The origins of this book lie in the Second Oxford Law Colloquium held in September 1992 and organized by the Faculty of Law of the University of Oxford and Allen & Overy.The subject of this volume, corporate governance, is one that is currently highly topical but which has a long intellectual pedigree. Ever since the formation of the first joint stock company there has been a continuing debate about the structure of corporate governance and the controls, both legal and institutional, that are, or should be, exercised over corporate management.The essays contained in the volume explore the debate from a variety of perspectives, but each keeps in mind that a clear understanding of the wider commercial and financial context is necessary before examining the relevant legal structures and rules. This wider picture is examined at both a national and comparative level, and the attitudes and practices of managers and investors are considered as part of the backdrop to competing theories on corporate governance.The contributors, drawn from the practising and the academic worlds, bring their own specialist knowledge to bear in a volume which will be required reading for all those interested in the subject. Contributors: Robin Leigh-Pemberton, Eddy Wymeersch, Sir Adrian Cadbury, Paul Rutteman, Paul Davies, Lord Alexander of Weedon, Paddy Linaker, Martin Lipton, Alan Paul, Theodor Baums, Geoff Stapledon