Dates

This programme will start in Autumn 2012.
Module dates to be advised.

Overview

The world is a much tougher place for directors than it has ever been. Boards face a growing array of legal obligations and rising expectations of their performance following both the credit crisis and a succession of corporate scandals and failures. It is imperative that all directors bring up to date knowledge and skills to their work if Jersey is to continue to enjoy historic levels of GDP per capita.

The Jersey International Business School Directors’ Awareness Certificate awarded by the Jersey International Business School Academy, has been developed in recognition of the pressure upon directors and their need for education and support to discharge their fiduciary responsibilities properly.

The programme will have a heavy focus on self-awareness so that people understand their impact as directors and their influence on their organisation’s future. It will be underpinned by relevant theories and models which will be applied in a practical way to real issues.

Participants will have the opportunity to practice new skills in a ‘safe’ environment and build their confidence. It will also provide them with a strong peer network for ongoing support after the programme.

Benefits to you and your organisation

• Enhance awareness and competence
• Improve your understanding of your role and responsibilities
• Develop risk management strategies
• Manage your exposure
• Equip you with the all round skills, knowledge and understanding for successfully directing an organisation strategically

Who should attend?

• All executive and non-executive directors in Jersey, across all industry sectors
• Attendees are strictly limited to 20 delegates per programme

Learning principles

• Adults learn best from their own experiences and experiments
• Delegates will be encouraged to bring themselves and personal case studies into the programme

Materials

Delegates will be provided with a reading list, a comprehensive pack of reference materials and two practitioner text books.

JIBS Academy Award

Delegates may attend the programme only, or opt to gain the certificate by sitting the examination. The examination has an extra cost of £300.

Structure and Content

Seminar 1: The Board and its Directors (2 days)

Day 1
• The board:
– Legal status
– Boards and ‘due process’ (meetings;minutes; resolutions; role of the chairman; role of the secretary)
– The relationship between the board and its committees
• Directors:
– Legal status; Companies Law
– Who can sue them
– D & O policies
• Non-executive directors:
– How if at all are they different?
– Their role and relationship with executive directors: how executive directors can best manage productively their relationship with non-executives
– Some tricky situations
• Introduction to Corporate Governance
• Case Studies

Day 2
• Directors and private companies: some specific situations:
–  Governance issues
–  Private equity
–  Shareholder agreements
–  Acquisitions
• Directors and public ( i.e. UK listed) companies:
–  FSA listing rules
–  The FRC’s role
–  The listed company year
–  The UK Corporate Governance Code and related codes and guidance
–  Walker and bank governance
• Case studies

Seminar 2: Board Composition and Performance (1 Day)

• The Role of the Board
– Role and responsibilities of the board
– Strategy (vision and mission)
– People
– Process
– Enterprise wide risk oversight
– Committees of the board
• Creating a board your company deserves
– Achieving the optimal mix
– Attributes
– Skills
– Characteristics
– Experience
– The role of the Chairman
• Organising the affairs of the Board
– Board orientation
– Ensuring successful meetings
– Board meeting agenda and minutes
– Board packs
– AGM’s
– Retreats
• Board Development
– Individual board member development
– Full board development
– Succession planning
– Characteristics of board effectiveness linked to performance

Seminar 3: Financial Management and Reporting (1 day)

• Know your numbers
• Management Accounts versus Statutory Accounts
• Reporting Standards
• Accounting Principles
• Interrogating a Balance Sheet
• The Profit and Loss Account
• Financial Warning Signs
• Cost and Asset Management
• Case studies

Seminar 4: The Board’s Role in Assessing and Managing Risk (2 days)

Day 1
• The boardroom imperative on internal control
– The Nature of Risk
–  Analysing the Risks
–  Emerging Issues in Risk
• The Process of Assessing Risks
–  Measuring risks to business objectives
–  Impact and probability
–  Applying risk based methodologies
–  Case study and exercise

Day 2
• Oversight of an effective risk management framework
– What does an effective risk management framework look like?
– The principles of enterprise wide risk management
– The relationship between key risk control functions, the board and each other
–  Case study and exercise
• Monitoring risk management performance
– What information should be reported to the board?
–  Early warning signals
• Promoting an effective risk management culture
– Why culture makes THE difference
–  Examples of where it has gone wrong
– Setting the ‘tone from the top’
• The role of ‘human factors’ in managing risk and enhancing operational performance
• Case studies