Among the many corporate governance improvement resources available to IFC investment staff are seven key tools tailored to each of the five types of companies IFC invests in (listed companies, family companies, financial institutions, privatized transition economy companies, and state-owned enterprises).

The seven tools used for these companies are:

• Instruction sheets – These describe each of the key corporate governance tools, how they should be used and who should be interviewed in the course of the corporate governance review.

• Progression matrices – These relate the five areas of governance (Commitment to good corporate governance, the Board of Directors, Control Environment and Processes,Transparency and Disclosure, and Shareholders Rights) to four levels of achievement.

• Information request list* – This list of questions and requests for documentation forms the basis for the corporate governance review of an IFC client.

• Explanatory note: “Why Corporate Governance?” This note explains IFC’s approach to corporate governance.

• Independent Director definition – This definition is often used during discussions with the client to clarify the assessment of the current Board and its future needs.

• Supervision checklist – This is a list of key issues that should be considered by investment staff while supervising IFC investee companies, particularly, companies undertaking CG Improvement Programs.

Access corporate governance tools by selecting the type of company below:

• Listed Companies
• Family- or Founder-Owned Unlisted Companies
• Financial Institutions
• Privatized Transition Economy Companies
• State-Owned Enterprises (Please direct your specific questions about this group to Mr. Roman Zyla)

In practice, many investee companies will not fit any one paradigm perfectly, but it would be impossible to develop different corporate governance tools for every conceivable type of company. In those cases where an investee company has characteristics of two paradigms (for example, listed companies with a family as the controlling shareholder) tools from both paradigms could be used in tandem. We are in the process of developing similar tools for other paradigms, including joint ventures and investment funds.

In addition to the seven key Investment Officer Tools available directly from this site, numerous more specialized resources are available on this Web site. These include model documents on special issues, country-specific materials and further reading.




*Specialized Information Request Lists are also available for family-owned financial institutions, listed companies in China and in Supervisory Board Systems.