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Digg it UP - Corporate Governance: Investing in the Emerging Market of the Czech Republic
Medical Claims Billing is neither specific mention of their general policy towards corporate governance nor mention of their adherence or lack there of to the Corporate Governance Code.Medical claims billing is a growing industry that many people want to get into and take advantage of. There are a number of things to know when trying to get into medical claims billing and the first main lesson is to know that not everyone in the medical claims billing business is after your best interests. There are a lot of websites and companies in the world to day that will do their best to hook you by offering schooling and programs at a low cost and guarantee that you will get done and slide into a medical claims billing job which will pay you a ton of money. It is true that the medical claims billing area is a high salaried area relative to many other professions but just like every other profession the best jobs need to be earned though hard work and determination. If you still want to be part of the medical claims billing area do your research and find out the truth about training, schooling and the job market in your preferred area. Only after thorough research will you be able to determine if the area of medical claims billing is for you.Medical claims billing can be highly stressful and very demanding on your time. This is a sacrifice that a lot of people prefer no to make. There are also various qualifications that employers may be looking for in their billing specialists. Some employers are really interested in certain certificates and certifications which will take time and cost money. One of these types of certifications is the AMBA Certified Medical Reimbursement Specialist. This is a credential that is earned by taking a passing an exam which cov Unipetrol Unipetrol, a group of companies that operate in the chemical industries sector of the Czech Republic, is a major company in Central Europe. The company’s website has direct links to board members as well as an investor page with access to its annual reports, but does not provide detailed corporate governance information. The annual report does not improve upon the corporate governance policy of the company. There is no statement concerning the company’s policy towards corporate governance, and the information given is primarily a list of board members. Qualifications are not given, and shareholder rights are not disclosed or discussed. Zentiva Zentiva is a pharmaceutical group that holds leading positions in the Czech and Slovak markets, and amongst the largest players in Central and Eastern Europe. Zentiva’s website provides extensive corporate governance information, including the actual rules governing the boards. Investor relations also has a prominent position on the company’s website, and lists shareholder information, the date of the general meeting, and other important information. As stated in the annual report, the company adheres to the Dutch Corporate Governance Code. CETV Central European Media Enterprises, or CME, is traded on the Prague Stock Exchange as CETV. The company, based in Bermuda, is an international television broadcasting company, and operate Contractors... Double Your Income In the securities market of the Czech Republic corporate governance plays a crucial role in instilling investor confidence and ensuring an efficient market. Post the fall of Communism, the economy was transitioned from state owned to capitalist in a very short time. Since then, the Czech Republic has come a long way to quickly reach standards of other capitalist markets and successfully obtain accession into the European Union. As the market continues its progression, the need for transparency of information and alignment between board members and managers in firms greatens.5 Simple Ways to Double Your Income ImmediatelySo you think that you are just like your competition? Well, then it is time to differentiate yourself. As a contractor, you probably use the same types of materials as your competitors do…so how can you differentiate yourself? Service! Build it better and serve your clients better. You will come out on top. This may seem so simple, yet very few contractors really do things better than their competitors.So what are 5 simple ways that can double your income? Here they are…1. Use only high quality subcontractors. It costs you less in time and rework costs to use quality subcontractors the first time. You may think you are going to save a few dollars by hiring the cheapest one, but in the end we all know it doesn’t work out that way. We pay for what we get. What’s quality service and product worth to your reputation? Priceless!2. Implement a service mentality. Everything you do is for the benefit of your homebuyers. Don’t keep it to yourself…tell everyone you know about the way you build your houses and the benefits that you provide to your homebuyers.a. Don’t think there are benefits?? Think again…everything that you do in the construction of your homes can be portrayed as a benefit to your homebuyers. All it takes is a little creative communication.3. Offer a referral program. People buy from people they know. How do you incentivize your homeowners to tell others? The first way is to build an awesome house and that will speak for itself…but add some icing to that cake by rewarding your homebuyer From the Czech Republic’s voucher privatization