Corporate governance and sustainability
. Shareholders take an active role in the running of the companies in which they invest.

. Directors' detailed knowledge of the companies they run gives them an opportunity to manipulate the information that they report to shareholders.

. Shareholders can be certain that the business in which they have invested is being run for their long-term benefit and not just for the short-term benefit of directors.

. The rules of the Companies Act 2006, together with the Corporate Governance Code, aim to ensure that entities are fully under control, that directors are not exceeding their powers and that business entities are run for the long-term benefit of stakeholders and not just to satisfy the short-term interests of directors.