Corporate Finance

Introduction

Operating as part of ERIM’s internationally recognised Finance and Accounting programme, the Corporate Finance theme explores two distinct areas – corporate finance and corporate governance. Faculty members in each field, and across the programme as a whole, aspire to ERIM’s philosophy of excellence in research through societal relevance and meaningful impact.

Involving multidisciplinary research and close collaboration with the finance profession, Corporate Finance develops new knowledge that addresses the critical questions facing the finance sector today. For example:

  • How should firms finance their activities at various stages during their life cycle?
  • How should corporate assets be valued and how should they be combined in different firms?
  • How should firms make investment decisions such as mergers and acquisitions?
  • What corporate risk management policies should firms implement?

In this area the strength of the Finance and Accounting programme lies in the analysis of corporate financing/capital structure decisions, which is done through the analysis of the financial statements of publicly listed companies and in purely theoretical studies.

Corporate Governance

Research in this area investigates issues such as:

  • Executive compensation, supervisory boards, ownership structures, disclosure policies, and the rules and regulations that serve as mechanisms to mitigate conflicts of interest.
  • The determinants and consequences of insider trading and of different ownership structures.
  • How control rights should be allocated among the parties involved in running a firm in order to safeguard the interests of stakeholders, including the financial interests of investors.
  • Conflict between managers and shareholders, and between minority shareholders and block holders.

People

At ERIM we understand that creating a positive and collaborative work environment where researchers share common goals and identify with the need for the highest academic standards is essential. We pride ourselves in being able to offer such an environment and invite you to explore the profiles of your possible future colleagues.