program in 1992 to the late 1990’s, corporate governance was viewed negatively and/or non-existent for publicly traded Czech companies. A path began with a lack of regulation, continued with a lack of enforcement, and finally turned directions beginning in 1998 with the Securities Commission Act. Even now, as Czech companies attempt to become more competitive on a global scale in the market, the realization amongst firms of the need for structured corporate governance and more transparency in their reporting of information takes hold as a continued effort necessary to report and align enterprise goals with those of other stakeholders. Through an analysis of the top ten publicly traded companies, in terms of market capitalization, on the Prague Stock Exchange, I will assess the availability of information regarding corporate governance in order to discern the current state of compliance with the Corporate Governance Code. This information will serve as a benchmark and will allow investors to relate the positions of the largest companies on the PSE to other companies within the Czech Republic, and apply the knowledge generally to the Czech securities market. The results allow investors and other stakeholders to get an idea of corporate governance practices and the transparency of information in the companies operating in the Czech Republic today. Current State of Corporate Governance I turn now to the analysis of the corporate governance disclosure in today’s Czech market. Using the ten largest publicly traded companies (see Table 1) listed on the Prague Stock Exchange in terms of market capitalization, I will determine the degree of their stated corporate governance policy disclosure as found in their most recent annual reports. This is the 2004 annual report for all of the companies. Furthermore, I will briefly assess the availability of information on the companies’ websites. Table 1 Top Ten Listed Companies on the PSE Rank Company Market Cap. (Mil. CZK)Market Cap. (Mil. USD)
Source: Prague Stock Exchange, Novermber 2005 ČEZ ČEZ, a joint stock company, is the largest power conglomerate in Central and Eastern Europe. The company’s website has an investor section with information on shares, bonds, and financial information, and lists the date of the annual general meeting, but does not provide information specifically related to corporate governance practices and structure in general. Shareholder structure, relations, and dividends are presented on the website. Within the annual report, ČEZ follows the German corporate governance model, and has key members of the board also part of management. Board structure and board members are discussed extensively. The board of directors meets weekly as a matter of practice, where the requirement is monthly. The company complies with the Commercial Code concerning protection of shareholder rights, and bases its corporate governance on the Corporate Governance Code. The ČEZ Group actually participated in the 2004 drafting of the Corporate Governance Code. Overall, the company reports on most of the key corporate governance areas, but does not have one section devoted to their policy, making it necessary to scan the entire report for relevant information. Erste Bank Erste Bank, based in Austria, is the leading financial services provider in Central Europe. Its website contains an investor relations area in which detailed information is provided, and also a corporate governance section in which the company discloses it follows the Austrian Code of Corporate Governance in practice. In the annual report, the company discloses it follows all of the statutory rules of the Code, and adheres to most of the recommendations. It directs individuals to the website for the actual provisions of corporate governance, making the information accessible, but not detailed within the annual report itself. Furthermore, policies regarding shareholder rights were not easy to discern. Česk? Telecom Česk? Telecom is a telecommunications group that operates primarily in the Czech Republic. The company has a website with shareholder information including board structure and notification of the annual general meeting. In addition, access to the company’s annual report leads to extensive corporate governance discussion. The company acknowledges improved reporting in this area beginning with the 2004 annual report as compared to previous annual reports, and as stated in the 2002 annual report, the company will be in full compliance of the Corporate Governance Code by 2005. One note made in the report includes a list of the members of the supervisory board that qualify as independent, an important provision as recommended by the 2004 Code. Komerčn? Banka Komerčn? Banka is among the most important banks in the Czech Republic and the Central and Eastern European region, and provides comprehensive services for clients in retail, corporate, and investment banking. The company’s website provides access to key shareholder information, and has an investor relations section. However, there is not a specific corporate governance section. Accessing the annual report allows one to see most of the requirements of corporate governance, but there is neither specific mention of their general policy towards corporate governance nor mention of their adherence or lack there of to the Corporate Governance Code. Unipetrol Unipetrol, a group of companies that operate in the chemical industries sector of the Czech Republic, is a major company in Central