Corporate-finance

"The Board Member's Playbook..." is an indispensible resource for board members and those interested in policy govenance. The writing is very intelligent, clear, concise; a pleasure to read. A separate section provides a thorough overview of the Carver model for those unfamiliar with policy governance, as well as those needing a refresher. An accompanying CD-ROM is another excellent resource for helping board members with implementation.

This book is a roadmap to success for anyone who uses it. The real world examples and worksheets offer a practical, hands-on exercise in policy govenance. After reading and completing the exercises on my own, I felt well-prepared and energized to take on a board-related challenge using the model.

While this book brings everything a board member needs to effectively use the Carver model, it is the board members themselves who are ultimately responsible for their success. Board members must commit to being honest with themselves and one another, and be dedicated to the rigors of the process to properly implement the Carver model.

This wonderful resource also raises a very important question in my mind - why is the Carver model used predominantly in the non-profit sector? Why isn't the Carver model de rigeur for the for-profit sector? I can only see great benefits and progress ahead should this actually occur.

A welcomed addition to the "Policy Governance" corpus, "A Board Member's Playbook" provides a clear, concise and easily useable framework for Board practice. Complete with worksheets and an CD Rom, the book helps policy governance Boards work through simulated issues, forming a bridge between the theory of policy governance and its practical application.

This book is one of those internally generated corporate propaganda publications, in which each former corporate president or CEO is a towering, moralistic and unassailable figure. The book abounds with tales of eager employees working overtime without pay, as well as stories about shrewd corporate executives running circles around the competition. You will find a bit of general information about Boeing in this publication. But if your intent is to really learn more about this fascinating company and its history, there are far better books available on Amazon.com.

The book is a good look at Boeing's aircraft, from 1916 to present --- you see the 707 for the first time 43 percent through the book. Lots of color photos. Photos of older aircraft are mostly recent photos of restored planes.

I recommend it if you're into climb rates, engine model numbers, service ceilings, and other minutiae. If you're interested in the company and the people in it, its struggles and triumphs, you'll get very little of that here.

As a former US Air Force weather officer, the above quote was one I heard Boeing B-52 bomber crews often say half-jokingly when flying combat missions in Iraq during Operation Desert Storm. They flew through all sorts of high-level and low-level turbulence, sandstorms, dust, active thunderstorms, low level wind shear, anti-aircraft flak, and guided surface-to-air missiles in their trusty 32 year old Boeing heavy bombers and swore allegiance to them like they had been hearing the sounds of Orpheus. The same rabid fidelity is heard from Boeing airliner pilots often and, we all have heard of the legendary Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress' rugged durability in battle during World War II. Aircraft made by Boeing have had and continue to have a remarkable mystique about them. This book does a great job explaining that mystique and is just plain fun to look at and read!

The book totals 192 pages and is oddly sized on 10½ by 10½ inch paper. The whole story of Boeing from it's early days during World War I up through 1998 are told in very readable text. A generous amount of high quality pictures are used to illustrate each development. Chapters cover the floatplanes and fighters of the early days, pre-WWII development of airliners, the Boeing bomber heritage, the classic early jetliners, medium range airliners, the 747, the 757 and 767, and next generation aircraft including the 777. A useful appendix is included listing each Boeing "Model number" with the type of aircraft it is better known as, how many were built, and when they were produced.

This is a very enjoyable coffee-table book for all people both young and old interested in aircraft. Kids will love looking at the pictures, average adults will greatly enjoy the clearly explained history and development, and even Boeing veterans will probably learn a few things! I feel safe to say that this is a book you will have in use on your bookshelf for a long, long time. It should be best for kids as they will likely grow in understanding of airplanes as time goes on and interest in the field continues beyond just pictures. It's a great buy for anyone! Go for it!

Being an aviation buff, I did buy this book for me, but intending to show it sometimes to my 2yr'old kid. As it turned out, the kid got absolutely fascinated by it, much more than by his other board books, and much more than by other adult aviation books. Don't know what it has to be so special to him, but I know of no other book that has been enjoyed so much.

The carver style of governance is a tad idealistic and perhaps overly optimistic. I have read everything Dr Carver has written concerning this field and enjoy this material at an academic level. But when it comes to operationalizing this model in boardrooms I've seen it fail time and time again. Not to say that the model is flawed because in fact the model is normative and conceptually complete. However it doesn't capture that element of reality from which, in my experience, the model requires - practicality and real-world application. Dr Carver's notion that Boards can do without Finance and Audit Committees is very naive. Most consultants from the chartered accountant genre are saying the complete opposite. In fact most government policy initiatives are moving toward more control of financial affairs of organizations for boards from charts of accounts to fiscal policy. So I don't think the elimination of Finance and Audit Committees is realistic nor is it a terribly bright suggestion. I guess my only crticism is that the carver model is far to idealistic and philosophical for a practical application in the form Dr Carver suggests. Sorry but a hybrid model of traditional Board governance and the carver model may work given the commitment required from directors to follow-though on everything suggested in that system of governance,

The world is full of experts at what is wrong with the things that we do. Dr. Carver has a rock-solid, well thought out suggestion concerning how to do it right. One reviewer complained that Dr. Carver's suggestions are not realistic. Right is not often realistic, but right is always right. It's far better to start with an ideal and compromise from that point than to capitulate from the outset. Boards that Make a Difference is well worth reading.

This book was the core piece of a radical change in our board room. It led us down the path we knew we wanted to go but didn't know how to get there. His model for board room organization could revolutionize boards of companies in transition, like those of the rural electric program in America. It's a road map for where you already know in your heart that you want to go.

With all of the recent turmoil in US companies caused by some high profile CEOs and boad of directors not maintaining the highest level of accountability and integrity, I pulled this book back off of the shelf for a re-read.

Ram Charan's advocacy of companies building a strong independent board, one that has more than rubber-stamp responsibilities is more timely now than when it was written. The author has worked with some of the best companies, boards and executives around...some have succeeded and others have failed. Yet, his insight is one that focuses on accountability and frequent, frank evaluations of both roles: the board director and the CEO.

I found the final chapters that focused on the Chairman/CEO evaluation to be insightful, detailed and organized to provide any director with the framework to ask the right questions.

I recommend this book now to all senior executives to read again, focusing on the evaluation process that your leader should be subject to. I recommend this book even more to those board directors that face a responsibility to shareholders and employees, that they will oversight the senior leaders and hold them accountable to building businesses with integrity...not just providing the right numbers on a scorecard.

This book shows top executives how to use the knowledge of, and open up communication channels with, board members. It details practices of several major corporations. The author highlights all key points increasing the value of this work. Several helpful self-evaluation instruments are included. This work offers sound advice on good governance. Recommended to executives and directors.