prof. dr. Ruud Pruijm RA

About Ruud Pruijm RA

Ruud Pruijm is professor emeritus Accounting Information Systems at the Erasmus University Rotterdam.

He possesses the rare combination of a solid academic background and wide experience in the business environment, having combined his part-time professorship with management positions in various companies.

Being an experienced CPA and non-executive director has also helped him in developing a unique insight in the way business is conducted, and the tone at the top.

From the family to society at large, from government to the private workplace, ethical violations—breaches of private and public trust—have become a conspicuous feature of the contemporary landscape throughout the world.

Few professions have been immune from public embarrassment and accusations, but some—such as business—have become the target of highly visible publicity in the wake of travesties like those at Enron, WorldCom, Ahold, and Parmalat. While there have been business scandals throughout the last century, the recent debacles have brought the focus to corporate governance and the responsible behaviour of organisations.

In a churning global marketplace, understanding the fundamental connections between business, the environment, and society has become essential. The roles and responsibilities of business as a global force are becoming more urgent and complex, and concepts related to societal responsibility and sustainability are gaining recognition as essential elements in business management.

Corporate social responsibility is about open and transparent business practices, that are based upon ethical values and respect for employees, communities, and the environment, designed to deliver sustainable value to society at large and to shareholders.

Corporate governance is a generic term that describes the ways in which rights and responsibilities are shared between the various corporate participants, especially the management and the shareholders. Corporate governance is about promoting corporate fairness, transparency and accountability.

For over 30 years Professor Pruijm has been speaking to top level business executives and organisations all over the world. He is author of numerous books and articles, and is a regular guest on radio and television. As an independent observer and thought-leader he is frequently consulted by the press, politicians, and business leaders.

His presentations about the accounting scandals, activist shareholders, takeover battles, and exuberant executive compensation will provide you with practical insight into the intersection of corporate social responsibility, business ethics, and corporate governance.

Direct and intensely focused, delivering his presentations in a friendly, and easy-to understand manner, audiences will benefit from the breadth of his experience and expertise – from the ivory tower to the real-world marketplace.

Topics:

• Hedge funds and shareholder activism. Hedge funds have become critical players in both corporate governance and corporate control. In this article, we document and examine the nature of hedge fund activism, how and why it differs from activism by traditional institutional investors, and its implications for corporate governance and regulatory reform.
• Do shareholders have too much power? The concept of shareholders as the only and ultimate stakeholder of publicly traded companies is increasingly coming under attack. Society at large may rightfully claim that it has a stake in companies operating in its midst, a stake just as important as that of shareholders. No doubt that a fickle, volatile, ever-changing shareholding base provides arguments for a different concept of “who owns the company”.
• Lessons from the accounting scandals. What are the most important for fraud. What are the key corporate governance mechanisms in preventing corporate fraud? What is the impact of new legislation, and the increased supervision of auditors?