Europe. The company’s website has direct links to board members as well as an investor page with access to its annual reports, but does not provide detailed corporate governance information. The annual report does not improve upon the corporate governance policy of the company. There is no statement concerning the company’s policy towards corporate governance, and the information given is primarily a list of board members. Qualifications are not given, and shareholder rights are not disclosed or discussed. Zentiva Zentiva is a pharmaceutical group that holds leading positions in the Czech and Slovak markets, and amongst the largest players in Central and Eastern Europe. Zentiva’s website provides extensive corporate governance information, including the actual rules governing the boards. Investor relations also has a prominent position on the company’s website, and lists shareholder information, the date of the general meeting, and other important information. As stated in the annual report, the company adheres to the Dutch Corporate Governance Code. CETV Central European Media Enterprises, or CME, is traded on the Prague Stock Exchange as CETV. The company, based in Bermuda, is an international television broadcasting company, and operates Easy Ways to Grow Your Subscriber List – When You Are Just Starting Out erve as a benchmark and will allow investors to relate the positions of the largest companies on the PSE to other companies within the Czech Republic, and apply the knowledge generally to the Czech securities market. The results allow investors and other stakeholders to get an idea of corporate governance practices and the transparency of information in the companies operating in the Czech Republic today.There are many ways to attract new subscribers. Here are some of the best and quickest ways for you to build a list when you are just starting to build an internet-based business.1. Create a series of articles with helpful suggestions. Be sure to include a "Resource Box" which will have a little bit of information about who you are, your contact information, and most importantly, your URL so people can click through to get to your website.2. Tell everyone - your family, friends, clients and colleagues. Send out one of your best articles as a sample, inviting them to sign up for an ezine subscription if they like it. (Note: NEVER sign anyone up without his/her permission.)3. Put a signup form on your home page and every page of your Web site, so you can solicit their name and email address for your free ezine subscription, no matter how they come into your website.4. Offer a free item for new subscribers, such as a valuable article, ebook, etc.5. Be sure your email signature has your website URL. Don’t miss this opportunity to direct people to your site.6. Get published in ezines. Lots of ezines are continually looking for content, and will be happy to publish yours. Your resource box will direct readers to YOUR site, generating new traffic for you.7. Do a Joint Venture (JV) with another internet marketer who will send your article(s) to his/her list, and you can reciprocate if you have a list. Offer something of value to your JV partner (a percentage of profits from the sale of the product you are promoting to their list, or Current State of Corporate Governance I turn now to the analysis of the corporate governance disclosure in today’s Czech market. Using the ten largest publicly traded companies (see Table 1) listed on the Prague Stock Exchange in terms of market capitalization, I will determine the degree of their stated corporate governance policy disclosure as found in their most recent annual reports. This is the 2004 annual report for all of the companies. Furthermore, I will briefly assess the availability of information on the companies’ websites. Table 1 Top Ten Listed Companies on the PSE Rank Company Market Cap. (Mil. CZK)Market Cap. (Mil. USD)
Source: Prague Stock Exchange, Novermber 2005 ČEZ ČEZ, a joint stock company, is the largest power conglomerate in Central and Eastern Europe. The company’s website has an investor section with information on shares, bonds, and financial information, and lists the date of the annual general meeting, but does not provide information specifically related to corporate governance practices and structure in general. Shareholder structure, relations, and dividends are presented on the website. Within the annual report, ČEZ follows the German corporate governance model, and has key members of the board also part of management. Board structure and board members are discussed extensively. The board of directors meets weekly as a matter of practice, where the requirement is monthly. The company complies with the Commercial Code concerning protection of shareholder rights, and bases its corporate governance on the Corporate Governance Code. The ČEZ Group actually participated in the 2004 drafting of the Corporate Governance Code. Overall, the company reports on most of the key corporate governance areas, but does not have one section devoted to their policy, making it necessary to scan the entire report for relevant information. Erste Bank Erste Bank, based in Austria, is the leading financial services provider in Central Europe. Its website contains an investor relations area in which detailed information is provided, and also a corporate governance section in which the company discloses it follows the Austrian Code of Corporate Governance in practice. In the annual report, the company discloses