Atif Bostan

Atif Bostan

Profile

Background

I am a graduate of the Universities of Bradford (LLB Law, First Class), and Leeds (LLM International Corporate Law, Distinction).

I am currently working full-time as a civil servant, undertaking the PhD on a part-time basis.

What motivated me to undertake PhD study?

Since studying at undergraduate level, I have been passionately interested in company law. Studying it at an advanced level has further developed my understanding of the problems and pitfalls that are apparent within both the legal framework and its practical implementation. More specifically, by undertaking PhD study, I hope to analyse and examine directors’ duties and shareholder rights and, by doing so, make it more effective to stand up to scrutiny at a societal level, using the current legal framework and providing practical solutions to further the accountability of directors.

What are my plans once I have completed my PhD?

I hope to secure a job in policy-making. 

Research interests

Given corporate scandals such Phones4U, British Homes Stores and, more recently, Carillion, my research will look at the current framework surrounding directors’ duties and shareholder remedies from the perspective of small businesses.

Accordingly, my research will look at whether the current framework provides sufficient scrutiny and accountability and whether current shareholder rights go far enough in holding directors accountable. The research will look at, and produce, an alternative framework which may empower shareholders to bring proceedings.

In doing so, the research aims to bridge the current gap between legal frameworks and the practicality of its enforcement.  It aims to do this by providing clarity as to whether directors of SMEs are indeed subjected to sufficient scrutiny under the current framework, and whether shareholder rights provide sufficient capability for accountability to occur. My research aims to propose an alternative shareholder-led framework to enforce directorial accountability and remedial action.