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Article title The Evolution of Corporate Responsibility in the Context of the Development of Business Principles in the XIX–XXI Centuries
Authors
Inna Spasybo-Fatyeyeva
Dr. habil. of Law, Professor, Corresponding Member of the National Academy of Legal Sciences of Ukraine, ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9852-1706 i.v.spasybo-fatyeyeva@nlu.edu.ua
Journal name Legal journal «Law of Ukraine» (Ukrainian version)
Journal issue 4 / 2026
Pages 169 - 182
ISSN (print) 1026-9932
ISSN (online) 2310-323X
DOI https://doi.org/10.33498/louu-2026-04-169
Received 20.04.2026
Accepted 08.05.2026
Published 15.05.2026
Abstract

Corporate liability, as a distinct form of liability, has been little studied in Ukraine to date. It pertains to the consequences of violations of both corporate rights and corporate law in general. Research into this topic should address not only its nature and types, but also the causes of violations in the corporate sphere. This article discusses certain violations related to the establishment of companies and the raising of significant funds from investors. From a historical perspective, it traces the legislature’s responses to “bubbles”, the development, and the current state of application of the ultra vires doctrine in the context of liability. It examines violations by company directors of the principle of good faith in management, as well as violations during privatization and the transfer of funds to offshore zones. Conversely, it highlights actions by directors in the interests of shareholders that nonetheless violate the law, including during the rapid development of the innovation environment as a manifestation of corporate disobedience. Contemporary Ukrainian research lacks such a comprehensive picture of corporate responsibility; consequently, the causes of legal violations and ways to respond to them are either not identified at all or are described only in a fragmentary manner. The aim of this article is to identify the causes of corporate misconduct, thereby enabling the selection of appropriate responses and the application of corresponding legal consequences. It is concluded that purely academic research approaches and internal legal debates are, on their own, insufficient to fully characterize corporate misconduct. To do so, a comprehensive approach must be applied, as this is the only way to address the multidimensional legal phenomena of corporate liability.

Keywords corporate liability; corporate insubordination; ultra vires doctrine; beneficial owners; company directors; offshore zones; privatization
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