The Corporate Board: Confronting the Paradoxes

Throughout the world, corporations are experiencing the second major transition in corporate governance of this century. The nature of the relationship between the corporation and the rest of society is changing fundamentally. The corporate board has unique responsibilities during this transition, but as it tries to respond directors are faced with destabilizing paradoxes: resolving who is in control--management or the board, achieving critical judgment while maintaining detachment, and avoiding becoming either a cozy club or a collection of all-stars. Written for practitioners, this book addresses corporate governance and the role of the board of directors in multinational corporations. Based on interviews with 71 directors serving on more than 500 boards in eight countries, this book highlights the nature of the challenges and suggests ways to analyze and confront them. This major international study compares the experiences of board members in Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Venezuela. Based on practical experience, The Corporate Board will prove indispensable to executive and non-executive directors, corporate secretaries, bankers, institutional investors, policymakers, stock brokers, and specialists in mergers and acquisitions, as well as academics and stockholders concerned about corporate accountability.