it follows all of the statutory rules of the Code, and adheres to most of the recommendations. It directs individuals to the website for the actual provisions of corporate governance, making the information accessible, but not detailed within the annual report itself. Furthermore, policies regarding shareholder rights were not easy to discern. Česk? Telecom Česk? Telecom is a telecommunications group that operates primarily in the Czech Republic. The company has a website with shareholder information including board structure and notification of the annual general meeting. In addition, access to the company’s annual report leads to extensive corporate governance discussion. The company acknowledges improved reporting in this area beginning with the 2004 annual report as compared to previous annual reports, and as stated in the 2002 annual report, the company will be in full compliance of the Corporate Governance Code by 2005. One note made in the report includes a list of the members of the supervisory board that qualify as independent, an important provision as recommended by the 2004 Code. Komerčn? Banka Komerčn? Banka is among the most important banks in the Czech Republic and the Central and Eastern European region, and provides comprehensive services for clients in retail, corporate, and investment banking. The company’s website provides access to key shareholder information, and has an investor relations section. However, there is not a specific corporate governance section. Accessing the annual report allows one to see most of the requirements of corporate governance, but there is neither specific mention of their general policy towards corporate governance nor mention of their adherence or lack there of to the Corporate Governance Code. Unipetrol Unipetrol, a group of companies that operate in the chemical industries sector of the Czech Republic, is a major company in Central Europe. The company’s website has direct links to board members as well as an investor page with access to its annual reports, but does not provide detailed corporate governance information. The annual report does not improve upon the corporate governance policy of the company. There is no statement concerning the company’s policy towards corporate governance, and the information given is primarily a list of board members. Qualifications are not given, and shareholder rights are not disclosed or discussed. Zentiva Zentiva is a pharmaceutical group that holds leading positions in the Czech and Slovak markets, and amongst the largest players in Central and Eastern Europe. Zentiva’s website provides extensive corporate governance information, including the actual rules governing the boards. Investor relations also has a prominent position on the company’s website, and lists shareholder information, the date of the general meeting, and other important information. As stated in the annual report, the company adheres to the Dutch Corporate Governance Code. CETV Central European Media Enterprises, or CME, is traded on the Prague Stock Exchange as CETV. The company, based in Bermuda, is an international television broadcasting company, and operate Search Engine Optimization Strategies - Building One-way Links est power conglomerate in Central and Eastern Europe. The company’s website has an investor section with information on shares, bonds, and financial information, and lists the date of the annual general meeting, but does not provide information specifically related to corporate governance practices and structure in general. Shareholder structure, relations, and dividends are presented on the website. Within the annual report, ČEZ follows the German corporate governance model, and has key members of the board also part of management. Board structure and board members are discussed extensively. The board of directors meets weekly as a matter of practice, where the requirement is monthly. The company complies with the Commercial Code concerning protection of shareholder rights, and bases its corporate governance on the Corporate Governance Code. The ČEZ Group actually participated in the 2004 drafting of the Corporate Governance Code. Overall, the company reports on most of the key corporate governance areas, but does not have one section devoted to their policy, making it necessary to scan the entire report for relevant information.One-way links or links from other web sites to your own web site are valuable web promotion tools for two reasons. First, they boost your page rank because search engines usually include link popularity in their search algorithms, so the more one-way links you have and the more relevant the web sites these links are found, the higher your link popularity is. Second, links from other sites that point toward your web site increase your web traffic because the visitors of the other web sites are exposed to your links and may consequently click them to get to your site. Link building and one-way link building in particular should be done by any web master who is serious about promoting his or her web site.--- Basic one-way link building ---The best way to get other web sites to backlink to your site is by making their web masters want to link up with you. The way to do this is to maintain a professional, tasteful and highly desirable web site.Your web site should have creative, well-written, and exceptional content so that other web masters would covet your content for their own or would want to provide their visitors with a link to worthy content that they themselves don’t have. And since these web masters want your content for their own web sites, it is reasonable to assume that their web sites are related to yours. Therefore when these web sites link back to you, you will get the most effective type of one-way links or backlinks, which are those that come from relevant web sites.