This study describes the antecedents and consequences of the direct involvement of boards in forming the strategies of the organizations they serve. If boards are involved directly and early in the strategic decision making process rather than being held at the periphery, board members may become important assets to their organizations as strategy makers beyond their limited contributions as monitors or advisors. By providing a look inside the "black box" of decision making in board rooms, this research addresses a gap in the strategy and board literatures and has important practical implications for executives and board members who are interested in utilizing their boards to the greatest advantage for their organizations. Board members and chief executive officers who are currently making strategic decisions in a hospital context detailed their involvement in the decision making process in their responses to surveys designed for this study. Utilizing structural equation modeling for analyzing these responses, this study indicates that board members who bring human capital, social capital, and Board Capital (human and social capital in concert) to the board room are more likely to participate early in the strategic decision making process by raising or clarifying issues, generating or evaluating alternatives, or choosing strategies rather than only coming into the process at the end to review and accept or reject the recommendations of the top management team. And when board members are directly involved in forming strategy, the strategic decisions are more likely to be implemented and the implemented strategies are more likely to result in positive financial outcomes. Thus, boards as strategy makers impact the strategic decision making process and the organization in important ways. This study has shown that there are identifiable antecedents and positive consequences of boards acting as strategy makers.

The board of directors is legally responsible for setting the strategic direction of the firm and for ensuring the firm's long-term performance in almost all governance environments. However, many boards delegate the task of creating and executing the firm's strategy to a group of full-time professional managers. This separation between ownership and control creates many challenges for the modern-day firm, and the board's role in the strategy formation process is arguably the seminal governance challenge confronting boards today. Board Involvement in the Strategic Decision Making Process: A Comprehensive Review examines this seminal challenge.

Written in a clear and thoughtful style, Building a Successful Board-Test Strategy, Second Edition offers an integrated approach to the complicated process of developing the test strategies most suited to a company's profile and philosophy. This book also provides comprehensive coverage of the specifics of electronic test equipment as well as those broader issues of management and marketing that shape a manufacturer's "image of quality."In this new edition, the author adds still more "war stories," relevant examples from his own experience, which will guide his readers in their decisionmaking. He has also updated all technical aspects of the first edition, covering new device and attachment technologies, new inspection techniques including optical, infrared and x-ray, as well as vectorless methods for detecting surface-mount open-circuit board failures. The chapter on economics has been extensively revised, and the bibliography includes the latest material on this topic.*Discusses ball-grid arrays and other new devices and attachment technologies*Adds a comprehensive new chapter on optical, infrared, and x-ray inspection*Covers vectorless techniques for detecting surface-mount open-circuit board failures

Understanding Boards of Directors examines why research on corporate governance has been slow and uneven, and where that research should turn next to be most valuable to practitioners. The author traces the history of research on corporate boards and analyzes the trends in that research, including the relative value of the types of data that researchers in this field have used, and ultimately identifying the best path forward in studying these complex social systems.

This Element is an attempt to contribute to the extant literature on boards and corporate governance by exploring in detail the active involvement of the board in the purpose and strategy of the corporation in order to cope with a complex and uncertain environment.

This book integrates and assesses the vast and rapidly growing literature on strategic leadership, which is the study of top executives and their effects on organizations. The basic premise is that in order to understand why organizations do the things they do, or perform the way they do, we need to deeply comprehend the people at the top-- their experiences, abilities, values, social connections, aspirations, and other human features. The actions--or inactions--of a relatively small number of key people at the apex of an organization can dramatically affect organizational outcomes. The scope of strategic leadership includes individual executives, especially chief executive officers (CEOs), groups of executives (top management teams, or TMTs); and governing bodies (particularly boards of directors). Accordingly, the book addresses an array of topics regarding CEOs (e.g., values, personality, motives, demography, succession, and compensation); TMTs (including composition, processes, and dynamics); and boards of directors (why boards look and behave the way they do, and the consequences of board profiles and behaviors). Strategic Leadership synthesizes what is known about strategic leadership and indicates new research directions. The book is meant primarily for scholars who strive to assess and understand the phenomena of strategic leadership. It offers a considerable foundation on which professionals involved in executive search, compensation, appraisal and staffing, as well as board members who evaluate executive performance and potential, might build their tools and perspectives.