The Compliance of Jordanian Shareholding Companies with the Principles of Corporate Governance: An Analytical Comparative Study between the Banking and the Industrial Sectors Mohammad Matar and Abed-Alnaser Nour ABSTRACT This study aims at evaluating the extent to which Jordanian shareholding companies comply with the principles of corporate governance. To achieve this objective, the researchers conducted a field study on a sample of (20) shareholding companies working in the banking and industrial sectors. The sample represents about 32% of the population size. A questionnaire containing six questions which cover the six principles of corporate governance was distributed to explore the sample's opinion about how much Jordanian shareholding companies comply with those principles. In analyzing data, the researchers used the descriptive statistical indicators, in addition to two kinds of statistical tests: (t) test for one sample and the Mann-Whitney test. The major findings of this study were that while those companies stick with corporate governance principles within a range between very weak and strong levels, but generally they, as one unit, stick with those principles at a moderate level. The study also found that some companies use illegal methods such as bribes and patronage to gain contracts, and found that some companies do not stick to ethical rules and social responsibility obligations. This is usually done through boards of directors. It is recommended that the control bodies of Jordanian companies publish a guide discussing the essential rules of principles of corporate governance to encourage them to form committees for corporate governance of independent members, similar to auditing committees at work in these companies. Keywords: Corporate Governance, Rights of Stockholders and Stakeholders, Transparency and Disclosure, Social Responsibility, Audit Committees.

Title

Jordan Journal of Business Administration-International Refereed Research Journal

Publisher

University of Jordan

Publisher Country

Jordan

Publication Type

Both (Printed and Online)

Volume

3

Year

2007

Pages

46-71