--- Link building through article or content submission ---A va Erste Bank Erste Bank, based in Austria, is the leading financial services provider in Central Europe. Its website contains an investor relations area in which detailed information is provided, and also a corporate governance section in which the company discloses it follows the Austrian Code of Corporate Governance in practice. In the annual report, the company discloses it follows all of the statutory rules of the Code, and adheres to most of the recommendations. It directs individuals to the website for the actual provisions of corporate governance, making the information accessible, but not detailed within the annual report itself. Furthermore, policies regarding shareholder rights were not easy to discern. Česk? Telecom Česk? Telecom is a telecommunications group that operates primarily in the Czech Republic. The company has a website with shareholder information including board structure and notification of the annual general meeting. In addition, access to the company’s annual report leads to extensive corporate governance discussion. The company acknowledges improved reporting in this area beginning with the 2004 annual report as compared to previous annual reports, and as stated in the 2002 annual report, the company will be in full compliance of the Corporate Governance Code by 2005. One note made in the report includes a list of the members of the supervisory board that qualify as independent, an important provision as recommended by the 2004 Code. Komerčn? Banka Komerčn? Banka is among the most important banks in the Czech Republic and the Central and Eastern European region, and provides comprehensive services for clients in retail, corporate, and investment banking. The company’s website provides access to key shareholder information, and has an investor relations section. However, there is not a specific corporate governance section. Accessing the annual report allows one to see most of the requirements of corporate governance, but there is neither specific mention of their general policy towards corporate governance nor mention of their adherence or lack there of to the Corporate Governance Code. Unipetrol Unipetrol, a group of companies that operate in the chemical industries sector of the Czech Republic, is a major company in Central Europe. The company’s website has direct links to board members as well as an investor page with access to its annual reports, but does not provide detailed corporate governance information. The annual report does not improve upon the corporate governance policy of the company. There is no statement concerning the company’s policy towards corporate governance, and the information given is primarily a list of board members. Qualifications are not given, and shareholder rights are not disclosed or discussed. Zentiva Zentiva is a pharmaceutical group that holds leading positions in the Czech and Slovak markets, and amongst the largest players in Central and Eastern Europe. Zentiva’s website provides extensive corporate governance information, including the actual rules governing the boards. Investor relations also has a prominent position on the company’s website, and lists shareholder information, the date of the general meeting, and other important information. As stated in the annual report, the company adheres to the Dutch Corporate Governance Code. CETV Central European Media Enterprises, or CME, is traded on the Prague Stock Exchange as CETV. The company, based in Bermuda, is an international television broadcasting company, and operate How to Find Free Government Grant Money adheres to most of the recommendations. It directs individuals to the website for the actual provisions of corporate governance, making the information accessible, but not detailed within the annual report itself. Furthermore, policies regarding shareholder rights were not easy to discern.Finding free government grant money can be time and labor intensive. Identifying the specific agencies and their purposes and specific subject areas can involve a lot of research work. Ads that claim the process is easy usually involve some sort of fraud and are untruthful. Government grant money will need to be answered for very specifically in today's world.Free government grant money does actually come with at a price. It does not have to be repaid, but it does come with strict conditions and restrictions on how it is spent. There are usually strong sanctions involved when used improperly as it is to be used directly for the outlined project and within the objectives of the funding source.Locating free government grant money for new and existing for-profit businesses is difficult. Typically, the free grant money is given to non-profit organizations that provide some sort of community social service function and benefit everyone. Despite this, it should be noted that there is still free grant money available from the government to entrepreneurs in competitive fields of business.The U.S. government's grant.gov website would be the best place to look to find available free grant money. Here, you will be able to find and apply for competitive