Corporate Governance and Restructuring

Recommended Prerequisites

Not applicable.

Teaching Methods

In-person classes that prioritize the connection between theory and business practice, through news, case law, videos, official websites, consultation of company statutes, government reports, official publications of corporate acts, in particular merger and spin-off projects, and court decisions on corporate disputes. Each group will solve a practical case, in a ‘consulting room’ setting, applying a problem-solving approach. The result will be presented and discussed in the classroom, with all members of the group present.

Learning Outcomes

Students should be able to:
1. List the types of companies;
2. Compare the different types of companies, taking into account business risk and governance models;
3. Describe the rights and obligations inherent in shareholding;
4. Name the consequences of the legal personality of companies;
5. Generate statutory clauses relating to corporate governance;
6. Justify the choice of one of the alternative models of governance for public limited companies;
7. Relate governance models to compliance;
8. Recognise the different types of mergers, spin-offs and transformations of companies;
9. Explain the process of company mergers and spin-offs;
10. Solve specific cases relating to corporate governance, mergers and transformations.

Work Placement(s)

No

Syllabus

1. Commercial and civil companies in commercial form
1.1. Types of companies provided for in the Commercial Companies Code
1.2. Emergence of new types of companies?
1.3. Shareholding
1.4. Legal personality
2. Corporate Governance
2.1. Governance - legal meaning and main problems
2.2. Management and supervision of companies
2.3. Compliance and organisational structure
3. Corporate restructuring as a reaction to market pressures
3.1. Meaning of corporate restructuring
3.2. Merger of companies
3.3. Spin-off of companies
3.4. Transformation of companies
4. Corporate restructuring in the insolvency procedure.

Assessment Methods

Assessment
Periodic or by final exam as given in the course information: 100.0%

Bibliography

ABREU, Jorge Manuel Coutinho de - Curso de direito comercial. Coimbra : Edições Almedina. Vol. 2: Das sociedades. 8ª ed.. 2024
AAVV, Estudos de Direito das Sociedades, coordenação de J. M. Coutinho de Abreu, 12ª ed. Coimbra: Almedina, 2020 (reimpressão).
CUNHA, Paulo Olavo - Direito Empresarial para economistas e gestores, 4.ª ed., Coimbra: Almedina, 2024.
MARTINS, Alexandre de Soveral - Administração de sociedades anónimas e responsabilidade dos administradores, Coimbra: Almedina, 2020.
RAMOS, Maria Elisabete - Direito comercial e das sociedades. Entre as empresas e o mercado, 2.ª ed., Coimbra: Almedina, 2024.
RAMOS, Maria Elisabete - Direito das Sociedades, Coimbra: Almedina, 2020.