This book discusses how directors and officers can limit and protect against personal liability for corporate acts. Conflict of interest, class actions, liability of third persons, SEC regulatory actions, indemnification and contribution, and other relevant issues are addressed in the work.
Is your firm’s board creating value—or destroying it? Change is coming. Leadership at the top is being redefined as boards take a more active role in decisions that once belonged solely to the CEO. But for all the advantages of increased board engagement, it can create debilitating questions of authority and dangerous meddling in day-to-day operations. Directors need a new road map—for when to lead, when to partner, and when to stay out of the way. Boardroom veterans Ram Charan, Dennis Carey, and Michael Useem advocate this new governance model—a sharp departure from what has been demanded by governance activists, raters, and regulators—and reveal the emerging practices that are defining shared leadership of directors and executives. Based on personal interviews and the authors’ broad and deep experience working with executives and directors from dozens of the world’s largest firms, including Apple, Boeing, Ford, Infosys, and Lenovo, Boards That Lead tells the inside story behind the successes and pitfalls of this new leadership model and explains how to: • Define the central idea of the company • Ensure that the right CEO is in place and potential successors are identified • Recruit directors who add value • Root out board dysfunction • Select a board leader who deftly bridges the divide between management and the board • Set a high bar on ethics and risk With a total of eighteen checklists that will transform board directors from monitors to leaders, Charan, Carey, and Useem provide a smart and practical guide for businesspeople everywhere—whether they occupy the boardroom or the C-suite.
Introduction to Business covers the scope and sequence of most introductory business courses. The book provides detailed explanations in the context of core themes such as customer satisfaction, ethics, entrepreneurship, global business, and managing change. Introduction to Business includes hundreds of current business examples from a range of industries and geographic locations, which feature a variety of individuals. The outcome is a balanced approach to the theory and application of business concepts, with attention to the knowledge and skills necessary for student success in this course and beyond. This is an adaptation of Introduction to Business by OpenStax. You can access the textbook as pdf for free at openstax.org. Minor editorial changes were made to ensure a better ebook reading experience. Textbook content produced by OpenStax is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
This book examines such topics as: the risks officers and directors face, derivative and class actions, and when a corporation is required--or allowed-- to provide indemnification.
As a result of numerous recent corporate and accounting scandals, corporate officers, directors, managers, and trustees now face a host of new problemsand—ranging from a blizzard of new legislation, rules, and responsibilitiesand—to increased SEC oversight, new NYSE and NASDAQ listing standards, new fiduciary and other duties, and crushing new criminal penalties. Representing Corporate Officers, Directors, Managers, and Trustees tells you what to look for...what to look out for...and what steps to take to protect your corporate clients in todayand’s harsh regulatory environment. Itand’s the only up-to-date work of its kind to offer both in-depth analysis and practical guidance on every key aspect of this critically important area. This completely updated Second Edition thoroughly covers: Directorsand’ duty of careand— including the different standards which have been imposed on directors regarding the duty of care...the duty of loyalty...the business judgment rule... when directors are entitled to rely on the advice of others...improperly influencing audits under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act... improper distributions...and more. Conflicts of interestand—with examples of conflict of interest transactions, and discussion of loans to or by directors and officers...secret profits...and the duty to safeguard confidential or inside informationand— plus, how certain transactions considered improper can be ratified and thus become legitimate. Federal securities lawsand—including everything from overviews of the laws, the SEC, and securities themselvesand— to jurisdiction, pleading, remedies, and defenses in securities cases... the new criminal penalties...and attorneysand’ responsibilities regarding liability under Sarbanes-Oxley. Indemnification and insuranceand— with discussion of mandatory and permissive indemnification and the scope of indemnification in various states... when a director may be indemnified even if not wholly successful in defense of anaction...directorsand’ and officersand’ liability insurance...types and extent of insurance coverage...tax law treatment...and exclusions. Tender offersand—including antitakeover measures, two-tier and squeeze-out mergers, and golden parachute agreements, poison pill plans, and greenmail...potential liability in tender offers...and implementing mergers and acquisitions, with securities law, antitrust, tax, accounting, and labor law considerations.