grant opportunities from all federal granting agencies online. The application and approval process is automated to improve the process. The site also offers a free sign up for notification of future grant opportunities.The government's Catalogue of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) is another source to find free a Česk? Telecom Česk? Telecom is a telecommunications group that operates primarily in the Czech Republic. The company has a website with shareholder information including board structure and notification of the annual general meeting. In addition, access to the company’s annual report leads to extensive corporate governance discussion. The company acknowledges improved reporting in this area beginning with the 2004 annual report as compared to previous annual reports, and as stated in the 2002 annual report, the company will be in full compliance of the Corporate Governance Code by 2005. One note made in the report includes a list of the members of the supervisory board that qualify as independent, an important provision as recommended by the 2004 Code. Komerčn? Banka Komerčn? Banka is among the most important banks in the Czech Republic and the Central and Eastern European region, and provides comprehensive services for clients in retail, corporate, and investment banking. The company’s website provides access to key shareholder information, and has an investor relations section. However, there is not a specific corporate governance section. Accessing the annual report allows one to see most of the requirements of corporate governance, but there is neither specific mention of their general policy towards corporate governance nor mention of their adherence or lack there of to the Corporate Governance Code. Unipetrol Unipetrol, a group of companies that operate in the chemical industries sector of the Czech Republic, is a major company in Central Europe. The company’s website has direct links to board members as well as an investor page with access to its annual reports, but does not provide detailed corporate governance information. The annual report does not improve upon the corporate governance policy of the company. There is no statement concerning the company’s policy towards corporate governance, and the information given is primarily a list of board members. Qualifications are not given, and shareholder rights are not disclosed or discussed. Zentiva Zentiva is a pharmaceutical group that holds leading positions in the Czech and Slovak markets, and amongst the largest players in Central and Eastern Europe. Zentiva’s website provides extensive corporate governance information, including the actual rules governing the boards. Investor relations also has a prominent position on the company’s website, and lists shareholder information, the date of the general meeting, and other important information. As stated in the annual report, the company adheres to the Dutch Corporate Governance Code. CETV Central European Media Enterprises, or CME, is traded on the Prague Stock Exchange as CETV. The company, based in Bermuda, is an international television broadcasting company, and operate A Guide To Receiving Online Payments is neither specific mention of their general policy towards corporate governance nor mention of their adherence or lack there of to the Corporate Governance Code.The World Wide Web has become an integral part of our lives. It has penetrated so deeply into our daily living that people now turn towards the World Wide Web for buying clothes, books, electronic equipment etc. For an online seller, then, it becomes imperative to find means to make an online transaction as easy and painless as possible. Since most people prefer to use their credit cards while shopping, webmasters need to integrate this service into their online shopping websites. An answer to your online payment needs can be a payment processing company.Most online shopping sites enter into a business alliance with payment processing companies. However, you should diligently comb the market for the best deal before you sign up with a service. Make sure that they are not overcharging you. Also, check out their reputation in the market – are they known for their fair minded financial and business transactions? This kind of a company operates through two types of services – one id intended for companies with merchant accounts with their banks and the other for companies who do not possess this kind of a bank account. The first kind of service is generally used by fairly large financial institutions and organizations dealing in independent sales.The advantage of having a merchant account is that you can receive payments within a few days of the transaction. However, if you do not have a merchant bank account, the payment processing company receives the payment on your behalf initially. The mode of operation is that the buyer will fulfill the transaction not on the selle Unipetrol Unipetrol, a group of companies that operate in the chemical industries sector of the Czech Republic, is a major company in Central Europe. The company’s website has direct links to board members as well as an investor page with access to its annual reports, but does not provide detailed corporate governance information. The annual report does not improve upon the corporate governance policy of the company. There is no statement concerning the company’s policy towards corporate governance, and the information given is primarily a list of board members. Qualifications