New book undertakes a radical review of traditionalist definitions and theories of corporate governance

Stephen Bloomfield

Stephen Bloomfield, Director of the Corporate Governance Unit at LAIBS publishes his 4th book.


Stephen Bloomfield's latest book - 'The Theory and Practice of Corporate Governance' - will be published in late February by CUP. The product of two years writing effort, the book offers new definitions of governance and new conceptual models for investigating governance and corporate behaviour, based on both practical experience and academic investigation. In examining the historical development of corporate governance, it integrates issues of company law, regulatory practice and company administration with contemporary corporate governance policies and structures.

Advance praise for the book came from both practitioners and academic reviewers:

Philip Augar

Author of the best-selling Reckless, The Rise and Fall of the City

An intelligent examination of Britain's flawed system of corporate governance, equally rigorous in diagnosis and prescription.

Lorraine Talbot

Associate Professor, University of Warwick

Stephen Bloomfield's accessible book illustrates the immense breadth of the subject of corporate governance... his call for a fundamental re-examination of corporate governance is one that must surely concern all scholars, policy makers and practitioners in this area.

Nick Gould

Partner, Collier Bristow LLP

This critical and thought-provoking analysis of the theory and practice of corporate governance should be required reading for every board director, regulator, MBA student, as well as professionals.

Book Cover - The Theory and Practice of Corporate Governance

Stephen's talents are not limited to writing a book CUP also used a photograph taken by him to illustrate the cover.

A further, follow-up volume is in preparation linking company administration with the new paradigms of governance developed in "Theory and Practice".

The book undertakes a radical review of traditionalist definitions and theories of corporate governance. Using numerous historical and contemporary examples it demonstrates how the commonly-accepted principles that are taught academically and promoted in policies are wildly divergent from the way that governance actually operates.

As a consequence of the levers and buttons of governance being misidentified by the traditionalist descriptions, the policies that attempt to pull on these levers often have no effect or even perverse effects in their impact on the way that companies and their managers behave with respect to shareholders and stakeholders.


Lorraine Talbot

Associate Professor, University of Warwick

The current crisis, like so many crises before it, has shown what capitalism will do when the regulation of corporations only seeks to support market activities rather than to promote progressive social outcomes. The complicated regulatory system which has developed in response to the many crises unleashed (paradoxically) by the deregulation of corporate activities has made the subject of corporate governance one of immense breadth. This accessible book illustrates much of this breadth. Stephen Bloomfield argues that despite the many disciplines encompassed in this topic, it remains grounded in outdated models of the corporation. His call for a fundamental re-examination of corporate governance is one that must surely concern all scholars, policy makers and practitioners in this area.

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