2009 article index: the hot issues and agenda items that directors & boards authors tackled last year.

• Position: 2009 ARTICLE INDEX

Annual Meetings

One Investor's Quest--My campaign for board accountability at ExxonMobil. By Robert A.G. Monks. Annual Report 2009

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Audit Committees

Audit Committee as Catalyst--Mobilizing for the new normal. By Mary Pat McCarthy of the KPMG Audit Committee Institute. Annual Report 2009

A First Step in Audit Committee Effectiveness--Assess each member as to how he or she would prefer to receive and review information and then customize this information accordingly. By corporate director K. Sue Redman. Fourth Quarter 2009

Bankruptcy

'Where Was the Board?' Where Was I?--A director puts that question to himself when he and his fellow board members have to put a company into Chapter 11. By Richard Salomon of Cozen O'Connor. Second Quarter 2009

The Case for Renewal Through Bankruptcy--Some straight talk on Chapter 11 reorganization: It can be rough, nasty, and emotional, but it gets you back on track to rebuilding your company. Plus, straight talk on board comp: Let's pay directors the old-fashioned way. By George Cloutier of American Management Services. Third Quarter 2009

Board Diversity

An Awesome Stat--The Directors Roster reports a record-busting number of women being elected to boards. By DIRECTORS & BOARDS Editor James Kristie. Second Quarter 2009

A Century of Progress--An invitation from "Vision 2020" prompts reflections on the advancement of women as directors. By DIRECTORS & BOARDS Chairman Robert Rock. Third Quarter 2009

Board Dynamics

The Secret Sauce in Board Leadership--Successful boards achieve potency by combining the right elements in the right way at the right time. By Leslie Mayer and Kathleen Gounaris of Mayer Leadership Group. First Quarter 2009

The Board-CEO Dynamic--Let's shorten the distance between the boardroom and the C-suite. Here's how. By Nicole Sandford of Deloitte. Annual Report 2009

A Director's Letter to His Chairman--Here is how we board members can better help you. By Scott Anthony of Innosight LLC. Third Quarter 2009

Your Board's 'Inner Circle'--Yes, your board has one: a not-so-secret subgroup of directors who wield extra influence in deliberations and decision making. By Patrick Dailey and Charles Bishop Jr. Fourth Quarter 2009

Candor and Control in the Boardroom--Two tales from the trenches that illuminate the attitude shifts taking place between management and the board. By Allan Cox. Fourth Quarter 2009

Board Meetings

Board Calls: Weekly is the New Quarterly--A simple and impactful step boards can take today that will provide greater value to their companies. By Allan Grafman of All Media Ventures. First Quarter 2009

Board Practices

Powerful Tactics to 'Power Up' Your Board--Yes, you can create a more open and engaged board. Thoughtfully implementing some combination of these deceptively simple tasks can dramatically improve performance. By DaVita Inc. Chairman and CEO Kent Thiry. First Quarter 2009

'We've Got an Incredible Board'--The Tupperware Brands chairman and CEO champions the value that directors can add ... as long as there is no crowding out of the board agenda what their top priority should be: to grow the company. Interview with Rick Goings. Second Quarter 2009

A Serious Board Takes Serious Work--Here are the questions to be asked in constructing an optimal board, how to attract influential people to join a board, and the success factors critical to board performance. By Jackie Kelley and Diane Larsen of Ernst & Young. Third Quarter 2009

Let's Get Real on Role Separation--Is splitting the CEO and chairperson positions leading edge ... or over the edge? There is not a shred of evidence that combining or separating the positions affects financial performance. By Dan Dalton and Catherine Dalton of the Governance Center at the University of Indiana. Third Quarter 2009

The Gritty Stuff--Heard this in your governance seminars or ISS grading sessions about what makes boards not work? By columnist Gary Sutton. Third Quarter 2009

The Xs and Os of Fundamental Governance--In a time of crisis, a smart...