are not given, and shareholder rights are not disclosed or discussed. Zentiva Zentiva is a pharmaceutical group that holds leading positions in the Czech and Slovak markets, and amongst the largest players in Central and Eastern Europe. Zentiva’s website provides extensive corporate governance information, including the actual rules governing the boards. Investor relations also has a prominent position on the company’s website, and lists shareholder information, the date of the general meeting, and other important information. As stated in the annual report, the company adheres to the Dutch Corporate Governance Code. CETV Central European Media Enterprises, or CME, is traded on the Prague Stock Exchange as CETV. The company, based in Bermuda, is an international television broadcasting company, and operates a group of networks and stations across Central and Eastern Europe. The company’s website includes the members of the board and their qualifications, as well as financial results and company policies such as their Code of Ethics. Interestingly, analyst reports regarding CME are accessible on the company’s website. CME is listed on NASDAQ, so annual report information is accessible through their website under SEC filings. Philip Morris ČR Philip Morris ČR is an affiliate of Philip Morris International, whose parent company is Altria Group. The website for Philip Morris directs all investors inquiring about shareholder information to its parent company’s website, although some financial data, its general meeting date, and agenda is disclosed for its Kutna Hora location in the Czech Republic. Just as was the case for CETV, Altria Group has extensive information disclosed in its SEC filings. On the Altria Group website, corporate governance is discussed extensively, and the by-laws as well as board members and governance guidelines are listed. Severočesk? Doly Severočesk? Doly is the largest producer of brown coal in the Czech Republic. The company mines, processes, and sells brown coal and its by-products. The company’s website lists the board members and their qualifications and shareholder structure. There is no area dedicated to corporate governance structure or policy. Within the annual report, the company disclosed they do not comply with the Corporate Governance Code, but it does respect the legal requirements and it hopes to adopt more principles in the future. Key areas of corporate governance are easy to find in the report, and although the company states it does not follow the Code, it does an extremely good job of reporting required as well as recommended information. Pra?sk? Energetika Pra?sk? Energetika is an electricity purchasing, distribution, and sales company operating in Prague and Roztoky, and an electricity trader in the wholesale market in the Czech Republic. Pra?sk? Energetika’s website lists the management and board members, shareholder structure, and provides access to its annual reports. There is not a section specifically for corporate governance. In the annual report, the company reports statutory information as required by the Commercial Code, but does not go into great detail about corporate governance specifically. Furthermore, it does not mention its adherence to any part of the Corporate Governance Code. Conclusions After reviewing the information provided either on the listed companies’ website or their annual report (see Table 2), it was discovered that the transparency of information has been achieved. At least as stated, most all of the companies comply with statutory provisions of the Commercial Code and other Acts, and six of the ten companies comply with the recommendations of the Corporate Governance Code. Of the four that have not adopted the principles of the Code, some mention of the corporate governance policy is made through the disclosure of the relevant information. I have found that companies listed on the Prague Stock Exchange with a large market capitalization have improved upon their corporate governance reporting in their 2004 annual reports from previous years. Steps have been taken by these companies to adopt the recommendations of the Corporate Governance Code even before they have become statutory regulations. Although these are stated measures that have been taken, it is assumed the policies are followed as a result of the auditor statement concerning the reporting of information contained in the annual reports. Overall, investor confidence in the Czech securities market should improve in light of the increasing transparency of information, and the future legislation of additional corporate governance requirements will improve upon this further. Table 2 Results of Company Analysis Disclosure of Information ČEZ EB CT KB U Z CETV PMČR SD PE Does the company disclose Y Y Y Y N Y Y Y Y Y corporate governance structure and policy? Does the company use the Y Y* Y N N Y** Y*** Y*** N N Corporate Governance Code as a basis? Is shareholder ownership Y Y Y Y N Y Y Y Y Y disclosed and voting rights? Board membership & Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y qualifications disclosed? Board member remuneration Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y disclosed? Does the website contain a N Y N N N Y N Y N N corporate governance area? *Austrian Code of Corporate Governance **Dutch Corporate Governance Code ***United States Securities and Exchange Commission Requirements Source: 2004 Annual Reports for Respective Companies
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