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SALISBURY, MD---When tragic situations like the BP oil spill occur, some experts wonder whether they could have been prevented through better corporate governance.

“Corporate governance has been a really hot topic lately,” said Dr. Oliver Roche of Salisbury University’s Management and Marketing Department. “There is a feeling that some of the crises we have right now can be attributed to poor governance.”

Many companies whose reputations have been tarnished, from Enron to BP, could have avoided the most damaging issues had their boards of directors asked the right questions and taken action at the appropriate time, he said: “A business strategy is more than just improving the bottom line of a company.”

Roche, who earned his Ph.D. from McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, helped start a joint educational program between his alma mater, the University of Toronto and the Institute of Corporate Directors. The program helps chief executive officers and board members hone their management skills. Now the academic director of that collaboration, he recently attended an annual meeting to help determine academic content for the 12-day sessions.

“In this program, board members learn how to ask the tough questions and the skills needed to discuss and monitor the strategies proposed by the senior officers of a company without interfering with their day-to-day implementation,” he said.

For more information call 410-543-6030 or visit the ³ÉÈ˶¶ÒõWeb site at www.salisbury.edu.