Purpose – Looks at the current structure of boards where the CEO fills all leadership roles. Benefit is in having a single voice. Disadvantage is having CEO self‐monitor. Findings – A lead independent director (LID) can crate an effective system of corporate governance. The LID is chosen...

Purpose – Looks at attempts to avoid Sarbanes‐Oxley guidelines over past few years. It has been widely reported, for example, that the number of public companies announcing their intention to privatize has increased 30 percent since the enactment of SOX. Some other companies will elect not...

Purpose – Looks at the issue of repricing stock options for CEOs and other senior managers when existing option are under water. The board of directors has the option of exchanging existing options (i.e. the underwater options) for new options with a lower exercise price....

Purpose – Looks at modern guidelines for corporate governance as essentially an exercise in profiling. Sarbanes‐Oxley, oversight agencies, and self‐regulatory agencies focus on the adoption of certain board composition configurations in a purely subjective way and on the basis of factors...

Purpose – Looks at group decision making by Boards and impact of diversity on effectiveness. Findings – Extensive research fails to demonstrate the superiority of the separate board leadership structure. Other factors supersede the need for independence where board leadership is concerned....

Purpose – To provide a comprehensive overview of corporate governance practices in the top listed companies in ten European countries. Design/methodology/approach – Presents comparative empirical research based on public data from public companies. This survey has been published biennially...

Purpose – This essay argues that many directors are never inducted and developed into their board directoral roles. By not understanding their legal roles and tasks as a director, as distinct from a manager, they can rarely extract themselves for long enough to become skilled at thinking...

Purpose – Looks at the decision by some public companies to go dark and avoid regulatory requirements. Findings – To go dark, companies must meet only minimal guidelines. It may be a tempting option in light of Sarbanes Oxley and other regulations and it can save a company the time and money...

Purpose – This paper aims to look at whether an organization should grow by acquisition or organic (internal) growth. Design/methodology/approach – The study discusses problems with non‐organic growth and gives reasons why organic growth is a better alternative. Findings – The study...

Purpose – This paper looks at the failure of corporate boards to incorporate best practices into their functioning. Design/methodology/approach – The study discusses the failure of corporate boards to incorporate best practices into their functioning. Findings – One answer to the continued...