- •Vocabulary list
- •Exercises
- •Discussion
- •A) The Budget Message of the Mayor
- •April 27, 1995
- •In order to get prepared for participation in the class discussion of these questions, write several paragraphs on the following:
- •Reading practice
- •Unit 3. Fiscal management a. Text financial policy. Fiscal sphere
- •B. Dialogue effective fiscal policy
- •Vocabulary list
- •Exercises
- •A) Financial Policy
- •B) Fiscal Policy in the uk
- •Discussion
- •A) Multiyear Budgeting
- •B) Types of Budget Classification
- •A) Fiscal Policy in Transition Economies: a Major Challenge
- •B) On Macro- and Microeconomics
- •In order to get prepared for participation in the discussion of the questions, write a short essay on the following:
- •Reading practice
- •Transition Economies Need to Reform Social Safety Nets
- •Unit 4. Central banking. Monetary policy a. Text central banking system
- •B. Dialogue banking system in russia
- •Vocabulary list
- •Exercises
- •Us Activities of Foreign Banking Organizations
- •Discussion
- •A) Is Monetary Policy Needed?
- •B) Payment Systems
- •In order to get prepared for participation in the class discussion of the questions, write a summary of the interview in Ex. 13. Follow the plan suggested below:
- •Reading pra ctice
- •Unit 5. Banking system a. Text commercial banks
- •B. Dialogue
- •Interview With a Bank Manager
- •Vocabulary list
- •Exercises
- •B) Bank Accounts
- •B) The Nature of Banking
- •Discussion
- •A) Bank Loans and Overdrafts
- •In order to get prepared for participation in the class discussion of the questions, write a short essay on:
- •Reading practice
- •Unit 6. Taxation a. Text what are taxes?
- •B. Dialogue taxation in russia
- •Vocabulary list
- •Exercises
- •What Is an Excise Duty?
- •Tax Reform in Developing Countries
- •Discussion
- •In order to get prepared for participation in the class discussion of the questions, write a short essay on the following:
- •Reading practice
- •Unit 7. International monetary system a. Text
- •International monetary institutions
- •B. Dialogue
- •Imf's support for russian reforms
- •Vocabulary list
- •Exercises
- •International Monetary Fund
- •Your Partner ebrd
- •World Bank – International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (ibrd)
- •Discussion
- •In order to get prepared for participation in the class discussion of the questions, write a short essay on:
- •Reading practice
- •Unit 8. Financial markets. The bond market a. Text trading in the bond market
- •B. Dialogue the bond market
- •Vocabulary list
- •Exercises
- •Discussion
- •In order to get prepared for participation in the class discussion of the above questions, write a short essay on the following:
- •Reading practice
- •Unit 9. Financial markets. The stock market a. Text stocks and markets
- •B. Dialogue the corporate securities market in russia
- •Vocabulary list
- •Exercises
- •Discussion
- •A) Bulls, Bears and Stags
- •B) Options and Short Selling
- •In order to get prepared for participation in the class discussion of the questions, write a short essay on the following:
- •Reading practice
- •The New Issue Market
- •Unit 10. Investment activity a. Text
- •Investments
- •B. Dialogue
- •Investment climate
- •Vocabulary list
- •Exercises
- •Investment Companies
- •3 Food Giants Build Local Yogurt Plants
- •Discussion
- •B) Brazil Attracts Foreign Investors
- •C) Investment in the uk
- •In order to get prepared for participation in the class discussion of the questions, write a short essay on the following:
- •Reading practice
- •Investment Skill Is a Rare Commodity
- •Investment Trusts
- •Unit 11. Foreign exchange market. Global financial markets a. Text trading in the foreign exchange market
- •B. Dialogue cornerstone of the global financial market
- •Vocabulary list
- •Exercises
- •The Eurocurrency Market
- •Discussion
- •In order to get prepared for participation in the class discussion of the questions, write several short paragraphs about:
- •Reading practice
- •Unit 12. Financial management a. Text finance function
- •B. Text financial ratios
- •C. Dialogue ratio analysis
- •Vocabulary list
- •Exercises
- •Discussion
- •A) Corporate Governance
- •B) Investment Management
- •A) Investment Decision Making
- •B) Investment Project Appraisal
- •In order to get prepared for participation in the class discussion of these questions, write a short paragraph on the following:
- •Reading practice
- •Unit 13. Accounting a. Text accounting principles and concepts
- •B. Dialogue accountancy in a free-market economy
- •C. Dialogue public and private accountants
- •Vocabulary list
- •Exercises
- •Discussion
- •In order to get prepared for participation in the class discussion of the questions, write a short paragraph, explaining:
- •Reading practice
- •Balance Sheet
- •A. Balance sheet
- •Unit 14. Auditing a. Text performing an audit
- •B. Dialogue auditing in russia
- •Vocabulary list
- •Exercises
- •Ex. 4. Say in a few words what the main text is about. Use the opening phrases from
- •Sweden.
- •Independent Auditors' Report to the Board of Directors and Stockholders of_______Company
- •Discussion
- •In order to get prepared for participation in the class discussion of the questions, write several paragraphs on the following:
- •Reading practice
- •Banking correspondence
- •Dictionary of key words
- •Contents
Discussion
Ex. 12. a) Read the texts.
b) Say what you think about the conflict between managers and shareholders.
A) Corporate Governance
The financial manager's duties include different tasks aimed to maximize the shareholders' wealth.
It has been observed, however, that in practice not all management decisions are consistent with this objective.
In other words, there often is a divergence between the shareholder wealth maximization goal and the actual goals pursued by management.
Instead of seeking to maximize shareholder wealth, management try to satisfy their own welfare. In doing so managers are concerned with their job security. The concern for long-run survival may lead management to minimize (or limit) the amount of risk incurred by the firm, since unfavourable outcomes can lead to their dismissal or possible bankruptcy for the firm.
The existence of divergent objectives between owners and managers is an example of problems arising from agency relationships. Agency relationships take place when one or more individuals (the principals) hire another individual (the agent) to perform a service on behalf of the principals.
In an agency relationship, decision-making authority is often delegated to the agent from the principals.
Conflicts between corporate managements and shareholders surfaced as a major public policy issue in the 1980s. The potentially adversarial principal-agent relationship between corporation owners and managers has long been recognized. In the last decade, however, two major developments brought this issue to greater prominence.
First, corporate managements, responding to a wave of hostile corporate takeovers, instituted various defensive strategies. These defences were designed to prevent the target companies from being acquired easily, thereby protecting the jobs of existing management. Indeed, they appear to have had the intended result of making those companies worth less to prospective acquirers. However, they also reduced the value of the companies to their existing shareholders.
Second, large shareholders came to realize that they wielded considerable corporate voting power. The growth of institutional investors has concentrated corporate ownership in the hands of a relatively few organizations. The resources of these large organizations enabled them to actively oppose management decisions that diminished the value of their investment. Corporate governance has become the catchall description for institutional investor efforts to influence the fundamental business policies of corporate managements.
Words you may need:
corporate governance руководство корпорациями
to be consistent (with) соответствовать
divergence n отклонение, расхождение
survival n выживание
to incur a risk нести риск
agency relationships взаимоотношения между агентом и принципалом
adversarial adj содержащий элемент соперничества
wield v владеть, иметь в руках (власть, влияние и т.п.)
catchall adj всеобъемлющий, полный
с) Read the text and say how investment risks can be reduced: