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Excellence in the Boardroom: Best Practices in Corporate Directorship

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I work for a book summary company. One of the books selected for summary is this book.


Coming close on the heels of the Enron disaster, this book indeed highlights the need for correction in the board room practices. The book makes a strong case for enacting sound policies of ethical corporate governance and ensuring shareholders' interest. With a vast experience accumulated over the years behind him, Dimma uses his actual experience and observations to reveal how the boards function, and the crucial issues and controversies that boards face. Putting his weight behind the need for separating the posts of CEO and Chairman, Dimma goes on to tackle other vital aspects that fall within the purview of the board. Thus you will find the book covers in detail on the effective ways of board governance, executive director compensation, CEO succession planning, proper evaluation of the board and directors, pension fund management, advisory boards and the encroaching role of institutional investors. For people who are not privy to the happening behind the board, this book throws open the door to offers his perspectives on how and why the board of directors have failed in their responsibilities to evolve proper corporate governance, the need for striking the right relationship between management and the board of directors and the useful processes that can be adopted to make the board function morally and effectively. Indeed the many issues that he discusses are of immense value that companies must address. In the aftermath of the disgraceful exit of Enron, Worldcom, Tyco and many others, whose unethical corporate culture saw the complete erosion of shareholders' interest, this book is indeed valuable for the many invaluable advice and issues it takes up.

That creaking sound you hear is Bill Dimma closing the barn door after Enron already got out. Dimma sounds a late, but nevertheless critical, wakeup call for U.S. corporations: They must institute policies of sound corporate governance at the board of directors level if they are to succeed and survive. About 80% of Fortune 500 companies combine the roles of chairman of the board and CEO, violating Dimma's rule number one - separate powers. We from getAbstract recommend that the management and directors of every one of these companies read Dimma's book and implement the measures that he prescribes.

With the recent and ongoing exposure of companies intent on deceiving their shareholders, the focus again turns on the practices of the Corporate Directorship. While in the current limelight, the role of Boards, their attentiveness and effectiveness in representing shareholder interests has been debated over many years. 'Excellence in the Boardroom' is a well-written book providing the practical and well founded opinions of William Dimma who draws on his actual experience serving on the Boards of over 50 companies. His experience provides such interesting insights which are way and above beyond the reach of the profusion of Academic articles suddenly appearing. The book is a valuable size-up of the criteria which make for active and involved Boards of Directors who truly represent the interests of the shareholders. Mr Dimma augments his board experiences with his practical knowledge of actually leading a number of businesses as the CEO.