The role of boards in strategic goal setting and, in particular, the level of board involvement in strategic goal setting has not been extensively researched, primarily because of the difficulty of gaining access to empirical data. Therefore, boards of directors of companies listed on the Alternative Exchange (AltX) of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) were targeted for this research by means of a survey questionnaire administered via email. The aim of the research was firstly to understand the level of board involvement in strategic goal setting, secondly to establish the common strategic goals set by AltX companies and how often these goals are reviewed, thirdly to determine whether there is a relationship between independent variables such as organisational size, board size and number of non-executive directors and the level of board involvement, and finally to determine whether the level of board involvement varies between executive and non-executive directors. The research found that the level of board involvement was at mid-level being ‘sometimes involved’ while the board’s involvement is significantly lower in strategic goal formation processes. The most common goal was found to be EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation) with Cost being the strategic goal most frequently reviewed. No statistically significant correlation was established between the independent variables and the level of board involvement in strategic goal setting. Finally, non-executive directors prefer to take on more of an ‘agency’ role by not becoming involved in ‘prescribing’ strategy. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

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Magister Legum - LLM / The global financial crisis resulted in a corporate collapse in different parts of the world. The global financial crisis was caused by poor governance. Consequently many countries, including South Africa, began to place more emphasis on good governance. The framework and guidelines for the development of good governance in South African company law was published by the Department of Trade of Trade and Industry (hereafter DTI) in a document referred to as The South African Company Law for the 21st Century: Guidelines for Corporate Law Reform (hereafter the DTI Policy Document) published by the DTI. The DTI Policy Document recognised the need for a regulatory framework within which enterprises operate to promote growth, employment, innovation, stability, good governance, confidence and international competitiveness. In order to further develop governance, the effectiveness of directors’ standards as well as the liability of directors was also said to have developed. Prior to the development of South African corporate law, liability of directors was to a large extent governed by the common law and the King Codes, despite the existence of the Companies Act 61 of 1973 (as amended). As of the 1st of May 2011, corporate law in South Africa appears to have dramatically changed the duties and liabilities of directors. The 1st of May 2011 marked the implementation of Companies Act 71 of 2008 (hereafter the Act). The Act is written in plain language in an attempt to make it more accessible and align it with international trends. The Act has also theoretically changed the roles and duties of directors as well as the liability that they may face in that it potentially changes the existing common law and alters policies and philosophies of corporate law in general. The Act partially codifies the common law and introduces the business judgement rule to South Africa. The business judgment rule will draw a balance between the directors’ ability to steer a company and the shareholders' right to hold directors accountable for their decisions. It is perceived as a mechanism that can be used to balance the tension between these opposing rights.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oregon, 2006. / Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 104-109). Also available for download via the World Wide Web; free to University of Oregon users.

The major aim of the study is to establish· whether a relationship exists between the composition and effectiveness of the board of directors. Selection, particularly selection procedures became relevant in the study, whether there were different selection procedures for board of directors in South Africa. Developing common selection guidelines and board composition profile is an important element of this study. A case study research method was used to collect data. The sample was drawn from KwaZulu-Natal based companies including 25 directors of companies not necessarily members of the companies in our sample. The sample parameters included a listed conglomerate, municipal funded, unlisted private, black economic empowerment and parastal companies. The conclusion is that, composition does impact on the effectiveness of the board of directors. Secondly, boards of directors have different composition profiles. Furthermore, their selection procedures differ to an extent. These differences are driven by the needs of the organization rather than sectoral location. However, sectoral imperatives do have an influence, which cannot be completely excluded. Whilst, the study found that there were certain uniform requirements to be met by all companies in terms of corporate governance, there were certain instances where the universality of guidelines and/or models and/or perspectives were suspect due to a number of factors. Accordingly. recommendations and/or guidelines are outlined to improve effectiveness of the board of directors. These entail amongst other issues: ~ Board Structure and size ~ Board Composition ~ Board Selection ~ Board Induction ~ The Chairman's Role ~ The Roles of Chief Executive Officers ~ The Role of Executive Directors ~ The Role of Non-Executive Directors ~ The Executive Director ~ Board Committees ~ Gender Equality and Diversity ~ Compensation of the Board ~ Board Appraisal / Evaluation ~ Shareholder Activism Enforcement takes precedence over voluntary compliance to corporate governance in the guidelines recommended in this study. / Thesis (MBA)-University of Natal, Durban, 2002.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2009. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 161-162).

Thesis (M.A.)--University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 49-51).

Thesis (Ph. D.) University of Missouri-Columbia, 2006. / The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on August 1, 2007) Includes bibliographical references.