A past president of a large multinational corporation recently confronted me with the view that corporate leaders and board members have not learnt anything from research into corporate governance. This observation has at least two aspects to it. The first is that corporate governance research needs to be relevant and actionable. The second is that research-based findings must be communicated. Through this book my aim is to communicate actionable research and knowledge about boards and governance.

My objective is to stimulate thinking, rather than to produce a handbook that purports to present definitive answers to various questions. This is a research-based book that, it is hoped, will help the reader reflect on and gain a deeper understanding of boards and governance. But it is also a book that communicates actionable knowledge with regard to boards of directors. Thoughtful readers are the target group; these may be board members, potential board members, business school students, researchers, or others who may have an interest in boards. The book has an ambitious objective: it is written in a management tradition with an emphasis on strategic decision-making, organisation theory and organisational behaviour. Value creation, including entrepreneurship and corporate social responsibility issues, are used to frame the presentation.

Boards of directors in different countries and contexts

The tasks facing boards of directors have received considerable attention of late, and in a range of countries. The attention has to a considerable extent focused on large corporations following the corporate governance debate, but there is also an increasing emphasis on boards in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), including family businesses.