The Company Director's Desktop Guide is an indispensable source of reference on all areas of company law and practice for directors in every type of organisation. It provides essentially practical, jargon-free guidance on every aspect of a director's duties drawn from the author's considerable experience.

Background...2Widespread lack of awareness ...2Personal liability...3Practical help ...4The nature of the beast 7Defining the term ...8How did we get here? ...9What is a company ...14Formation ...14Re-Registration...15The Veil of Incorporation...16What is a 'Director' ...19A Director's exposure ...21Appointment - First principles...21Joining the throng...26Constitution - Aims and purpose...29Internal obligations...30Rolling the message out...31A rose by any other name 33A director is a director ...34Descriptions...35De Facto or Shadow? ...48Disclosure of Persons of Significant Control ...49Courtesy titles ...52Duties...5410 'commandments' for directors ...64Appraisal ...71Scaling the peak 73Eligibility for appointment...74Appointment of a Director ...75Notification of interests ...79Status - officer or officer and employee?...83The service contract ...86Remuneration ...89The dual relationship...90Board members - and others - beware 99Our litigious society...100Personal liability for statements...101Areas of exposure ...101Employment obligations ...103Commercial requirements ...104The Enterprise Act 2002 ...110The Insolvency Act ...111Operating in - and saving - the environment ...119The risk business 129The requirement to take risk ...130Contingency planning...131Risk prevention planning...134What do you do? ...136Suggested areas of attention ...137Bribery and Slavery...140Safety...142Corporate Manslaughter ...150Stress...153Risk transference ...160'Ill met' - without method 163Determining the aims of Board Meetings ...164Agendas...166Dynamic Agendas...168Timetable ...172Aims ...174Interested parties ...179The effective meeting ...180A meeting's two key players - The Chairmanand Secretary 185Key players ...186General responsibilities of the Chairman ...186Progressing the meeting ...188Controlling the members...189Motivating members ...190The role of the Company Secretary...195Responsibilities ...199Before and at Board Meetings ...202Remote meetings ...203Board without boredom 205General preparation ...206Preparing effective reports ...207Presentations ...209Planning ...213Appointing subcommittees...215Minutes - principles ...218Minutes - an example...220An inspector calls 231General requirements to create and protect records ...232External authorities ...234Control...239Controlling exercise of authority ...241Theft's vicious circle...249Controlling expenses ...251Directors' loans ...253Auditors ...254Enhanced penalties...260Setting an example 261Ethical behaviour ...262Gifts - the 'if in doubt: shout' rule...266Confidentiality undertaking ...268Non-competition clauses ...271Other security aspects ...275Electronic transmissions ...276Social Media sites ...283Controlling other risks...285Insider dealing rules ...287Share trading...292'He who communicates leads' 295Distinguishing between leadership and management...296Leadership qualities ...297Maximising the human resource ...302Communication principles ...309Briefings ...312Meeting the owners 323The Annual General Meeting ...324Briefing the Chairman...331Minutes ...333Extraordinary General Meetings ...336Resolutions ...337Proxy...340'Write a better book' 341The Annual Report...342Determining the target audiences ...344Filing the document...345Range of content ...346A timetable for action ...350The Chairman's Statement ...353Ownership...358Corporate social responsibility ...359Examining the issues ...362Human Capital Management...363Other documentation ...364No such thing as bad publicity? 369Who do we serve?...370Devising and using media releases ...375Media interviews ...377Communication aspects of crisis reaction...381Managing the property assets 387Introduction...388Types of occupation ...388Marriage of interests ...390The A-Z of property attention...390The future - remote working ...402Extending the working age...405'A personal viewpoint' 407The 4 key employment 'abilities' ...408Pro-active recruitment ...412Parental rights ...415Adoptive parents...424Unpaid parental leave ...424Family emergency leave...425Flexible working ...427Training...431Apprentices...431Public duties ...433Avoiding age discrimination ...435The new work dimension...437'Comparability and consultation' 439Comparability ...440Part-time workers...440Fixed term employees ...441Temporary personnel ...442Transferring employees ...444Reducing employment costs ...450Consultability...458Formal consultation...460Discipline and dismissal...466Dignity at Work ...470Retention ability ...478'Directing now' 483Corporate governance ...484Relationships...500Working time/personal time balance...503Payment of Directors ...504A sting in the tail? ...508Appendices 509Appendix I: Types of companies ...510Appendix II: Types of shares ...516Appendix III: Possible additional clauses for LTD's Articles...519Appendix IV: Who is liable...520Appendix V: Gender pay reporting ...521Appendix VI: Bibliography ...522Cases ...523