Corporate Collapse and Corporate Governance

This book provides an in-depth examination of the relationship between the UK’s dominant corporate governance regime and major corporate failures, with a particular focus on the collapse of Carillion Plc. Through a detailed analysis of the Carillion case and its aftermath, the book highlights a persistent issue in the market’s failure to learn from past collapses, allowing similar failures to recur. The exploration of corporate constitutional analysis into Carillion is presented as a thought experiment, aiming to discover new perspectives on these systemic breakdowns. It investigates whether adopting a corporate constitutional paradigm might offer fresh insights and support meaningful reform of the UK’s contractualist, shareholder-focused model. The book identifies the dysfunction at the heart of the current framework as a direct cause of corporate collapse and demonstrates how different governance paradigms can shape distinct corporate behaviours and outcomes. It calls for a fundamental rethinking of how corporate power is structured and justified. By critically evaluating the internal and external dimensions of corporate governance, this book provides a timely and thought-provoking contribution for scholars, policymakers, and practitioners seeking more resilient and responsible models of governance.