考官文章研讀: CORPORATE GOVERNANCE (Part2)

THE ROLE OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Nearly all companies are managed by a board of directors, appointed or elected by the shareholders to run the company on their behalf. In most countries, the directors are subject to periodic (often annual) re-election by the shareholders. This would appear to give the shareholders ultimate power, but in most sectors it is recognised that performance can only be judged over the medium to long-term. Shareholders therefore have to place trust in those who act on their behalf. It is rare but not unknown for shareholders to lose patience with the board and remove its members en masse.

The role of the board of directors was summarised by the King Report (a South African report on corporate governance) as:

· to define the purpose of the company

· to define the values by which the company will perform its daily duties

· to identify the stakeholders relevant to the company

· to develop a strategy combining these factors

· to ensure implementation of this strategy.

The purpose and values of a company are often set down in its constitutional documents, reflecting the objectives of its founders. However, it is sometimes appropriate for the board to consider whether it is in the best interests of those served

by the company to modify this or even change it completely. For example, NCR Corporation is a US producer of automated teller machines and point-of-sale systems, but its origins lay in mechanical accounting machines (NCR represents National Cash Register). As cash registers would quickly become obsolete with the emergence of microchip technology, the company had to adapt very rapidly. Whitbread plc originated as a brewer in the 18th century in the UK, but in the 1990s redefined its mission and objectives completely. It is now a hospitality and leisure provider (its brands include Premier Inn and Costa coffee) and has abandoned brewing completely.

The directors must take a long-term perspective of the road that the company must travel. Management writer William Ouchi attributes the enduring success of many Japanese companies to their ability to avoid short-term ‘knee-jerk’ reactions to immediate issues in favour of consensus over the best direction to take in the long-term.

STRUCTURE OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

There is no convenient formula for defining how many directors a company should have, though in some jurisdictions company law specifies a minimum and/or maximum number of directors for different types of company. Tesco plc, a large multinational supermarket company, has 13 directors. Swire Pacific Limited, a large Hong Kong conglomerate, has 18 directors. Smaller listed companies generally have fewer directors, typically six to eight persons.

The board of directors is made up of executive directors and non-executive directors.

Executive directors are full-time employees of the company and, therefore, have two relationships and sets of duties. They work for the company in a senior capacity, usually concerned with policy matters or functional business areas of major strategic importance. Large companies tend to have executive directors responsible for finance, IT/IS, marketing and so on.

Executive directors are usually recruited by the board of directors. They are the highest earners in the company, with remuneration packages made up partly of basic pay and fringe benefits and partly performance-related pay. Most large companies now engage their executive directors under fixed term contracts, often rolling over every 12 months.

The chief executive officer (CEO) and the finance director (in the US, chief financial officer) are nearly always executive directors.

Non-executive directors (NEDs) are not employees of the company and are not involved in its day-to-day running. They usually have full-time jobs elsewhere, or may sometimes be prominent individuals from public life. The non-executive directors usually receive a flat fee for their services, and are engaged under a contract for service (civil contract, similar to that used to hire a consultant).

NEDs should provide a balancing influence and help to minimise conflicts of interest. The Higgs Report, published in 2003, summarised their role as:

· to contribute to the strategic plan

· to scrutinise the performance of the executive directors

· to provide an external perspective on risk management

· to deal with people issues, such as the future shape of the board and resolution of conflicts.

The majority of non-executive directors should be independent. Factors to be considered in assessing their independence include their business, financial and other commitments, other shareholdings and directorships and involvement in businesses connected to the company. However, holding shares in the company does not necessarily compromise independence.

Non-executive directors should have high ethical standards and act with integrity and probity. They should support the executive team and monitor its conduct, demonstrating a willingness to listen, question, debate and challenge.

It is now recognised as best practice that a public company should have more non-executive directors than executive directors. In Tesco plc, there are five executive directors and eight independent non-executive directors. Swire Pacific Ltd has eight executive directors and 10 non-executive directors, of which six are independent non-executive directors.

An individual may be accountable in law as a shadow director. A shadow director is a person who controls the activities of a company, or of one or more of its actual directors, indirectly. For example, if a person who is unconnected with a company gives instructions to a person who is a director of the company, then the second person is an actual director while the first person is a shadow director. In some jurisdictions, shadow directors are recognised as being as accountable in law as actual directors.

UNITARY V TWO-TIER BOARDS

The unitary board model is adopted by, inter alia, companies in the UK, US, Australia and South Africa. The company’s directors serve together on one board comprising both executive and non-executive directors.

In many countries in continental Europe, companies adopt a two-tier structure. This separates those responsible for supervision from those responsible for operations. The supervisory board generally oversees the operating board.

Paper FAB, Accountant in Business, focuses mainly on the unitary board system, though knowledge of both models is required for subsequent studies for Paper P1,Governance, Risk and Ethics.

KEY POSITIONS

The chairman of the company is the leader of the board of directors. It is the chairman’s responsibility to ensure that the board operates efficiently and effectively, get the best out of all of its members. The chairman should, for example, promote regular attendance and full involvement in discussions. The chairman decides the

scope of each meeting and is responsible for time management of board meetings, ensuring all matters are discussed fully, but without spending limitless time on individual agenda items. In most companies the chairman is a non-executive director.

The chief executive officer (CEO) is the leader of the executive team and is responsible for the day-to-day management of the organisation. As such, this individual is nearly always an executive director. As well as attending board meetings in his or her capacity as a director, the CEO will usually chair the management committee or executive committee. While most companies have monthly board meetings, it is common for management/executive committee meetings to be weekly.

The secretary is the chief administrative officer of the company. The secretary provides the agenda and supporting papers for board meetings, and often for executive committee meetings also. He or she takes minutes of meetings and provides advice on procedural matters, such as terms of reference. The secretary usually has responsibilities for liaison with shareholders and the government registration body. As such, the notice of general meetings will be signed by the secretary on behalf of the board of directors. The secretary may be a member of the board of directors, though some smaller companies use this position as a means of involving a high potential individual at board level prior to being appointed as a director.

SEGREGATION OF RESPONSIBILITIES

It is generally recognised that the CEO should not hold the position of chairman, as the activities of each role are quite distinctive from one another. In larger companies, there would be too much work for one individual, though in Marks & Spencer, a large listed UK retail organisation, one person did occupy both positions for several years.

The secretary should not also be the chairman of the company. As the secretary has a key role in liaising with the government registration body, having the same person occupying both roles could compromise the flow of information between this body and the board of directors.

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