Corporate governance has become one of the most important topics in the whole of business and management studies. From a relatively unimportant field twenty years or so ago, corporate governance now dominates peoples' concerns about the way business is run, to whom it is accountable, and how power is exercised over its activities. The global credit crisis, which started in 2007 (see the Northern Rock case in the book) and became near cataclysmic in late 2008, exposed many corporate governance failings, including some boards' failure to appreciate the effect of their business models and to assess strategic risk, sometimes amplified by over generous director bonus packages.

Moreover, the governance of other not-for-profit organisations, including government entities, charities, hospitals, academic bodies, and co-operatives have also come under the corporate governance spotlight.

I am fortunate to have been involved with the subject from the beginning and watched its dramatic evolution. Now I hope that I can share my experiences with you, and show that this is one of the most fascinating, and most important topics around. Indeed, we shall be studying nothing less than the way that individuals, enterprises and states work together in the modern world.

The textbook

Faced with a large textbook, many people, I know, skip the introduction to get on with the real material. Can I persuade you to look at the introduction because it emphasises what the book is about, who it is for and the background on which it has been based. You will realize that this is a book designed for students at all levels, including those with business experience, and for practitioners operating at board level.

Many of you will be using the textbook as part of a college course, in which case your course programme will determine the schedule of readings, case studies and projects. Each chapter has a set of self-test questions to enable you to see whether you have grasped the essentials.

The book has also been designed with the needs of those preparing for the professional examinations in accountancy, law, and board administration in mind. Here the examination syllabus will, obviously, guide your reading and preparation. Further, the book will be useful for those seeking training and development as a director of a company or member of some other governing body.

The website

The students' and lecturers' resources section of the website has been designed to add additional information and support to the textbook.' Since the subject continues to evolve rapidly, it will also be a vehicle for keeping readers up to date.' This part of the website has the following sections:

Additional information on cases in the book
This material will point you to other sources and enable you to make a more detailed analysis of each case.

Useful weblinks
The textbook has a list of relevant websites at the end of each chapter. Here are some more. We shall also endeavour to use this section to keep you abreast of new and changing sites.

Reference materials including links to corporate governance codes
Each chapter has a list of further reading. Here you will find a lot of official reports, regulations and laws that can provide useful background to your studies. They include the US Sarbanes Oxley Act 2002, the UK Companies' Act 2006 and the UK Financial Reporting Council's Combined Code 2008.

‘Ask the Author’ page
If you are struggling with a particular problem then you can submit your question to me via the site and my reply will be posted here.

Good luck with your work. I hope you find corporate governance as stimulating and challenging as I do. I look forward to hearing from you.

Bob Tricker
December 2008